Connacht Tribune
Vandals hit Tuam’s Tidy Towns effort
Voluntary members of Tuam Tidy Towns are horrified over the fact that a number of flower boxes they erected in an area in need of beautifying were destroyed by mindless vandals.
And the flower boxes, located in the Chapel Lane area of the town centre, were only erected a week earlier by the group who have made huge strides in cleaning up Tuam and the outskirts.
The flower boxes were attached to timber fencing but were unceremoniously pulled from their fixings and were apparently kicked along the road.
Tidy Towns Chairman Michael Waldron said that he normally keeps quiet when it comes to vandalism as it invariably puts similar thoughts in other people’s heads but on this occasion he was really put out by what happened.
As the incident occurred sometime before midnight last Saturday as those responsible were believed to have been walking between pubs, he believes that someone may have witnessed what happened. If this is the case, then he has asked that the identities of those responsible be given to the Gardaí in Tuam.
Michael said that the boxes were erected in a part of the town where there is an empty site which they are anxious for the owners to do something with but in the meantime the felt that the flower boxes would help enhance the area.
A week prior to this incident happening, a total of twelve flower boxes were erected on the fencing surrounding the site but some of them came a cropper by the vandals.
Anyone who witnessed the incident on Saturday night last is asked to come forward but Michael Waldron said that, despite what happened, the flower boxes will be replaced over the coming days.
The Tuam Tidy Towns Committee have been hailed locally as having been responsible for some essential clean-up initiatives and particularly in the Palace Grounds where public drinking is a major issue.
“We have twelve volunteers who turn up week in, week out to pick up litter and cans. Only for them the Palace Grounds would be an absolute mess. The amount of drinking that takes place there is absolutely shocking,” Michael added.
He said that some of those responsible were too young to be prosecuted. He would welcome bye-laws, similar to those which apply in other towns, that would result in their parents being fined.
Another prominent member of Tuam Tidy Towns, Sr Agnes Curley said that she was ‘absolutely devastated’ by what happened the flower boxes and added that a lot of work and cost went into preparing these.
“This is unbelievable and it is shocking to realise that those responsible are someone’s sons or daughters. It has nearly come to a stage that we will have to keep a round-the-clock watch on the work and improvements that we actually carry out.
“There is great support for the Tidy Towns in Tuam and particularly from a number of the schools who have helped out on occasions. But when something like this happens, it is so demoralising. However, our work must go on,” Sr Agnes added.
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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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.
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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
