Connacht Tribune
Feelgood factor of Nature Therapy
Lifestyle – Judy Murphy meets Marion Edler from Crann Óg Eco Farm who promotes the values of a simple life alongside nature
In a society where most of us spend our lives rushing around, usually glued to our mobile devices, Nature Therapy can help us slow down and become aware of ourselves and the world around us.
So says Marion Edler from Crann Óg Eco Farm in South Galway, who will be speaking on the value of Nature Therapy at the Burrenbeo Learning Landscape Symposium, which is taking place in and around Kinvara in early March.
Nature and Forest Therapist Marion will also be leading a walk in the Burren where people will be encouraged to tune into their own bodies by fully engaging with nature.
German-born Marion who runs Crann Óg with her husband, Flor Burke, has been promoting the value of simple living for more than two decades, since she first moved to Drummin at the foothills of the Siabh Aughty mountains.
Their 14-acre eco-farm in the hills has been awarded gold-star status by Eco Tourism Ireland, the internationally recognised accreditation body for sustainable tourism and it’s easy to see why. From the pond area, which Flor and Marion created using a nearby well, to the willows that help drain the naturally boggy soil, they have worked with the natural environment to create a holding that supports their small community – mostly this consists of family members and their co-workers, Paul and Marla, who also live onsite. Volunteers visit regularly, too, wanting to learn more about eco-farming and skills such as living willow sculpting.
Crann Óg has been welcoming tourists for many years, mostly people who want to reconnect with nature. And they do so in an eco-friendly way. The farm’s ‘longhouse’ which can sleep 12, has solar pipes on its roof that provide hot water in summer. In winter, a stove in the longhouse connects with the pipe system, which means there’s always hot water. The compost toilets come complete with instructions and, says Marion, they work brilliantly once people follow these.
For Marion, who lived off-grid for six years after moving to Drummin, the message is that “people can live happily with less”. And with practically everything in Crann Óg being made from recycled material, they are proof that it works. Comfort hasn’t been sacrificed either.
During the summer, in a field away from the main house, guests can also be accommodated in yurts and tepee style tents while having access to an octagonal communal shelter known as the Hogan. This tent, modelled on those of the Native American Navajo, is made from old wood pallets and canvas from a defunct marquee. It has a large circular opening at the apex, so guests can stargaze. Directly below is a circular fireplace, made from the metal rim of a tractor wheel. Even in heavy rain it’s dry inside, according to Marion. It’s where they hold storytelling nights, hosted by Flor, where guests are welcome to share their experiences.
Crann Óg’s location in South Galway is ideal for natural experiences, adds Flor. The Burren is 15 minutes in one direction, while Portumna and Lough Derg are in another. East Clare and its rich musical heritage is just over the mountain, and all around there are connections with Lady Gregory and WB Yeats as well as with Edward Martyn, another key figure in the Celtic revival, whose patronage was responsible for stained glass windows in many local churches, most notably St Brendan’s in Loughrea.
And, for people who want to engage close up with farming, there are ducks and ponies to be fed as well as pet sheep.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
