Connacht Tribune
Sacred places with rich history
Lifestyle – The influence of Irish monks on early Christianity is renowned. But with the Reformation in the 1500s and later the Penal Laws, their monasteries and abbeys fell into disuse. The country is dotted with their ruins and thanks to the work of archaeologists and local communities, many of the buildings have rich stories to tell as JUDY MURPHY learns.
The beautiful Meelick Church, on the banks of the Shannon in East Galway, is billed as the oldest still-functioning Catholic church in Ireland, having been in use since 1414. But any tourist, foreign or Irish, wanting to visit this sacred and historic place would want to be determined – and be blessed with a good sense of direction.
Driving along the narrow roads that lead to Meelick Weir, there isn’t a sign that to indicate this church actually exists. Thankfully, perseverance pays off and having navigated many bends on an increasingly narrow road, there it is – a simple, elegant structure which was once part of a larger Franciscan settlement close to the Shannon.
The last friar left in the mid-1800s, after which the church came under the remit of Clonfert Diocese. Mass is still celebrated in this simple, spiritual place and the Saturday evening ceremony was just about to begin as we departed.
Meelick is part of the Hymany Way walking trail, a 100km path which follows the course of the Shannon. On this occasion, however, we were travelling by car to what was our final destination on an tour of ecclesiastical sites of East Galway and into Offaly.
It was a sunny Saturday and as the rest of the country headed towards the Atlantic beaches, we were almost on our own as we wandered through once-great religious settlements at Clonmacnoise, Clontuskert Abbey, Kilnalahan Abbey (in Abbey of Abbey-Duniry fame) and Meelick. Except for the famed St Ciarán’s site at Clonmacnoise, we met almost nobody in these places. Even Clonmacnoise, which was relatively busy, was far from packed.
This heritage site, on the banks of the Shannon which is accessed via narrow roads between Ballinasloe and Athlone, is a special place. The original monastery, which was founded in the 6th century by St Ciarán, who was its first abbot, is home to the ruins of seven churches, three high crosses, a cathedral, two round towers and more than 700 early Christian burial slabs.
Those early monks knew what they were doing and the monastery’s location, by the Shannon and at an important bridging point in the centre of the country, ensured it became a major centre of learning and religion, where many of Ireland’s finest Celtic manuscripts and art were created. Artefacts found here include the Clonmacnoise Crozier (now in the National Museum) and the 12th century Book of the Dun Cow.
Today, Clonmacnoise is under the care of the Office of Public Works and, because of Covid, admission is free although it must be pre-booked. But there are no guided tours, which is a great pity. The friendly person we met at the reception area informed us about the Covid-compliant entry route and handed us a sheet of paper which had limited details about the site. After that we were on our own on this medieval monastic settlement. Figuring out what was what involved a lot of guesswork.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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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.
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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
