Connacht Tribune
Illegal operators ‘drive taxis out of business’, Judge says
The operators of illegal hackneys are doing licensed drivers and taxis out of money and affecting their livelihoods.
This was a view expressed by Judge James Faughnan when he heard two cases of drivers operating without hackney licences at Tuam District Court.
And one of the illegal operators was threatened with imprisonment or a driving disqualification if he defied a court order by picking up a fare again.
And in both cases, the drivers were using vehicles that were more than ten years old and therefore would not be entitled to be licensed in any event because they are too old.
However, in one case there was a petition from residents in Dunmore that there was no taxi or hackney service available in the town and that the defendant was doing “a community service”.
They were referring to Charles Collins from Ballintava, Dunmore who was before the court for operating without a hackney licence. He was prosecuted by the National Transport Authority.
Compliance Officer Eugene McHale told the court that on September 18 last, acting on confidential information, rang the defendant and asked to be brought from Dunmore to Tuam for which he was charged €10.
When the witness made it known who he was, Collins admitted he did not have a hackney licence to operate or a hackney licence for his car.
Defending solicitor Conor O’Dwyer said that he was in possession of a petition from residents complaining about no hackney service in Dunmore.
“You are doing other people out of an income,” Collins was told by Judge Faughnan. “The law is the law and has to be observed.” He imposed a fine of €350 along with €400 costs.
In the second case, James Barnicle of 40 Lui na Greine, Claremorris was said to have brought a fare to Tuam at a cost of €30 for the occupants.
According to Compliance Officer Martin Murphy, he collected the fare outside the McWilliam Park Hotel and brought two passengers to the Ard Ri House Hotel in Tuam.
The witness followed the defendant and saw the €30 being handed over. He also said that the car was too old to be licensed and was filthy inside.
The court heard that Barnicle had previously held a Public Service Vehicle licence but the defendant told the Judge that in 2013 he was assaulted by three men and ceased operating a taxi.
He said, in his defence, that he didn’t look for money said that he had driven members of the Gardai and “the number one man in Mayo” but he did not specify who this was despite being asked by Judge Faughnan.
Judge Faughnan ordered a probation report on the defendant and warned him if he was found collecting a fare again he would be jailed or disqualified. The case has been adjourned to June 26.
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.
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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
