Connacht Tribune
County Galway’s population increases – and drops
The population of Galway City and County has increased to 258,058 over the past five years, according to new Census figures, with towns such as Athenry, Tuam, Gort, Kinvara and Clarinbridge recording the biggest increases.
Meanwhile, Clifden – the town and the rural area – saw its population decline by up to one-fifth since 2011.
The figures from the Central Statistics Office show that Galway’s population has increased by 3% from the 2011 Census (when it stood at 250,541, the first time it topped the quarter-million mark in the history of the State).
On Census night in April 2016, the county’s population stood at 179,048 – 89,612 males and 89,436 females – which was up 2.2% on the 175,124 from five years earlier. The city’s population was up 5.3% from 75,529 to 79,504 – a breakdown shows there were 41,297 females to 38,207 males.
Of the county’s major towns and villages (the county alone is broken down into more than 200 electoral areas), Kinvara and Gort were the fastest growing, up 13.7% each, more than four times the overall county rate of increase.
Kinvara was up from 1,351 to 1,536 and Gort from 2,671 to 3,037 over the five-year period.
Athenry recorded a 13.3% increase in population, from 4,828 to 5,469; Loughrea (urban) was up 9.5% from 5,062 to 5,542; while Tuam (rural) was up 9.3% from 5,520 to 6,033. The population of Ballinasloe town grew by 3.2% from 6,449 to 6,654.
Clarinbridge and Gort (rural) also recorded growth of almost three times the county average, at 8.5% – the former increasing from 13,985 to 15,170 and the latter from 3,271 to 3,578.
Other areas of growth were Craughwell (up 7.5% from 1,640 to 1,763); Furbo (up 6.9% from 1,312 to 1,403); Moycullen (up 6.7% from 2,008 to 2,143) and Tuam Urban (up 6.4% from 3,304 to 3,517).
A total of 104 of the electoral areas in the county experienced a decline in population – the worst hit was Ballynakill in South Galway with a 28.3% drop from 593 to 425.
Clifden (town) recorded a 17.9% (or 468 people) decline from 2,613 to 2,145 while Clifden (rural) was down 10.5% from 9,730 to 8,705. Both areas of Clifden recorded the biggest fall in real terms over the five-year period, losing a total of around 300 people per year.
Other locations which saw a fall in population were Ballinasloe (rural) down 2.9% from 8,267 to 8,029 and Oughterard (rural) down 1.7% from 13,220 to 12,990.
County Galway’s biggest towns are still Ballinasloe, Loughrea and Athenry in that order – each of them is still growing, according to the preliminary Census results.
The average age of Galway’s population in April 2016 was 37.5 years, compared to 36.1 years in April 2011. Nationally, the average age of the population was 37.4, up from 36.1 in April 2011. .
Nationally, Ireland’s population stood at 4,761,865, an increase of 173,613 (3.8%) since April 2011.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
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