News
Luxury ship sails back into Cill Chiaráin on ultimate maritime tour
Connemara’s Cill Chiaráin Bay played host on Thursday to a very special group of visitors who are enjoying the ultimate tour of Ireland’s coastline – at up to €15,000 a pop.
They are on board the Orion, one of the National Geographic Society’s fleet of expedition ships, which is returning to the west, having sailed into Cill Chiaráin Bay with a different group last week as part of their two, eight-day circumnavigation tours of the “endlessly magnificent” coast of Ireland.
BY JOHN CARLOS
The Society operates hundreds of similar trips each year to 60 destinations in the world spanning the seven continents.
The ship is a fully stabilized vessel equipped with an ice-reinforced hull, enabling it to navigate polar ice as well as the smaller harbours of Europe.
“The expeditions aim to fulfil the Society’s mission to inspire people to care about the planet by providing meaningful opportunities to explore it,” according to the Society.
Living accommodation aboard the Orion.
The state-of-the-art Orion, named presumably after the constellation group of stars, is the newest addition to the National Geographic’s fleet.
Boasting exquisite lounge and dining areas and sumptuous bedrooms, the vessel can accommodate 102 guests in 53 spacious cabins, all with ocean views.
Costing between €7,000 and €15,000 per person sharing, the proceeds “support the Society’s efforts to increase global understanding through exploration, education and scientific research”.
There is an outdoor café, state-of-the-art lecture theatre, and a library. Meals are served in an informal setting, offering international cuisine inspired by their ports of call, and guests will sample some of the local fare while touring Ireland.
For the more energetic, there are fitness and spa treatment rooms; a whirlpool, hot tub and plunge pool. There is also a full-time doctor and a wellness specialist on board.
Sophisticated video equipment, snorkelling and diving gear and a dive-master are provided. And a National Geographic photographer and photography instructor are also available to guests.
The ship operates an ‘open bridge’ policy encouraging guests to meet the captain and officers.
The Orion meets strict specifications for environmental protection, and their on-board waste management systems meet the stringent Antarctic operational standards enabling them to travel to the most pristine environments.
Plenty of scope for socialising on board the Orion.
A host of advanced design features and technology ensures sustainable marine environmental practices.
Fourteen Zodiac inflatable rafts ensure quick disembarkation and offer the ideal transport for up-close exploration.
And for those who prefer to stay dry, the Orion is equipped with a glass-bottom Zodiac that enables remarkably clear observations undersea.
Each Ireland expedition is coordinated by Con Moriarty’s Hidden Ireland Tours, Kerry, under the guidance of Director of Operations, Ann Curran.
The Orion sails south from Dublin visiting various points of interest along the coast, including Ballycotton and Kinsale.
Then, heading up along the Wild Atlantic Way, they visit Skellig Michael, Dingle; the Aran Islands; Cliffs of Moher; Connemara; Donegal; Derry and The Giant’s Causeway, Antrim.
In Connemara, they are brought on cultural tours of the region, which can include a spot of fishing, courtesy of the Lough Inagh Hotel.
The Orion returned to Cill Chiaráin Bay on Wednesday, mooring opposite Cnoc Leitir Caladh with a new group of guests.
They called into Cill Chiaráin village on Thursday, where they met some of the locals.
They also pursued outdoor activities like hill walking, cycling, and cultural tours, and later in the evening, attend a night of traditional music in Tigh Cadhain’s bar and bistro.
The National Geographic tour leaves Ireland next week and will most likely return next summer.
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.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
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.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
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
