News
Death of man devoted to God and his native place
The Franciscan Brother who lost his life in a road traffic accident has been described as a man who loved his community – and embodied everything his beloved Order stood for.
Brother Michael Burke was Minister General with the Franciscan Brothers and was originally from Gortroe, Corrandulla.
The car he was driving collided with a truck on the N62 at Cloghan County Offaly on Thursday afternoon last week.
Brother Burke (66) had a long history of involvement with the Franciscan Agricultural College in Mountbellew until he was promoted in the Order almost two years ago.
The untimely death of Brother Burke sent shockwaves throughout the local community and tributes have been paid by locals in Mountbellew as well as former students of the college.
He taught in Mountbellew Agricultural College and was also house master for many years. He was described by former students as being “firm but fair”.
Former Galway East TD Paul Connaughton said that Brother Mick, as he was affectionately known, embodied everything that the Franciscan Order stands for.
“He was totally committed to his religious calling and it was only last year that the Franciscan Order bestowed upon him the great accolade, of Director General of the entire Order worldwide.
“All his life, in keeping with the tradition of all Franciscan brothers down through the generations and particularly the present cohort of his colleagues, he maintained a wonderful active interest in helping the local community to advance and prosper in good and bad times.
“Whether it was church related activities, educational or sporting activities, he was always available to help and were it not for his particular support, the local agricultural show would not have flourished like it has down through the years.
“Brother Michael was an outstanding administrator and organiser and he left no stone unturned in his efforts to make things happen.
“However, it was his rock solid belief that Mountbellew Agricultural College should survive and continue to provide relevant agricultural education for the boys and girls of the farming community, particularly in the west of Ireland, that his greatest legacy is likely to be”, Mr Connaughton said.
Whether it was at local protest meetings, or at top level Teagasc encounters, or directly eyeballing politicians and government ministers, Brother Michael Burke pulled no punches and his contribution to keeping Mountbellew Agricultural College open and thriving will be remembered for years to come, he added.
“I have known Brother Michael for nearly 40 years and I have seen him help so many people in a most compassionate way.
“He had a great bond of friendship with his own family in Corrandulla and I don’t think I have ever spoke to him, particularly in the past ten years, that he wasn’t either going to or coming from visiting his dear mother.
“Brother Michael liked meeting people and he was a good man to tell a story and could mix the bit of banter and laughter with the best.
“In recent years the Franciscan Oratory was made available for funerals and bereaved families greatly valued the genuine sympathy and friendliness they received in their hour of need from Brother Michael as he stood for hours greeting people as they paid their respects to their deceased relatives”.
Brother Michael only retired from his post in the Agricultural College last year and was elected Minister General of the Franciscan Brothers with worldwide responsibility.
He was a member of a number of National Boards and bodies as well as serving as Chairman of the Board of Management of Holy Rosary College Mountbellew.
In his youth he was a talented Gaelic footballer with his native Annaghdown and was later to serve as a referee with the Galway Football Board.
His remains reposed at the Franciscan Oratory Chapel on Sunday evening last as thousands filed through to pay their last respects.
Then later on Monday his remains reposed at his family home in Gortoe, Corrundull,a before being removed to Corrandulla Church for concelebrated mass of the resurrection on Tuesday and the burial took place afterwards in Cregg cemetery.
He was predeceased by his father John, and brother Eddie and is survived by his mother Sarah, brothers Kieran, Christy, Paddy, Tommy and Johnny, sisters Mary, Nonie, Una and Sally, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, the Franciscan Brothers and communities, relatives, colleagues and college staff and a wide circle of friends.
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.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
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.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
