Connacht Tribune
Former minister calls for fast-tracking of Aran harbour projects
Harbour projects on two of the smaller Aran Islands need to be fast-tracked as a matter of urgency due to real safety concerns, a former Gaeltacht Minister has urged this week.
West Galway Fianna Fáil TD, Éamon Ó Cuív, told the Connacht Tribune that there were very real health and safety concerns over the harbours serving Inis Meáin and Inis Oirr.
“It is quite incredible to think that the planning permission was granted for the Inis Oirr project back in 2008 and it still hasn’t been completed.
“The way is clear for this work to be completed at a cost now estimated to be in the region of €15 million. If it was done, when it should have been done, the cost would have been about half that,” said Deputy Ó Cuív.
He said that there were serious safety concerns as regards wave overtopping at the harbour on Inis Oirr while in certain weather conditions there wasn’t sufficient shelter for boat passengers or people standing onshore.
Deputy Ó Cuív said that the Cé an Chalaidh Mhóir harbour serving Inis Meáin was way behind the Inis Oirr project in terms of planning, design and budget issues.
“There’s no point in just saying that funding is available when people don’t know whether the project is going to cost €50 million or €100 million.
“It’s like telling someone to design a house without giving them any budget or plan. We need the Department [Rural Development and the Islands] just to get on with it.
“One is ready to go [Inis Oirr] while the other [Inis Meain] needs to have a proper plan and budget finalised. But we must move on with both of them,” said Deputy Ó Cuív.
He said that, as in the case of the Inis Oirr facility, there were also real safety concerns over the current harbour at Inis Meáin, with two people over the years having lost their lives in quayside accidents.
Deputy Ó Cuív raised the issue of the island harbours in the Dáil on September 29 last and was told by Minister of State, Joe O’Brien (Green Party), that the business case for the Inis Oirr pier had been approved by the Department.
“Galway County Council is in the process of resolving a number of pre-construction issues prior to issuing a draft tender for their development.
“These include an application for a foreshore licence for the works on the island; the completion of environmental reports for an appropriate assessment; and preparing the compulsory order applications.
“The timetable has been discussed by the development committee, providing for a tendering process of approximately nine months, after which construction will advance in stages.
“The finalised plan is likely to take several years to complete, taking account of the weather and sea conditions,” said Minister of State [Community, Rural Development and the Islands], Joe O’Brien.
He said that as regards the Inis Meáin project, ‘the business case was still in development with Galway County Council with the proposed design of the harbour and pier to be informed by modelling work being carried out at the National Maritime College of Ireland in Cork.
Deputy O’Brien said that once the modelling case had been completed – and its impact on design fully understood – the business case could then proceed for approval.
According to Deputy Ó Cuív, the replies he had received from Minister of State, Joe O’Brien, indicated to him that the Inis Oirr project would not be happening in 2022.
Inis Oirr, the smallest of the Aran Islands by land size, has a population of just under 300, while the middle island Inis Meáin, has just under 200 residents. Inis mór, the biggest of the three islands, has a population of around 800.
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
