News
No plans for Galway to implement cursing ban
Galway City Council has no plans to follow the lead of Waterford and ban cursing – a move branded ‘nonsensical’ by a councillor who wants to impose fines of up to €1,500 on those caught drinking in public here.
The amalgamated Waterford city and county councils attracted global attention by becoming the first local authority to outlaw “obscene or profane language” in public spaces.
It prompted observers to liken the move to something out of Father Ted and excited a rehash of old episodes featuring Father Jack Hackett and his famous swearing bouts.
One website predicted that Waterford residents would have to resort to cursing in code under the ‘no swearing’ signs, much like the picnickers who told Father Ted to “Fupp off ya grasshole” in a territory war on a seaside rock.
The byelaws were written up and adopted by councillors after a review of all regulations following the amalgamation of the two councils – something currently being considered in the case of Galway.
As well as banning swearing, there are restrictions on picking flowers, annoying other park users, or using model airplanes. Park-goers – other than council workers – are prohibited from skating, cycling, skateboarding or rollerblading. In fact all “non-motorised vehicles other than a wheelchair” are barred.
Also off limits are e-cigarettes, begging, gambling, behaving “indecently”. People are not allowed to have barbecues, bonfires or set off fireworks.
The byelaws will come into force on August 1 and signs outlining the new byelaws will be erected in public areas before then.
Those caught breaking the regulations face a fine of up to €1,270. They will be enforced by parks staff or by member of An Garda Siochána.
The new byelaws passed through council unanimously with no mention of the swearing clause during a six-week public consultation.
Cllr Peter Keane has drafted byelaws outlawing drinking in public places outside a designated licensed area.
The proposal would see lifeguards or community wardens given the powers to confiscate and destroy alcohol and issue on-the-spot fines.
The Fianna Fáil representative insisted Galway would “absolutely not” follow the lead of Waterford and its antisocial regulations.
“You cannot enforce whether someone curses in public or not. It’s a bit of a nonsense. While enforcement itself is a challenge, that is not a reason not to impose something, but there’s no point going to introduce something nonsensical,” he insisted.
“People aren’t allowed to have barbeque. I have no problem with somebody bringing a disposable barbeque to the beach providing they don’t open a flagon of cider with it.
“Look, come on – picking flowers! I have more important things to worry about if I’m to be honest.”
The alcohol byelaws are currently on public display and Cllr Keane has been holding information meetings with stakeholders in order to reach a consensus. The element which has attracted the greatest interest is giving power to lifeguards to seize and destroy alcohol.
“In last year’s hot season we almost lost control of our beaches to marauding gangs. Lifeguards are the custodians of our beach. If we introduce these in a high vis, high energy way, they will work,” he predicted.
“My byelaws centre around giving back public open spaces to people so they can use them with confidence and without fear and intimidation. If a group spends money in an off-licence and sits down to drink only to find it’s destroyed, they won’t do it again and will go home and drink in their sitting rooms.”
Under the proposals, if initial fines were not paid, those caught drinking on a beach or in a park could face a maximum fine of €1,500 on conviction.
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
