Connacht Tribune
One fifth of pubs in County Galway have closed since economic crash
Rural pubs will continue to be forced to close their doors unless action is taken to halt the decline of rural communities across the country, the Monivea-based publican leading the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI) has warned.
This comes as it was revealed this week that almost 20% of pubs in County Galway have had to shut up shop over the past 13 years – equating to 110 less pubs, most of which have been lost since the economy crashed in 2007.
President of the VFI, Pádraic, McGann said the only way to stop this was to ensure that publicans in rural Ireland were being treated fairly – and one area where Galway publicans were at a particular disadvantage was in the calculation of commercial rates.
Mr McGann explained that ten years ago, the manner in which publicans’ rates are calculated changed. Where it had previously been calculated on the size of a premises, they are now calculated based on the turnover of the business over three years.
However, pubs in six counties have yet to be reassessed – one of which is Galway.
“As President of the VFI, all I would like to see is fair play and if you’re entitled to something, you should get it. A lot of pubs are going out of business because of rates.
“Galway, Donegal, Mayo, Clare, Kerry and Cork are still to be done,” he said.
Mr McGann said it would be another two years before publicans in Galway had their rates recalculated and as a result, some were being forced to close.
“70% [in other areas of the country] that have been recalculated have had a reduction; 20% have stayed the same; and 10% have seen an increase because their takings were up.
“We know the calculation so we’re able to work out for ourselves what the difference would be and I know that my rates [for McGann’s Pub in Monivea] would be €4,000 less a year. Over ten years, that’s €40,000,” he said.
“When you think of all the pubs that have had to close over because of being unable to pay their rates or being in arrears with Galway County Council . . . and this is something they were entitled to eight years ago,” he added.
Approximately 65% of pubs outside of Dublin turn over less than €4,500 per week and a further 33% are taking less than €7,500 per week,” said Mr McGann, adding that any pub taking less than €4,500 was “not sustainable”.
The problem for rural pubs was more than financial though, said Mr McGann, with the closure of rural pubs emblematic of the collapse of the rural economy.
Culture had changed, he said, and people were now drinking more frequently at home due to the cheap price of alcohol in supermarkets.
Stricter drink-driving laws and a lack of taxis and hackneys in rural areas had left people with no choice but to stop going to the pub.
“What would really help rural Ireland would be if we were to start looking at older people and start setting up small retirement villages in rural areas, where you would have 100 houses and all necessary services on one site,” said Mr McGann, who has previously tried to develop a retirement village in Monivea, but was refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála.
This, he said, would halt declining populations in rural areas and create employment, thus boosting the local economy and increasing the sustainability of rural businesses.
Meanwhile, local councillor and Kilconnell publican, Tim Broderick, said that rural pubs in many cases were part of the fabric of rural life – creating a hub for the community and providing a social outlet for people that otherwise wouldn’t exist.
Calling for a “level playing field”, Cllr Broderick said that the number of pubs closing came as little surprise when supermarkets were, he claimed, selling alcohol for below cost price.
Pubs provided a controlled environment for the consumption of alcohol, something that didn’t exist when people were buying cheap drink from the shops.
“Most publicans are responsible people who conduct their business within the law. They provide entertainment and they’re doing their best for their area.
“The person you’re serving is the person you’re going to be meeting on the street the next day. They care about their clientele and their community,” said Cllr Broderick.
Cllr Broderick said there needed to be a long-term vision for rural Ireland and that pub closures represented the lack of action being taken by Government to secure smaller communities’ survival.
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
