Connacht Tribune
Spirit of Christmas turns sour over John Lewis ad
The appearance of the often-emotive Christmas advert for UK-retailer John Lewis attracts an annual storm of social media attention – but this year’s has been mired in controversy due to the similarity of the theme music to a cover released last year by an Irish-British alt-folk duo.
At the centre of that controversy is Loughrea woman Lorraine Reilly Millington whose band – comprising of herself and her husband Jeremy – the Portraits released a cover of the same song in aid of UK charities Cruse Bereavement support and mental health charity Mind.
The Somerset-based couple released their version of Human League’s ‘Together in Electric Dreams’ last year with vocals by their teenage daughter, Ciara.
A slowed-down piano version of the song, it bears striking similarities to that now featured on the department store giant’s television campaign. Their version was released in memory of the lives lost during the Covid-19 pandemic and an accompanying video included images of many who died.
While John Lewis has denied any claims they ‘copied’ the Portrait’s version, Lorraine has revealed that the couple did in fact contact the company last March asking if their arrangement of the hit-song would work for its Christmas advert, but received no response.
Lorraine has called on John Lewis to put things right by making a donation to the two charities for whom they made the recording in 2020 and said they felt compelled to speak out.
“It has been about putting right something that didn’t feel right in the story of a music release that went out with a huge amount of love and positive energy pumped into it from a huge group of ‘normal people’ who wanted to mark the passing of a painfully large number of loved ones who’d been taken during 2020 – and to raise funds for two exceptional organisations who work around the clock to be at the end of a phoneline when people need help,” she said.
Misappropriating the work that went into creating their charity song for commercial gain seemed ‘wrong’, she added.
Lorraine grew up in Coscorrig, Loughrea – a place she says she still calls home to this day, despite having lived away from there for many years.
Her dad, Joe Reilly, worked in Tynagh Mines while her mum, Kathleen, reared Lorraine and her five siblings. Both are still at home in Coscorrig, she says,
She credits Sr Bernadette in St Raphael’s for her guitar-playing skills, but says it was her grandad Michael, a talented tin whistle player, that opened up the world of music to her.
She studied Art Foundation for one year at GMIT, before travelling to Belfast to study. She and her husband Jeremy met on the Isle of Wight in the 1990s and later moved to Bristol where the pair have picked up a following by creating what she says are ‘deeply person and emotive songs that paint pictures of love and loss’.
The couple last week released another charity single – a cover of Ed Sheeran’s hit song, Photograph.
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.
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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
