Worst of times brings out our very best

“In years to come, let them say of us, when things were at their worst, we were at our best”.

Those were the words of an Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar as he addressed the nation on Tuesday evening. And with the COVID-19 crisis deepening with every day that passes, communities in every town and village across Galway have been showing what their best really means.

Pubs and many restaurants have closed their doors, sacrificing their own economic success for the benefit of public health, with countless businesses across every sector likely to suffer as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Making good of a bad situation, many of them have sought to help out in any way possible – with several of the closed restaurants passing on food supplies to homeless charities and families in need.

The generosity of people in Galway has resulted in streams of donations of hand sanitizer being delivered to University Hospital Galway; financial donations made to feed overworked hospital staff; and a recruitment drive bring former healthcare workers back into the fold at a time when the health service needs them most.

The Saolta Group took a minute from their incredible schedule yesterday to go on social media to thank the people of Galway for their ‘support and generosity you have shown to our staff in UHG during COVID-19.’

“We are so fortunate and blessed to live in such a caring and compassionate community,” concluded the Tweet.

But that sense of community didn’t stop with the health service or the city.

See full story – and twelve pages of coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic – in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops….or order with your online grocery delivery.