Connacht Tribune
Galwayman behind 1916 commemorations heads new strategy group
The Galwayman who spearheaded the 1916 centenary programme has been appointed by Taoiseach Enda Kenny to head up the country’s new five-year cultural strategy.
John Concannon was Failte Ireland’s Director of Marketing and Development when he was seconded in 2014 to coordinate the Rising’s year of commemorative events.
The whole project had been shrouded in criticism over a perceived lack of action following three years of consultative meetings involving TDs, senators, historical experts and civil servants.
There was also widespread disquiet among the relatives of those involved in the rebellion, claiming they had not been adequately consulted.
John was directly involved in The Gathering in 2013 and had been consulted when devising schedules for the visits of Queen Elizabeth and US President Barack Obama.
At the end of 2016, you could almost hear the marketing impresario breathe a sigh of relief.
“Considering the anxiety two years ago when it was launched – politically, academically, among relatives and the media – it turned out to be a very positive thing for the country,” he reflects.
He believes it had a profound effect on three major areas. Firstly, Ireland’s whole sense of identity, epitomised by the flag project in schools where inclusivity was wholeheartedly embraced.
Secondly, the participation of citizens in every part of the country – some 3,500 community events were organised across the land with 1,000 events taking place overseas.
The third element was the cultural richness that emerged, as told through narrative, drama and documentary.
“Galway hugely stepped up to the plate, it had a really, really strong programme in city and county. In Galway we really had just a really, really strong sense of community energy throughout the year.”
Two of the major highlights of the entire national programme took place in Athenry.
The first on Easter Monday at Athenry Castle to mark the first shots which rang out in the west during the Rising, where rebels held the largest territory outside of Dublin.
One of only four locations outside of Dublin to host a State ceremony, more than 5,000 people joined the relatives of the Galway men and women of 1916 for the synchronized wreath-laying and parade with significant numbers of the defence forces taking park and a fly past by the Air Corps.
The biggest surprise was the Teagasc exhibition which attracted 60,000 to the North Galway town in June for the two-day Farming and Country Life 1916.
John describes it as the Ploughing Championships of the West.
Capturing the imagination of all generations, there was overwhelmingly positive feedback to the seven distinct villages which were a hive of activity reminiscent of era, with music, dance and drama, livestock, machinery and history. There were exhibition GAA games in 1916 attire, a sports day with traditional children’s games and re-enactments of evictions, schoolhouse and cottage.
Another national highlight of the programme was a free international conference at NUIG about the ‘promise and challenge of national sovereignty’, with lectures by academics from Princeton and Oxford universities, states John.
“We had 5.5m impressions [on the website] from all over the world, it was trending for the week on Twitter. It was absolutely fantastic.”
As other events of note, John singles out the exhibition at the Galway City Museum, the Eamonn Ceannt piper festival and the outdoor showing of the world premiere screening of the feature-length version of 1916 The Rebellion, narrated by Liam Neeson, at the Spanish Arch. The father of three was recently announced as the head of Creative Ireland, a five-year cultural strategy launched by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, which will be the legacy of the 1916 year of commemoration.
The programme will give every young person in the country an opportunity to learn music, drama, art and coding. It includes a pilot scheme to help self-employed artists who applied for job seekers’ allowance and a new annual cultural day to be held on Easter Monday.
A culture team for every local authority nationwide will be established. Plans are being laid for an investment programme for Ireland’s cultural and heritage bodies and for developing Ireland as a worldwide hub for film, TV drama and animation.
The programme office is being set up within the Department of Arts under the leadership of John, who will be tasked with coordinating the different organisations and agencies.
It will have an initial budget allocation of €5 million, some of which will go towards cultural events such as Cruinniú na Cásca on Easter Monday.
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.
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.
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
