Connacht Tribune
Variety is the spice of life for intrepid Peter
Lifestyle – Peter Vine’s career as a marine biologist took him all over the globe, gaining and sharing expertise on subjects from conserving coral reefs to setting up fish farms. The Clifden resident has also been involved in publishing and film-making, with one of his films earning an Oscar nomination. Some of his global adventures have now been captured in a new book, as JUDY MURPHY learns.
During Peter Vine’s primary school days in England, an insightful teacher remarked in one end-of-term report that the youngster had such a keen sense of adventure he should have been born two centuries earlier, at a time when England was on a mission to explore the globe.
Peter, who celebrated his 75th birthday recently, laughs at the memory. The teacher’s assessment was spot-on – although being born in the 20th century proved to be no obstacle to Peter living an action-packed life. As a marine biologist who has worked in more than 30 countries, from the South Sea Islands to the United Arab Emirates, the Seychelles to New Zealand, he’s witnessed some of the world’s most extraordinary cultures and wildlife. A modern-day renaissance man, his career has spanned scientific research, book publishing, film production and lecturing. Among the universities he lectured in was UCG where he met his future wife, Clifden woman Paula Casey, in 1971.
Peter had finished his PhD in Swansea University and was aware that Ireland’s deep Atlantic waters remained relatively unexplored, offering a unique opportunity to further his career. His professor in Swansea contacted the head of UCG’s Zoology Department Professor Pádraig Ó Céidigh, who had met Peter previously at a social event in Salthill. Without even applying, he got a post-doctoral job in UCG.
Shortly after he moved over, the British Army opened fire on civil rights protesters in Derry in January 1972, in what became known in Bloody Sunday. The care taken of this young Englishman by his new friends in Galway is captured in Peter’s new book Spirorbis: Stories from My Life which has just been published by Letterfrack-based Artisan House.
He points out that Spirorbis isn’t an autobiography, more a collection of events and recollections from his action-packed and travel-filled career. Its beautiful photographs capture some of his great passions – deep-sea diving, sailing, travel and film.
The book’s title comes from “the tiny tube worms that live on rocks, shells, weeds, boats, marine structures and drifting objects”, as he explains in its opening chapter. Collectively, these are known as Spirorbis and there are many different types. Peter did his PhD on spirorbids in New Zealand, Hawaii and the Red Sea, and has had a genus of the family – Vinearia – named after him. He credits his professor at Swansea University, Wyn Knight-Jones, and these creatures with earning him the title of ‘Dr’.
This was a significant achievement for a ‘slow burner’ who had been in the least academic stream of his grammar school for five years. Peter’s intelligence was overlooked for those five years because he was regarded “as a renegade”. However, he defied expectations – and then some.
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.
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.
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
