Connacht Tribune
No shortage of options to share Galway’s glory bid
Anyone who wasn’t lucky enough to secure tickets to today’s All-Ireland senior football final, or who cannot travel to Dublin due to illness or otherwise, or anyone who didn’t get a free pass to the big screen at Fisheries Field in the city, has a number of options to watch or listen to the big match.
Galway Bay fm is the go-to for most local GAA fans and the station’s sports team is gearing up for a marathon two days of coverage.
Ronan Lardner hosts a build-up show live from Supermac’s on O’Connell Street in Dublin from 9am to midday today, which is aimed at supporters arriving early in the capital.
From 12 noon to 2pm, there will be interviews with fans outside the Croke Park hotel, and coverage from inside the stadium starts from 2pm.
On commentary is Head of Sport, Ollie Turner, with former Galway footballer and current city councillor Eddie Hoare on co-commentary.
Ollie agreed a lot of people who listen-in are bedbound or in nursing homes but this year, due to the earlier All-Ireland final than usual, he expects many listeners from abroad.
“An awful lot of people are gone on holidays. They might not be able to get to an Irish bar, wherever they might be. I’m sure they are kicking themselves, when they booked the holidays they probably didn’t think Galway would be in an All-Ireland football final at the end of July, but here we are! They’ll probably be baking, in 47 degrees on an island in Greece listening to the match on their phones,” he said.
Coverage continues after the game and win, lose or draw, Galway Bay fm will broadcast live from the team hotel. On Monday, the station will provide running commentary on the homecoming.
“Basically, once the team hits Ballinasloe we will be with them every step of the way, wherever the journey takes them,” said Ollie.
For anyone who prefers to listen in our native tongue, Conamara-based RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta is planning its usual big match coverage with Galway man Ciarán Ó Fatharta on commentary and Kerry man Aodán Mac Gearailt on analysis, plus experts in studio.
On TV, Sky Sports Arena’s coverage starts at 2.30pm. Host Gráinne McElwain will be joined by Tyrone legend Peter Canavan, Kerry’s four-time All-Ireland winner and Armagh coach, Kieran Donaghy, and Donegal legend Jim McGuinness. Lead commentary is from Mike Finnerty and Paul Earley with Billy Joe Padden on the side line.
On the national broadcaster, coverage starts on RTÉ Two at 2pm with presenter Joanne Cantwell in the hot seat along with a host of analysts, including the controversial pundit Pat Spillane, who leaves his TV role this Sunday after 30 years on The Sunday Game.
TG4 will have deferred coverage of the game from 7.40pm.
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
