Galway West
Hospital A&E urgent priority says Martin
On Sunday, St Valentine’s Day, at Pearse Stadium, the Galway senior hurlers sent Cork packing, with a convincing six-point win in the National League.
“I think come summertime we’ll be very competitive in championship,” said Cork man, Micheál Martin, who rolled into town a couple of days later.
The Fianna Fáil leader wasn’t exactly showered with love but the hostility towards the party has subsided somewhat since the 2011 general election when it was blamed for the economic collapse.
And with polls indicating the party’s recovery has stabilised, Martin floats the possibility of seat gains in both Galway West, where it once held two seats, and Galway East, a former stronghold.
Fresh from the seven-way leaders’ debate on RTÉ Monday, Martin joined Galway East TD and party frontbench spokesperson on mental health, Colm Keaveney in Tuam on Tuesday, to announce its policy on disabilities. He also visited South Clare, Gort and Headford; and was in Galway City and Connemara Wednesday to launch an Irish language and Gaeltacht policy.
It’s been a hectic campaign. “I’m enjoying it – plenty of green tea. But yeah, it’s non-stop,” he says, admitting he’s surviving on about six hours sleep per night.
Have voters really forgiven Fianna Fáil? “The main thing is people genuinely don’t like this Government. The Government is unpopular – they want a change of Government. It’s not a question about forgiving us.”
Capital investment in University Hospital Galway is a priority, he says.
“The most urgent capital requirement on the western seaboard is a new A&E in Galway. That won’t solve problems immediately but it certainly would give hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel in terms of a quality A&E. I raised it in the Dáil and forced the Taoiseach to concede that conditions are unacceptable. The Government did not provide any capital funding to build a new A&E, or for a new maternity unit.”
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
With half of the boxes in Galway City West tallied, the state of play in the six-seater is:
Donal Lyons (Ind) 23%
Pauline O’Reilly (Greens) 14.75%
Niall McNelis (Lab) 11.89%
John Connolly (FF) 9.86%
Pearce Flannery (FG) 9.48%
Peter Keane (FF) 7.3%
John Crowley (Soc Dems) 6.3%
Clodagh Higgins (FG) 5.9%
Salthill and Taylor’s Hill boxes being tallied now
There is a tired old cliché about people singing from ‘the same hymn sheet’ – but despite their diverse political backgrounds, it could certainly be applied in the case of Galway city’s two new TDs.
Because Fine Gael’s Deputy Hildegarde Naughten and independent TD Catherine Connolly hold common ground when it comes to a lot of issues relating to Galway city.
For example, in the aftermath of the general election they both agreed that University Hospital Galway should be moved to a greenfield site at Merlin Park. They also articulated this view on the first day of the new Dail last week.
And, separately, they were both in favour of the provision of dedicated bus lanes throughout Galway city with the acceptance that there will be no outer bypass for at least another decade. Deputy Connolly believes that the current proposal is simply “a cul-de-sac” and should never have been progressed.
Left-leaning Independent TD Catherine Connolly and right-leaning Fine Gael TD, Hildegarde Naughton, both believe UHG is at saturation point and are committed to the development of a new public hospital at the larger, more accessible site east of the city.
This, along with the promotion of public transport initiatives to help end traffic chaos in the city, is one of the common policy objectives the two new women TDs share.
They are only the second and third women TDs ever in Galway West, following in the footsteps of former Fianna Fáil minister, Máire Geoghegan Quinn.
Pressure is mounting on Galway West TD Noel Grealish to join Fianna Fail as the party attempts to be part of the next government.
The Fianna Fail organisation in the constituency are now convinced that Grealish may provide the party with the answer to winning a second seat in Galway West. And the organisation are disappointed that veteran TD Eamon O Cuiv has not delivered a second seat in the last two general elections. If Fianna Fail assume power, it is very unlikely that the Cornamona man will have a place at the front bench.
The party organisation in Galway West are now anxious that Grealish becomes part of their fabric and particularly as he is a proven vote-winner.
Grealish is part of an unofficial grouping in the Dail who are currently engaged with the two major parties with a view to forming a minority government.
The fact that the Carnmore man has been a TD since 2002, it is likely that he could be part of the front bench in the next government if he agrees to become part of the support that Fianna Fail require.
It was revealed last week that he had been approached by Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin to join up but he was not to be drawn on the issue.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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