Connacht Tribune
Park at Ballinasloe Harbour in a ‘terrible state’
Boating visitors to Ballinasloe are greeted by a park which has become overgrown while the picnic benches that are located there are the worse for wear.
And while it has been conceded that the grass on the green areas are being cut, it is claimed that the overall maintenance is extremely poor.
The park in question is Sli na hAbhainn which is located adjacent to Ballinasloe Harbour where a lot of boats on the Shannon pull in for either an overnight stay or to explore the locality.
But Cllr Aidan Donohue has highlighted the fact that there are overgrown weeds on the tarmac walkways while the benches are in a terrible state.
He raised the matter at a meeting of Ballinasloe Municipal Council where he asked officials to provide funding for the upkeep of the park.
Then what annoyed the Fine Gael councillor more was when he was told that the Council horticulturist has now been replaced by “a general operative” to do the same work.
“It just seems as if the Council is scaling back on all of the services it provides and that those in senior positions are not being replaced.
“It is a situation that has to be addressed as it seems to be happening at all levels in the Council. The bottom line is that we want Ballinasloe to look well for boating tourists,” Cllr Donohue added.
The Fine Gael councillor was referring to the fact that the pathways along Sli na hAbhainn have become overgrown with weeds in recent months.
The benches, which are regularly occupied by those drinking outdoor, have also fallen into a state of disrepair and are in need of painting and maintaining.
It is suggested that members of a state-funded scheme like a Community Employment Scheme could be utilised to maintain the park on an occasional basis.
Cllr Donohue said that he was not happy to be continually told by Galway County Council that funding was an issue when there were alternatives available.
He said that there were works being carried out in Ballinasloe to provide additional water and sewerage services as well as a town centre enhancement project.
“The park is the first thing that those visiting Ballinasloe by boat will see and the least we can do is make it look presentable but at the moment this is certainly not the case.
“It wouldn’t take a lot of work to tidy the place up but officials just keep saying that they do not have a maintenance budget which is not acceptable – and particularly as we are trying to attract tourists.
“When people get off their boats, the first thing they see are pathways with weeds and five park benches which are in desperate need of maintenance. They are in a terrible state.
“A couple of lads in a state-funded scheme would have the place cleaned up and made look presentable in two or three days,” Cllr Donohue added.
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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.
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Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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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
