Connacht Tribune
Galway county councillors declare business and property interests
Galway’s newest county councillors have filed ethics returns with the local authority, giving details of their business and property interests.
All county councillors, who were newly elected in May’s Local Elections, filed their ethics declarations with County Hall, listing land and property they own, and shares or directorships of companies they possess.
Cllr Liam Carroll (FG), in his ethics returns, lists that he sold his shares in Anchor Safety Limited, Briarhill Business Park, in November 2018. His directorship of the company, a supplier of personal protective equipment, and safety products, ceased in November 2018, he said.
The company, he said, has contracts with a total of 18 local authorities across Ireland, including Galway City and County Councils, Mayo County Council and South Dublin County Council. Cllr Carroll declared that he was also a voluntary director of Oranmore Community Development Association.
Cllr David Collins (FG) declared his home in Turloughmore and 15 acres of land for “hay and grazing”. He said he is a director of HPS Vision, a telecommunications company at Parkmore. “We currently have a contract with the Galway County Council Local Enterprise Office for 2019,” he said.
Cllr Shelly Herterich Quinn (FF) declared a rental property on the Cappagh Road in the city, and lists two voluntary directorships of Athenry Community Council and Athenry and District Community Employment Scheme.
Cllr Declan Geraghty (Ind) holds shares in eight businesses, according to his returns. The companies relate to property management, concrete, building, oil, retail and manufacturing. One of the businesses – DG Roofing Ltd – has supplied goods to Galway and Roscommon County Councils, according to the documents.
Cllr Geraghty owns a storage yard on the Old Bog Road in Williamstown and a business on the main street, as well as office and retail units at Racecourse Road in Roscommon, his declaration said.
Cllr Peter Keaveney (FG), a farmer and agri contractor, lists a voluntary directorship of Glenamaddy and District Development Company. Cllr Pádraig Mac An Iomaire (FG), a funeral director, lists ownership of two properties – a house and a bar – that are leased or rented out. Cllr Gerry King (FF), a fish farmer, owns farmland in Clifden, according to his returns. He is also a director of West Connemara Leisure Centre, Clifden.
Cllr PJ Murphy (Ind) in Ardrahan lists four separate occupations and professions – carpentry, honey production, teaching and suckler cow farming. He owns agricultural land in Kilchreest, and lists that he is a benefactor of farm land and buildings at Kilchreest and Ardrahan.
Headford-based Cllr Andrew Reddington (FG), a teacher, lists part-time farming, a site and a rented house in Castlebar among his interests.
Cllr Joe Sheridan (FF), a manager of a pub in Dunmore, and food science engineer, lists his home in Milltown and business in Dunmore. Cllr Alastair McKinstry (Green), an NUIG employee, listed his family home in Moycullen.
Cllr Dáithí Ó Cualáin (FF), a nurse at UHG, lists a family home in Indreabhán. Cllr Geraldine Donohue (Ind), a part-time farmer and secretarial assistant to Senator Victor Boylan, lists a family home in Kylebrack.
Cllr Colm Keaveney (FF) lists a “dwelling” in Tuam. Cllr Albert Dolan (FF), an accountant, and Cllr Aisling Dolan (FG), a project manager at NUIG, have declared no interests.
All councillors’ completed ethics declaration forms can be inspected online.
Property tops the list for established local reps
A county councillor owns a company that does business with all local authorities in the country, according to annual declarations of interests filed with County Hall.
Cllr Seamus Walsh (FF), an engineer and planning consultant, lists farmland in Westmeath and Oughterard in his interests. He is a director of Ashford Building Services Ireland Limited, Oughterard, which is “not trading at present”, and of Esperanza Enterprises, which is involved in engineering and education, also in Oughterard. In his declaration, Cllr Walsh said that Esperanza Enterprises has contracts with “all” local authorities.
Cllr Joe Byrne (FG) lists ownership or part-ownership of residential properties in Kinvara, as well as owning shares in Greengross Development, a “non-trading” property development company in Kinvara, of which he is also a director. He is a director of Kinvara Heritage Trust, Burren Enterprise Ltd, Gort Golf Club and Yeat’s Thoor Ballylee Society.
Cllr Jimmy McClearn (FG) listed rental properties in Ballinasloe, Athlone, Galway and Portumna among his interests, as well as his family home and directorships of two not for profit organisations, Killimor Recreation and Fitness Ltd and Killimor Development Ltd.
Cllr Tom Welby (Ind), lists land he owns in Oughterard, and directorships of several not-for-profit organisations including Oughterard Courthouse Conservation and Heritage; Oughterard Community Centre; Oughterard Community Enterprise; and Corribdale Ground.
Cllr Gerry Finnerty (FF), a publican, farmer, and marts admin officer, owns faming land in Peterswell and Tubber, according to his returns.
Cllr Martina Kinnane (FF) declared a family home in Clarinbridge, as well as shares in St Mary’s funeral home in Menlough. She is a board member of Galway Rural Development in Athenry, Athenry Heritage Centre and Bridge That Gap, a community development group.
Cllr Mary Hoade (FF) lists ownership of three properties, including two rental houses, as well as directorships of Williams Motor Warehouse, Corrandulla Community Childcare and Headford Eco Park Enterprise Centre.
Cllr Donagh Killilea (FF), a farmer, and manager of City Bin Company, declared his home on 95 acres of land at Belclare in his returns.
Cllr James Charity (Ind), a barrister, lists agricultural land and shares in Greencore among his interests. He is a director of Annaghdown Parish Council, a community development company, and the Parish Office in Corrandulla, which is also voluntary.
Cllr Gabe Cronnelly (Ind), under “any other additional interests”, lists Galway Game Hunting Association, Cregmore/Athenry Anglers, Monivea Boxing Club and Athenry Tidy Towns.
Cllr Jim Cuddy (Ind) declared a quarter ownership of 35 acres of forestry in Swinford, County Mayo.
Cllr Tim Broderick (Ind), a publican in Kilconnell, had no interests to declare. Cllr Dermot Connolly (SF) declared a farm in Aughrim.
Cllr Michael Connolly (FF), a sheep farmer in Moylough, declared a directorship of Ballinasloe Enterprise Centre. He said he was the County Council’s representative on the committee and he receives “no expenses” for his membership. Cllr Eileen Mannion (FG) declared a family home and share in a rental property in Clifden.
Cllr Tomas Ó Curraoin (RSF) declared a family home in Barna; Cllr Ivan Canning, director of Canning Hurleys, declared a family home in Portumna; Cllr Michael ‘Moegie’ Maher (FG) declared a family home in Loughrea; Cllr Pete Roche (FG) listed a family home on six acres; and Cllr Karey McHugh (Ind) listed her own home.
There was nothing declared in the forms returned by Cllr Pat Hynes (Ind), Cllr Noel Thomas (FF), or Cllr Shane Curley (FF), a teacher.
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
