Connacht Tribune
Road improvements sound death knell for former railway bridge
One of the landmark structures along the N63 Galway-Roscommon route – the Ballyglunin Railway Bridge – was removed last weekend as part of ongoing road improvement works in the area.
Local people gathered last Saturday morning to say farewell to the bridge that has been both a friend and foe to them over the past number of decades.
The sound of trains going by at Ballyglunin was part of the daily routine from 1860 until the mid-1970s, when regular services came to an end along the line, due to a rationalisation programme being carried out by Irish Rail.
Although a number of special trains continued to use the track into the early 1990s, the Tuam to Athenry line went completely out of commission over 20 years ago, despite the spirited efforts of rail enthusiasts to restore a service there.
For local people though, the bridge will also be remembered as the location where many lorry drivers had to bring their vehicles to ‘a full stop’, due to the 4.14 metre height limitation of the structure.
The situation was especially bad for lorry drivers approaching from the Abbeyknockmoy direction as they often had to reverse for nearly a mile to access an alternative route via the ‘New Line’ road to Monivea, Crumlin and then back to Ballyglunin Cross. Occasionally they managed to turn their vehicles with the co-operation of local landowners.
On numerous occasions down through the years, the bridge was damaged as some lorry drivers tried to edge their way under the structure and nearly four decades ago, only the alertness of a local man helped to prevent what could have been a disastrous train derailment.
Willie Rabbitte, who lives literally a stone’s throw from the bridge, recalled on Saturday morning last,how back in the 1970s, he had noticed that the bridge was seriously damaged by a truck that had jarred the rail track out of place.
He notified Irish Rail of the problem and all trains were immediately cancelled along the route until full repairs were carried out, leading eventually to a replacement bridge being put in place.
The bridge removal took only about four minutes to complete on Saturday morning last, shortly after 10.30, but weeks and months of planning had gone into the logistics of the project.
The N63 road between Abbeyknockmoy village and Finn’s Cross was closed from 8am on Saturday morning and was not due to re-open again until 8am on Sunday – however, works proceeded ahead of schedule and the carriageway was re-opened by about 4pm on Saturday.
TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland), Harringtons, Maveric and Walsh Crane Hire were involved in the bridge removal operation – shortly afterwards the bridge was dismantled and removed for scrap.
Site Agent for Harringtons, Gerry Fahy, told the Connacht Tribune that the removal was carried out by a 220 tonne crane, and that concrete slabs within the structure had first been broken up, to take some of the weight from the bridge.
“We had opted for a 24-hour road closure but thankfully the bridge removal operation went like clockwork and we were able to re-open the road in time for the evening traffic coming out from Galway city on Saturday.
“I would also like to thank everyone involved in the project for their professionalism and also to thank road users and local people for their co-operation,” Gerry Fahy told the Connacht Tribune.
Prior to the bridge being removed, sections of the old track between Ballyglunin and Crumlin had been taken up by Irish Rail – the likelihood of any rail service being resumed between Tuam and Athenry in the short to medium term is regarded as remote by most observers.
However, TII have given a commitment, that in the event of Irish Rail proposing to restore a train service between Tuam and Athenry, the bridge will be replaced.
A number of local councillors and outdoor enthusiasts have proposed that the now disused Tuam to Athenry rail route should be converted into a Greenway for pedestrians and cyclists, with a ‘light weight’ bridge to be put in place at Ballyglunin.
For now, though, commuters along the N63 will now just see two clay embankments on either side of the road where the bridge used to be, as work continues on the €8 million Abbeyknockmoy to Brooklodge road revamp project that’s due to be completed around this time next year.
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
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