Connacht Tribune
Documentary examines influence of hurling on ice hockey
Hurling’s influence on Canada’s national game, ice hockey, is documented in a new film by a Connemara production company.
Poc na nGael (Puck of the Irish), directed and produced by Éamonn Ó Cualáin and Sam Kingston of Fócas Films in Chill Chiaráin, makes its Irish premiere at the upcoming Galway Film Fleadh.
In the history documentary, former Galway senior hurling manager, and controversial television and newspaper pundit, Ger Loughnane, discovers the Irish links to Canada’s national obsession.
Éamonn Ó Cualáin produced Lón sa Spéir, (Men at Lunch) – a documentary about the human story of the iconic photo showing eleven workers having lunch break on the 69th floor of a skyscraper in New York in 1932 – which toured over 40 countries after its debut at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2012.
His wife Geraldine has a brother, John Coyne, from Maam Valley, living in Toronto so he was vaguely familiar with the connections between hurling and ice hockey, and jumped at the opportunity of delving deeper.
“I’m up to my tonsils in GAA and I love hurling. I had heard before of the connections but I hadn’t done any research on it. This gave me the opportunity,” said Éamonn, the chairman of Carna/Caiseal GAA Club.
The documentary gives an insight into how the Irish integrated into Canadian society through Canada’s national game, a game in which the Irish were essential in creating and developing.
“As Canada celebrates its 150th birthday this year, the documentary presents an opportunity to highlight the role of Irish immigrants in making Canada the country it is today. It’s about the Irish tenacity to succeed, both on the rink and in Canadian society.
“Without the Irish influence, Canada would not have the game it loves and enjoys so much today. That’s incredible really for a country of our size,” he said.
Éamonn worked with Ger Loughnane on TG4’s very successful Seó Spóirt programme, and felt he was a natural fit to front this film. “When Ger says something, people listen.
“Ger wasn’t 100% convinced about the connection between hurling and ice hockey at first. It’s like a story you’d hear in a pub – ‘ice hockey came from hurling’ – and not many facts but as the film shows, there are a fair amount of facts to back it up,” he said.
Éamonn added: “It will appeal to hurling people, people who love their hurling and GAA. That the sport of Cú Chulainn, our national sport, had such an influence on Canada’s national pastime. Like we are mad about GAA, Canadians are mad about ice-hockey. In Canada, they learn how to walk and then they learn how to skate. It’s just interesting that our biggest and best contribution to Canada was ice hurling, which evolved into ice hockey.”
What will surprise viewers most is that the hurling link is due to Irish Protestants/Ulster Scots who brought hurling across with them, according to Éamonn.
Ger Loughnane uncovers this link at the birthplace of hockey in Windsor, Nova Scotia. His journey across eastern Canada reveals that the sport the Irish helped develop also provided the Irish with the opportunity to grow in Canadian society.
The popular presenter also discovers the strong Irish heritage of leading Canadian teams such as the Montreal Canadiens, the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs who originated as the Toronto St. Patrick’s.
As the NHL celebrates its 100th anniversary the film examines the Irish legacy and how it is remembered today.
It was cofounded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and TG4 and will be broadcast on the national Irish language TV station this autumn
■ Poc na nGael is showing at the Galway Film Fleadh on Sunday July 16 at 2.15pm in the Cinemobile beside Town Hall Theatre
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.
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
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