News
Galway mountain rescue dog forced to retire
A popular English Springer Spaniel who has played a key role in searches for missing people throughout the West of Ireland for the past eight years has been forced to retire.
Hugo, who is a key member of the Galway Mountain Rescue Team (MRT), had been limping badly in recent weeks and a recent visit to the vet confirmed that he was suffering from arthritis in his front legs, joints, and elbow.
Together with his owner, Jarlath Folan, Hugo has taken part in countless mountain rescue operations throughout the past eight years in addition to helping out in search operations for people as far away as Cavan and Wicklow.
The nine year old was hugely popular with the 30 volunteer members of the Galway MRT, as he was the only trained dog in the region who regularly helped out on search and rescue missions. He had assisted in ten searches over the past two years alone.
“However busy we have been on the mountains, the commitment of Jarlath and Hugo to helping in searches was even greater,” said Alan Carr of the Galway MRT.
Both the Search and Rescue Dog Association (SARDA) and the Galway MRT played glowing tributes to Hugo’s work in rescue missions this week.
“Gardai and the Civil Defence would call them out on a regular basis to help in searches all across the country. Hugo was a tremendous asset to us. He would go into an area, pick up a scent, and greatly improve our efficiency as a search and rescue team,” said Mr Carr.
“That dog has passed multiple assessments and training courses. His retirement is not just a loss for the Galway team, it’s a loss for the rescue services all across the country. It’s hard to imagine how such a valuable member of our team can be replaced.”
Mr Carr said that it took “tremendous commitment” from Jarlath and his family to look after Hugo and maintain his fitness throughout the past eight years.
“I have him since he was a pup and would walk him twice a day,” his owner Jarlath told the Connacht Tribune. “I thought we would get another couple of years out of him, but we had no choice but to retire him after the x-rays showed he was suffering from arthritis.
“He’s the only dog of his type in the West of Ireland and some of the searches he was involved with lasted up to three days.”
Both Hugo and Jarlath featured in a film by Niamh O’Riordan entitled ‘Rescue Me’, which explored the unbreakable bond between them.
“After many years of loyal service, our beloved Hugo has decided to hang up the collar, put the rescue jacket away, and live a well-deserved life in retirement,” said a statement from SARDA this week.
“From everyone in SARDA, past and present, we wish Hugo all the best in retirement and hope to see him out for a visit on training weekends.”
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
