Connacht Tribune
Voting pact in jeopardy after bitter row on Údarás job
The mayoral and voting pact, which brought the Civil War parties together on Galway County Council, was on the brink of collapse this week over a State board appointment.
During a dramatic day at County Hall, untold damage was done to the trust between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil councillors as they traded insults and veiled threats during a tetchy discussion on the appointment of a board member to Údarás na Gaeltachta.
Exchanges became heated in particular between Fine Gael party whip, Jimmy McClearn, and Seamus Walsh, the Fianna Fáil nomination for the position.
Though two Fine Gael Councillors – McClearn and Tom McHugh – voted against Cllr Walsh; and two – Niamh Byrne and Frank Kearney – abstained, the Oughterard man prevailed in a vote, beating Independent Seósamh Ó Cualáin by 24 votes to nine.
However, the win may come at a cost.
As well as causing a rift between the two main ruling parties, who are involved in a voting arrangement, the appointment also stirred friction within Fianna Fáil.
The party’s twelve councillors were late returning from lunch and missed an important vote on the Local Property Tax – when they did return, Martina Kinnane intimated that they had been discussing the appointment of one of their members to the Gaeltacht body.
Prior to returning to the Council Chamber, Fianna Fáil members convened in a side room to thrash out who their nomination would be. Passersby on the corridor outside could hear heated exchanges between them.
Fianna Fáil whip on the Council, Mary Hoade, during an adjournment of the meeting, was involved in a raised-voice discussion inside the chamber with Cllr Walsh, who sits beside her.
Before the item was discussed, Cathaoirleach Eileen Mannion (FG), called for a brief adjournment but this was resisted by Cllr Walsh. He said there wasn’t a need for an adjournment. “I can’t go out and renege on an agreement . . . I gave my word to people . . . I wouldn’t stab them in the back,” said Cllr Walsh.
At this stage Cllr McClearn accused Fianna Fáil of arrogance, but Donagh Killilea (FF) countered: “You’re the one who is arrogant.”
When they resumed after five minutes, Tomás Ó Curraoin and Jim Cuddy (Ind) proposed Cllr Ó Cualáin for the position, Fianna Fáil nominated Seamus Walsh, and in a surprise move Fine Gael nominated a second Fianna Fáil man, Seán Ó Tuairisg.
All three initially agreed to allow their names to go forward, but just before the vote, Cllr Ó Tuairisg crossed the chamber, walked over to Cllr McClearn, and whispered into his ear. When he resumed his seat, he said: “I suppose I have to go with the party. I withdraw. I reluctantly withdraw.”
Tensions rose just before the vote as McClearn and Walsh exchanged barbs.
Cllr McClearn said his party “will not be a doormat for anybody”, and he referred to the agreement FG and FF had for the past three years.
Cllr Walsh countered: “Do you want me to tell them what I know? I’m the one who promised you no banana skins . . . Wasn’t I in Tuam last night with you? . . . Would I have driven to Tuam from Oughterard? . . . I promised you no bananas. I kept my word. I didn’t put out any bananas.”
Cllr McClearn said, “I told you in Tuam I couldn’t make any commitment” and Cllr Walsh replied: “There’ll be again in it” and “it’s a long road”. Pointing at the Fine Gael Cllrs he added: “Will ye wake up now”.
Cllr McClearn said if Walsh loses the vote, “it’s your own fault”.
There was a roll-call vote, and when Cllr Ó Tuairisg was asked to choose between his party colleague and Ó Cualáin, he said: “It’s a hard one . . . I suppose I have to go for what the party said.” After hesitating, he voted for Walsh.
Speaking as Gaeilge after being elected by 24 votes to nine, with two abstentions, Cllr Walsh thanked the members who voted for him. His name will now go forward as the Council nominee for the Údarás, to be ratified by the Gaeltacht Minister.
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
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
