Connacht Tribune
Restaurant closed for three days over dead insects and grime
Dead insects, flies, dirt, grime and mould – which all posed a risk of contamination to food – led to the enforced closure of the kitchen of Tigh Giblin restaurant in Spiddal for three days last month.
The HSE served the closure order on Eamon Giblin on December 15 to cease operating the kitchen and all food preparation and storage areas and lifted it on December 18, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
According to the HSE’s Environmental Health Service report, the poor standard of basic hygiene and cleanliness observed posed a risk of contamination to food prepared and stored on the premises.
The report found: “The premises was in a very dirty condition throughout. All areas of the premises where foodstuffs were stored, handled, prepared and cooked were observed to be in a dirty condition. The floor was dirty throughout the premises.
“Remnants of old flour was present on some areas of the floor. Grime was evident on the floor to wall junctions. Gaps in the floor were engrained with dirt in the vegetable store room.
“A thick accumulation of dirt and grease was evident on the wall and floor behind the cooking equipment. Mould growth was evident in the ceiling in the wash up area.
“The wall in the dry good store area was black with dirt. Skirting boards were covered in dirt and grime throughout the premises.
“Cobwebs and dead spiders were evident in the dry goods store. Sockets, light switches and electrical cables were coated with dirt and grime through the premises. The microwave unit located in the cooking area was in a very dirty condition.
“Knives present at the premises had been used and not cleaned and were coated with food remains. Probe thermometers at the premises were dirty and coated in food remains. A number of cooking vessels had not been effectively cleaned following use.
“Food contact equipment which had not been effectively cleaned posed a risk of contamination of food.
“Foodstuffs and ingredients were stored in dirty containers. Containers used for the storage of foods were covered in food remains.
“A live insect was present on containers used for the storage of rice. Dead insects were also present on the lid of this container. Dead insects and flies were evident in the area used for the storage of foodstuffs.
“Remnants of old food were present on surfaces where foods were stored but had not been cleaned up.
“Foodstuffs were stored in a manner which posed a risk of contamination of food,” the report reads.
Connacht Tribune
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
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.
Connacht Tribune
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
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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Connacht Tribune
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
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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