Connacht Tribune
Library amnesty triggers tale richer than fairy story borrowed in 1949
The connection between Galway, scarlet fever, library books and a plane carrying post-war Italian emigrants to Venezuela isn’t altogether clear at first – but the recent introduction of a fine amnesty on public library books unearthed an extraordinary link between the four.
On August 15, 1949, four years after the end of World War Two, a Transocean Air Lines Douglas Skymaster carrying displaced Italians seeking refuge in Caracas when it went down in Galway Bay – causing the death of nine of its 58 passengers.
At the same time, Kathleen Daly (nee Breheny) of Ballinlass was hospitalised at Galway Hospital – quarantined with scarlet and rheumatic fever.
Following the plane crash, a major rescue operation was launched and Galway Hospital was cleared to make way for a major influx of injured patients off the aircraft.
Kathleen, then 14, had in the days previous to this borrowed a copy of Hans Christian Anderson’s Favourite Fairy Tales from what was likely a visiting library service.
And as she was dispatched from the hospital, so too was the library book.
Some 70 years later, with the announcement that fines on library books are to be abolished, Galway County Library Service was contacted by her niece who said the book was now in the proud ownership of her mother, Phil, travelling with her from her childhood home in Galway when she moved to Dublin.
Kathleen now lives in Lincolnshire but the book has gone to good use, having been read from cover to cover on numerous occasions by Phil’s children since it was first borrowed over half a century ago.
This is just one of several quirky stories that have been thrown up across the country since the announcement that library fines are to be a think of the past, said County Librarian, Catherine Gallagher.
According to Catherine, it’s rare that a book isn’t returned – and the decision to ditch fines should be welcomed as making Ireland’s library service completely free and accessible to anyone who wishes to use it.
“The vast majority of stock is returned. It had been found that imposing a fine didn’t actually encourage people to bring books back,” said Catherine.
“If you had a book out for a certain period of time, you just weren’t going to bring it back.”
In fact, it is hoped that by abolishing overdue fees, people will return overdue titles and begin to use their library once again.
“It’s all about social inclusion. The service is now free to join and free to use. The feedback has been positive, particularly from families with children,” said Catherine, explaining that many feared incurring fines because of misplaced books.
The library service is currently going through a period of transformation as part of the strategy, ‘Our Public Library 2022’.
Since last year, members of any library in any county can present their card anywhere in the country to borrow a book – and can return it to any other public library.
Members therefore have access to a catalogue of over twelve million titles, from which they can request books to be delivered to their local branch.
“It’s still a very well-used service and in 2016, we had 17 million items borrowed,” said Catherine.
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
