Connacht Tribune
Going green for darkest night
Next Tuesday marks the longest night of the year – and Galway’s iconic buildings will be lit up in green in solidarity with those for whom the darkness is unfortunately a huge part of their every day.
The Longest Night is an initiative of the Samaritans provide a 24-hour helpline service for people who are in distress, struggling to cope and those who need emotional support, including those who are feeling suicidal.
And by marking the Winter Solstice in this way next Tuesday, they want to let people know that help is available during their darkest hours – especially over the festive period.
The charity appealing to landmarks, local authorities and businesses to light up their buildings and outdoor locations in green as a gesture of support.
Buildings already going green for the night include St Nicholas’s Collegiate Church; Dúnguaire Castle; the Quad at NUIG; Athenry Heritage Centre; Claregalway Castle; the Browne Doorway; City Hall; Galway Museum ; Tuam Clock Tower, and the GMIT campuses in the city and Letterfrack.
The Salthill Christmas lights will also be going green in solidarity.
And any photos taken of the buildings or landmarks will be shared by Samaritans Ireland and Samaritans Galway on social media, using the hashtags #samaritanslongestnight and #longestnight.
Last year, Samaritan volunteers answered over 37,000 calls for help over Christmas, including on Christmas Day. And they will be available to do the same this year.
In addition, the specially formed band Shattered, has launched a charity single, Heart of Hope, to raise awareness and funds for Galway Samaritans and Galway Simon Community. This initiative is the brainchild of Kev Patten, with fellow members being Siobhan Forde of TribeTones, Turlough Moore of Pyramid, Cormac Dunne from the Stunning and Kevin Duffy, ex the Saw Doctors.
All funds raised from Heart of Hope will go to support the Samaritans and Galway Simon Community.
“Have you ever been lost and confused and don’t know where to go, what to do or where you are going to sleep?” asks Kev Patten. “There are a lot of people who go through this every day. We want to assure people that there is light at the end of the tunnel if we reach out with a heart of hope. Ireland is one of the most giving countries in the world. So let’s help our people that are in need please.
The song is about a woman living on the streets. She forms a friendship with another person who helps her see a ‘heart of hope.
“We are giving 50% of all proceeds to the Galway Samaritans and 50% to Galway Simon Community. Simply put, we just want to help in our own way,” says Kev.
People can listen to the track and watch the video on the Galway Samaritans website via their social media channels. To donate, just click on the iDonate button.
The Samaritans are a totally voluntary organisation with no member receiving payment.
They are there to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on freephone 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.ie.
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
