Two brothers have hospitalised following a double stabbing in the foyer of Galway Courthouse this morning.

An argument broke out in the foyer of the Courthouse shortly before 11am, while there were sittings of the District Court and Circuit Criminal Court ongoing just yards away.

It’s understood both men were due to appear before the District Court later today.

Gardaí present rushed from the courtrooms to the foyer to find that two men had stabbed each other.

A man in his twenties was stabbed in the back, while his teenage brother was stabbed in his lower left arm.

Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

An ambulance has taken both men to University Hospital Galway, where they are under arrest and being monitored by Gardaí.

The courthouse was packed to capacity at the time, with members of the public moving through the foyer to get to different court sittings which were in progress at the time.

Gardai standing nearby quickly brought the situation under control and made one arrest in the foyer.

More arrests are expected to follow.

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A new TV advert featuring primary and secondary school pupils from Athenry will be aired from tomorrow.
Phone company Three has today released a video made at Presentation College Athenry in response to a letter it received from a group of students.

TO VIEW THE VIDEO ABOVE, PRESS PLAY

When some second year students from Presentation College, Athenry wrote to Three as part of a class project, asking how they could get their hands on a magical snow cloud that appears in their Christmas ad.
The mobile company decided to surprise the students by turning their school into a winter wonderland.
Overnight while the students were at home, Three carted in over three tonnes of snow, 40 Christmas trees and a truckload of festive decorations to transform the school yard.

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It was, Ryan Tubridy admitted, like shaking hands with a ghost – examining a letter written by his own great-grandmother sent to Roger Casement to thank him for helping to feed her poverty-stricken students in the heart of Connemara.

The letter only came to light during research into an upcoming documentary – the second episode of Ireland’s Rising, which goes out on Sunday week, December 6 on RTÉ One.

Ryan’s great grandparents, Jane and Patrick Tubridy, were the teachers at Scoil Mhic Dara in Carraroe at the turn of the 20th century.

Originally from Clare and Mayo, they had settled in Beal a’ Dangan and would have been what their famous great-grandson euphemistically called ‘sympathetic to the land’ – and not in an agricultural sense!

Roger Casement had travelled to Galway and Connemara frequently prior to 1916 and was dismayed at the poverty he witnessed there. This saw him become involved in setting up a fund for the children to provide them with a meal every day.

And Jane Tubridy wrote him a detailed letter thanking him for his efforts – a letter only revealed by historian Cormac Ó Comhraí to her great-grandson during filming of the documentary.

“I’d never known anything about the letter, and when it was revealed to be in An Cistin in Carraroe, it was hugely emotional,” said Ryan this week.

“When you see a letter like that, in Jane’s handwriting, the only way I can describe is it that it’s like shaking hands with a ghost.

“If you love history and respect the past, like so many of us do, when you get something like that, it is truly remarkable.”

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune. Ireland’s Rising goes out on RTÉ One on Sundays at 8.30pm.

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HUNDREDS of Galway farmers in the Shannon Callows area have claimed this week that the era of the Penal Laws has returned as they could face fines of up to half a million euro if they clean a land drain without permission.

A prominent auctioneer has also declared this week that the designation of farmers’ lands as special areas of conservation (SAC) has now rendered their properties virtually worthless.

Eyrecourt farmer and Chairman of the Shannon Callows Project Team, Charlie Killeen, told the Connacht Tribune that what was happening to farmers in the area was ‘the biggest land grab since the days of Cromwell’.

“We cannot clear a drain or plant a tree without applying for permission – if we do so, it’s an offence carrying a maximum fine of €500,000 and a jail sentence. It’s like penal times.

“The fear is also there that plans are in place to put a charge or burden on the title of the designated lands. If that happens the properties will be worthless,” said Charlie Killeen.

Since the introduction of the EU Habitats Directive in the 1990s, SACs in Ireland enjoy the full clout of EU legislation behind them with the aim of preserving natural habitats but according to Charlie Killeen, farmers have been the real ones to suffer since.

“We really are facing into an unbelievable raft of restrictions in terms of land usage and all our pleas to Government seem to be falling on deaf ears,” he said.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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A Galway-based sports performance guru can claim his share of the All Blacks’ spectacular Rugby World Cup success – and it was all in the water!

Because Pure Athlete – the company run by former Auckland Blues and Connacht Rugby performance coach Greg Muller and his wife Gena Brewerton – supplied his homeland with their recovery bath salts before and throughout the RWC.

Greg and Gina founded the company in 2010 – bringing together their combined love of sport, health and naturopathy led to them create a company with a very clear vision.

“We wanted to develop sports performance and recovery products that not only cleansed, helped to heal, repaired and rejuvenated the body but that they were also made from the highest ingredients,” he says.

“Being conscious that everything we put onto our skin is absorbed into the body we had a strong desire to formulate ingredients that would have both a positive effect on health and athletic performance,” he adds.

They started from their kitchen in Knocknacarra – but the vision was more important than the location.

“We were adamant that we would only use quality, natural, wild-crafted and organic ingredients wherever possible,” he says.

Greg has over 20 years’ experience in the health and fitness industry, working and studying around the world.

He has trained professional sports teams and soldiers – he used to work as a physical training instructor with New Zealand’s elite forces – as well as helping a great many people achieve their health and fitness goals.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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GALWAY IFA delegates have this week called for an immediate ‘clear out’ of the top brass of the Association at national level in the wake of the pay controversies that have broken in the past week.

During the course of a sometimes heated three hour emergency meeting in Athenry on Tuesday night, anger spilled out at the revelations of pay levels to both former General Secretary, Pat Smith and ‘stepped back’ National President, Eddie Downey.

Senior IFA figures in Galway and Connacht spoke of their ‘disappointment, hurt and shame’ following the disclosure last week that in 2013, the General Secretary had been paid a total of €535,000.

Delegates also expressed concerns over the levels of pay to Eddie Downey – €147,000 plus €50,000 in add-ons – figures that emerged earlier this week.

Connacht Regional Chairman, Tom Turley, told Tuesday night’s meeting in the Raheen Woods Hotel that he ‘was sickened to the teeth’ about the pay levels.

“It’s an utterly terrible situation – these figures are off the wall. I feel ashamed. The house has been knocked down – all we can do now is to try and rebuild it,” said Tom Turley.

Galway County Chairman, Pat Murphy, opened the meeting by issuing an apology to all delegates, IFA members and farmers in the county for what had happened.

“All I can do is to offer a full and complete apology for what has happened. I, like every other ordinary member of IFA, am hurt, ashamed and disappointed at wages like this being paid out.

“Over the coming days, we will be getting a full disclosure of the salaries and expenses of all other staff. When this figure [Pat Smith’s pay] came out, I just had an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach that this kind of money could be paid to one person,” said Pat Murphy.

There were many heated and emotional contributions from the floor of the meeting attended by about 100 people from IFA branches all across the county.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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A lack of docking stations and a ban on cyclists riding the wrong way up one-way streets has been blamed for the lukewarm response to the bike share scheme in Galway – which has the worst take up of any city – one year on.

On the week of its first anniversary this week, figures from the National Transport Authority (NTA) show nobody used the bikes at all at some of the stations for months on end.

There was no activity at the station at City Hall for January and Feburary and no bikes were taken from Gaol Road for August or September.

In the first nine months of this year, the most popular location to pick up or drop off a bike was the Cathedral, from where 2,127 bikes were taken out and 1,998 were brought back.

The other key locations for the Coke Zero scheme were Father Burke Road, New Dock Street, Eyre Square South, the Claddagh Basin and the Headford Road.

The operators, the National Transport Authority, insist while the usage is below what was expected in the first year, the annual subscription is above expectations, due mainly to a half price special offer to mark its introduction.

For more details on the bike scheme and a breakdown on figures for its usage, see this week’s Galway City Tribune

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A decision on any merger of Galway City and Councils – or on extending the urban boundary – now seem destined to be ‘kicked to touch’ until after the Spring General Election.

The report of an independent statutory committee to examine either the possibility of a unification of the two councils – or an extension of the city boundary – was scheduled for completion this month.

Mayor of Galway, Cllr Frank Fahy, said that he envisioned ‘absolutely no gain’ by amalgamating the County and City Councils, given both the geographics and demographics involved.

“As a City Council we really do have enough of a job on our hands to stay focused on a rapidly growing city rather than try to embrace issues in places as far apart as Clifden and Portumna.

“Just on one practical issue along, just look alone at the cost that would be involved in constructing a new Council Chamber to accommodate nearly 60 councillors . . . and all for what gain,” said Mayor Fahy.

According to the Chairman of Galway County Council, Cllr Pete Roche, the possibility of any progress being made on those issues was ‘practically nil’ in the run-up to the General Election.

For more on the potential merger and its implications, see this week’s Galway City Tribune

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Courts Service staff have expressed serious concerns over security within Galway Courthouse, following a double stabbing on its front steps this week.

They have described the building as unfit for purpose and warned it is unlikely that security issues will be addressed while the courts sit in their current location.

The courthouse was “bursting at the seams” this week when the stabbing took place – two brothers were knifed on the front steps on Wednesday morning, and ran inside for protection from Gardaí. Their injuries were not life-threatening.

The overcrowding situation has become so serious that Circuit Criminal Court cases for next summer have had to be transferred to Castlebar.

“We don’t see what can be done [about security]. The Criminal Courts of Justice (CCJ) and the Four Courts in Dublin have security measures, but with the current building, how would it even be possible to search people?

“There are loads of guards and prison guards around all the time, so it’s not that much of a problem, but something should be done about security,” a court source said.

Hundreds of people were coming in and out of the courthouse all morning on Wednesday when the double stabbing occurred, as four courts were sitting; the District Court, Circuit Criminal Court, Circuit Civil Court and the repossessions court. More than 100 people were ‘on the list’ for the repossessions court alone.

For more on the problems at Galway Courthouse, see this week’s Galway City Tribune

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The family of a young man viciously assaulted in Woodquay at the weekend – leaving him with a jaw broken in three places and smashed teeth – have hit out at the lack of Gardaí on the streets.

And they have said that unprovoked street assaults have become a common feature of nightlife in Galway.

22-year-old Ronan Greaney was walking from his house in Woodquay to purchase cigarettes from a nearby shop at around 1.30am on Sunday morning, when he met with a group of four people, all believed to be in their late teens.

They engaged him in conversation before one of them men struck him to the head while he wasn’t looking.

He suffered three breaks to his jaw and severe damage to his bottom teeth.

He was operated on at UHG on Tuesday, where two metal plates were inserted into his jaw permanently, and his mouth has been wired shut for up to six weeks.

Speaking yesterday, his father Eugene said he was shocked at the amount of assaults that he has since heard of.

“The amount of the exact same crimes that are happening, to people of all ages, we’ve been hearing about so many since what happened to Ronan. I can’t believe how we haven’t heard about them before now.

“The power is with the criminals. They know there’s no Garda presence on the streets. Young people are going out and looking over their shoulders,” he said.

For more from Ronan’s family, see this week’s Galway City Tribune

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A 39-year-old Romanian man has been sentenced to three years in prison for handling statues and other religious ornaments which were stolen from graves in Lackagh and Annaghdown cemeteries four years ago.
Marian Lingurar, with a former address in Loughgeorge, Claregalway, pleaded not guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court during a two-day trial two weeks ago, to eight charges of handling various religious items at Loughgeorge, knowing they were stolen, on October 4th, 2011.
Gardai recovered all of the items during a search of his house.
Marian Lingurar was found guilty of handling the items, knowing they were stolen and he was remanded in custody to today’s court for sentence.
Garda Patricia Grady told the sentence hearing this morning that items were taken from several graves, including baby’s graves, children’s graves and from the graves of young people who had died in tragic circumstances.
His defence barrister, Gary McDonald, told the sentence hearing today that Lingurar now wanted to offer his apologies to the bereaved families and wanted them to have the items back.
Judge Rory McCabe said this had been a “mean, nasty and upsetting series of thefts”, before imposing a three-year sentence on each of the eight charges before the court, the sentences to run concurrently.
Mr McDonald said his client was currently serving a four-year sentence which was due to expire in November 2017.
Judge McCabe directed the three-year sentence he was imposing was to be back-dated to November 13, the date the accused had been found guilty by a jury.

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The Galway man who is head of athletic development at Arsenal’s youth academy has said that physical demands on many young Irish players are simply not sustainable.

Speaking at the weekend ‘Developing & Maximising Youth Potential’ conference, Ballinasloe-born Des Ryan, Head of Sport Medicine & Athletic Development at the academy, said that every single club – GAA or otherwise – in the country appoint a Strength & Conditioning coach to address the ‘workload issue’.

And also addressing the same conference, the leading Strength & Conditioning coach at US high-schools said that the Irish student workload described to him was “shocking”.

The critiques were made as background evidence – outlined at the weekend conference held at the LIT/Setanta College Sportslab in Thurles – suggests that second level students, at a sensitive stage of their physical development, could be playing three times the amount of games that fully formed adults are playing in any given year.

“Between school, club and, in some young GAA players’ cases, county, the workload for many players is not sustainable as every manager wants 100%. But if there’s a consolation it is that people are beginning to know it’s not right,” said Des Ryan, who is also the former strength and conditioning coach with Connacht Rugby.

“Eventually, through the principal of long-term player development, system alignment and integration, proper planning will be put in place that is player-centric and not centred ono the individual needs or desires of each manager that the young player is working under.

“This will ensure that these young players are not over-played, they will stay longer in sport and there will be less chance of getting injured,” he added.

Des Ryan’s programmes have seen the amount of muscle injuries picked up by players at the Arsenal academy cut in half over the last three years – and he said that parents have a key role to play in managing player workload.

“Given that young players here will be play for so many different teams and two or more codes, then parents have a key role to play in their son or daughter’s wellbeing.   Every coach will want 100% involvement but there’s no way this can happen or else burn out is an inevitability.  That’s where the parents have stepped in.

“Every club should invest in a strength and conditioner and he should have a meeting with the player and outline what’s good and what’s not.  The player, together with his parents and coaches, then can make an informed decision based on what he or she can do, not what is wanted of him or her,” he added.

Gary Schofield, a US expert in youth athletic development who is current National Strength & Conditioning Association High-school Coach of the Year, said he was shocked when he learned of the workload.

“That’s horrific.  The reality is the coach keeps his job by winning and he wants to have the player at the best of their ability.  From my perspective, I don’t want the athlete to be as good as he or she can be.

“It’s not how great you are at 15 because that can result in the body being abused.  What we want is allow our athletes to progress.  Success at this age group should be based on the development of that athlete. Coaches need to be reviewed on the development of the athlete rather than wins and losses.

“There was a recent article in in England in which they asked why England youth players are injured at a higher rate. The simple reason was they are playing way too much and based on the figures I am hearing about Ireland the same might be the case here. The youth athlete doesn’t have the body to handle the physical loads we are putting on them,” he said.

Schofield also revealed some of the key injury influences on young players at development stage, with research showing that if young athletes get less than 7.5 hours sleep at night it increases the likelihood of injury by 1.7times, while the injury rate during the high academic period is 2.1 times the average rate.

Conference organiser and founder of Setanta College, Liam Hennessy described the debate as ‘timely’.

“The workload on some young players is far too much and counterproductive.  They have to be put at the centre of any programme and not the coach’s needs.

“There needs to be alignment, cooperation and compromise on the part of all the stakeholders and without that a lot of young players are never going to reach their potential and could even be lost to sport altogether,” he concluded.

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The Society of St Vincent De Paul (SVP) has insisted that its decision to disband a committee which awarded €45,000 to a resource centre for the gay community had nothing to do with the vehement opposition of the Bishop of Galway.

In a statement from its public relations firm, the society said that it would not comment on internal matters following reports that it had ‘stood down’ the SVP St Augustine’s Conference which administered the Maureen O’Connell Fund.

The Irish Times claimed the move followed “disagreement over governance arrangements between the SVP at national and local level”.

SVP spokesman Jim Walsh told the Connacht Tribune it had “absolutely and categorically nothing to do with comments the Bishop made 18 months ago”.

The charity would make good on its promise to allocate the funding to the support group Amach to open a new resource centre for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Galway, which had been approved by the organisation’s National Management Council (NMC).

“SVP believes that it is an excellent concept in supporting vulnerable people. It is committed to supporting the resource centre, but as trustees the NMC require reasonable governance arrangements to be in place for the operation and management of the centre in order to satisfy the society’s obligations in the stewardship of resources,” he stated.

“Discussions have taken place with members of the board of Amach to arrive at an appropriate solution to the governance requirement for the grant to the resource centre and this dialogue is not yet complete.”

He also insisted that the fund was “winding down” as over 90% of its funds had been spent or approved for 60 beneficial projects, including funding for several resource centres and day care centres in Galway city and county as well as social housing and for a range of education projects for children.

No grants from the fund came from any public donations to SVP, the spokesman stressed.

“A final audit has yet to be made. But from the residual benefit of the legacy received by SVP (€7.8m) and interest accruing since 2007, there is approximately €350,000 which has not been allocated or approved,” said Mr Walsh. That will now be managed by the NMC.

Nuala Ward, vice-president of Amach, said the Teach Solais LGBT Resource Centre would be open by Christmas with the final preparation work now underway.

Galway City Council recently granted planning permission to Amach to change ground floor retail space at Victoria Place off Eyre Square into a drop-in centre and resource space.

The project overcame another significant hurdle when the local authority also approved €25,000 towards the cost of renting the building after an initial disagreement that it should go to the cost of buying a property.

“Amach are also in the final stages of drawing down the first installment of the grant from the Maureen O’Connell fund towards Teach Solais. We have received confirmation that the St Augustine Conference group has been suspended. However, the funds will be released by the SVP National Management Council,” she explained.

Once the SVP funding is received, interviews for a part-time community development support worker will be held.

The Bishop of Galway Martin Drennan last year slammed the charity’s large allocation towards a gay resource centre, which he said promotes a culture that was “morally wrong”.

In an outburst which prompted widespread criticism, Dr Drennan said the “moral judgment” involved in making the decision had damaged the reputation of the charity, with their supporters questioning whether they should they support SVP any longer.

In letters sent to the SVP demanding an explanation, the Bishop hinted that allocation could jeopardise the relationship between the Church and the charity.

According to the planning file, the centre will be “a safe, accessible environment to combat the effects of isolation, homophobia and transphobia on the overall health and well-being for LGBT and their families”.

The centre will be used in the evenings from 6.30pm to 10pm for meetings, peer support, the operation of a LGBT helpline and education, training and counselling workshops.

An area to the front of the premises will provide space for the sale of merchandise such as t-shirts, cards, keyrings.

Publican Maureen O’Connell, who was unmarried and without children, left her landmark pub in Eyre Square to the charity when she died in 1998, specifying that it should only go towards projects in Galway.

Legal wrangling over the will meant that it did not go on sale until the height of the Celtic Tiger when it was sold in 2006 for €14m. The cost of a settlement with a tenant in the pub and legal bills as well as capital gains tax swallowed up over €6m of the sale price.

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A Tuam teenager’s two year wait for treatment for scoliosis may well have now compromised the benefits of any medical intervention…if and when it happens.

That’s according to Galway East Deputy Colm Keaveney, who has called on the Minister for Health Leo Varadkar to intervene and speed up surgery for fifteen year old Sophie O’Grady.

Since the Tuam teen was added to the surgical waiting list in March 2014, her condition has deteriorated – and the Fianna Fail TD claimed it was now feared that some of her internal organs may be compromised.

“The frankly unacceptable waiting times have taken an emotional toil on Sophie and her family,” he said.

“She had been a student with an excellent record, but is now no longer able to attend school. There is a significant fear that any further delay in delivering Sophie’s treatment will impact on the effectiveness of the intervention.

“Her need for treatment is now urgent and it is not acceptable that Minister Varadkar should seek to hide behind the HSE Governance Act,” he added.

Sophie O’Grady was diagnosed with an 80 degree curvature of her spine in February 2014 and was recommended for surgery because of the severity of the illness.

Sophie and her mother Linda Watts eventually felt they had no option other than to take their fight for treatment to the steps of the Dail last May.

But even that simple day trip from Galway to Dublin left Sophie bed-ridden for several days from exhaustion and pain.

Her mother Linda has revealed the effect the interminable delay as had on her daughter.

“The emotional impact of having scoliosis is  every bit as distressing and damaging as the physical effects. The change we have seen in Sophie in the past year has been dramatic. The confident, cheerful and bubbly teenager is now a withdrawn, introverted and despondent version of the girl she used to be,” she said.

“The old Sophie is still in there somewhere, weighed down by worries about having major surgery, about her education being jeopardised, about not being able to sleep properly, not being able to climb the stairs without feeling short of breath, and about how her clothes all look crooked on her. Waiting month after month for that phone call,” the mother of five added.

“Sophie’s case is only one of many cases affecting teenagers throughout the country. Sophie and her family took part in a protest outside the Dáil last May attempting to highlight the issue, but so far both the Department of Health and the HSE have failed to address the issue,” said Deputy Keaveney.

“When Fine Gael came into office, they set a target of six months for the maximum time someone would remain on a surgical waiting list.

“Their response to failing to reach this target has not been to provide greater resources or to reform the service, but instead simply to increase the targets to twelve and then to 18 months.

“Sophie is now waiting almost two years and so Minister Varadkar has failed to meet even his own widened targets.

“The Minister needs to intervene in this issue now or else detail why he is not willing to address this serious issue. Young people like Sophie have effectively had their lives put on hold at a critical moment in their development.

“This has come at a heavy cost to their mental and emotional health, alongside the potential long-term damage being done to their physical health,” he added.

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The fishing industry in Galway fears that foreign super-trawlers could be responsible for decimating stocks of white fish off the west coast.

Local fish processing plant Iasc Mhara Teo in Ros a Mhíl, and local fishermen, are alarmed by the presence of super-trawlers off Galway that capable of catching quantities of fish well beyond what they are entitled to.

The numbers of herring off the west coast of Ireland has depleted rapidly in recent years and stocks are now deemed so low that Irish fishermen are not allowed to catch herring this year off Galway.

“This is the first year that there has been no quota for herring in the west,” said Cathal Groonell managing director of Iasc Mhara Teo, which employs 35 people, ten full-time and 25 seasonally.

“The stocks have been declining for ten years. Last year the quota was about 2,000 tonnes. There is no quota this year. We’ll know for sure in December but the indications are that there won’t be a quota for herring off the west coast next year either,” he explained.

Mr Groonell said that his operation in Ros a Mhíl is monitored closely by the authorities but the super trawlers don’t face similar scrutiny.

“They are like elephants out in the sea that nobody monitors. There are six or seven inspectors from the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) who are based out here, and I don’t mind that, that’s right. And they monitor what we do and what catch is landed by local trawlers.

“But there is no monitoring of the super-trawlers. The SFPA even have CCTV cameras in our factory, which shows live exactly what we are doing. Yet there is no monitoring of the super trawlers. They’re the untouchables,” he said.

Iasc Mhara Teo processes mackerel and herring but the super-trawlers are capable of catching, processing and storing many multiples of what onshore plants are capable of; and way above the quotas.

Mr Groonell said there are other factors that contribute to the decline in stocks but he blames the super-trawlers.

“The problem is getting worse. They used to come here for maybe three months and then they’d fish off the coast of Africa. But now they come here and stay maybe nine months because they have been run out of African waters because the communities there realise the affect they are having. They haven’t been run out of Connemara but they are having a similar negative impact.

“They are entitled to fish here but once they reach their quota they should be made leave. They should be monitored and once they catch what they are entitled to they should have to move on. They are too big. There is no need for trawlers of that size. People say without them we wouldn’t land what we need but that’s rubbish.”

Galway West Fine Gael TD, Sean Kyne raised the issue with Marine Minister Simon Coveney in the Dáil. He expressed alarm that the largest and second largest vessels in the World are fishing in Irish waters at present. Deputy Kyne said he was given assurances from the Minister in relation to inspections.

“They have the capacity to catch and process quantities of fish way beyond allocated quotas. The fact that such trawlers can operate in very inclement weather has heightened fears that breaches of fisheries rules and regulations could go undetected. Ireland’s maritime territory stretches far into the Atlantic and is over ten times larger than our land territory which poses immense challenges in monitoring and controlling activities, including fishing.

“I am encouraged by Minister Coveney’s assurances that our Naval Service and Sea Fisheries Protection Authority have up to date technology which shows all of the vessels in our territorial waters at any given time and are currently using this technology to monitor the super-trawlers in question. A further concern, however, relates to the inability, because of inclement weather, to physically board and inspect the activities and catches by these super-trawlers. While the safety of our Naval Officers and the SFPA workers must always be paramount, I welcome the Minister’s confirmation that officers will carry out inspections out as soon as weather conditions permit.”

Mr Gronell, commended Deputy Kyne for raising the issue, however, said on-board inspections and ongoing monitoring must commence from the moment these big ‘monsters’ enter Irish waters.

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Darren McMahon was just 22 when he noticed a lump at the side of his neck beside his collarbone.

“I was living in London at the time and I did the typical man thing and didn’t worry about it. I thought it might be a cyst,” he recalls.

It was only when he returned home and the other symptoms suddenly hit him. He had lost a lot of weight, had a loss of appetite and experienced night sweats. It was three months before he finally saw his GP.

After a blood test, he was set for a keyhole biopsy, which proved inconclusive. After a fortnight the whole lump in his neck was removed. It was just before Christmas and he was invited to the oncology unit in Limerick to get the results.

“I had thought it might be glandular fever, I never thought cancer because of my age. But I put two and two together and guessed it was cancer when I got that letter.”

He remembers his parents were both silent on the way home after the diagnosis that he had Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

“I remarked that these were the worst results since my Leaving Cert and we laughed. We all kept up good spirits after that.”

He had his first chemotherapy session on Christmas Eve 2010. Initially he managed the gruelling regime of drugs fine but then the chronic fatigue set in and he lost his hair and his eyebrows.

“That was tough because that’s when you start to look sick. I had 17 tumours in my chest and neck. I was told it would take eight months for the chemotherapy and then I had a CT full body scan in St James in Dublin and they could see how well I was reacting to the chemo so I finished two months early.”

After studying in Athlone and Cork as a graphic designer, the native of Ennis now lives and interns in Galway city centre. In remission since 2011, next May will be his five-year clear mark, which will mean his regular hospital appointments will move to yearly checkups.

Darren is the kind of patient who would benefit from the new blood cancer research unit which was opened by the Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation Damien English yesterday (Wednesday).

The Blood Cancer Network Ireland (BCNI) is a national collaborative cancer research initiative funded by the Irish Cancer Society and Science Foundation Ireland and supported by the pharmaceutical industry.

This new clinical research network based at NUIG’s Lambe Institute for Translational Research on the grounds of University Hospital Galway will see Irish blood cancer patients be among the first in the world to test new drugs and treatments. The network will further knowledge and understanding of blood cancers through a new biobank and registry.

An investment of €2.2m will facilitate research into drugs which may mean that some patients no longer have to undergo punishing chemotherapy

Director of Blood Cancer Network Ireland, Professor of Haematology at NUIG, Michael O’Dwyer said the investment will have many potential benefits.

“It will make Ireland internationally competitive in blood cancer research, increase access to expensive medicines free of charge with consequent savings to the taxpayer, enhance research and development in Ireland, contribute to job creation, and most importantly of all, benefit patients.”

Head of Research at the Irish Cancer Society, Dr Robert O’Connor, said this research would make a real difference in patients’ lives.

As a result of the chemotherapy he underwent, Darren has 60% of his previous lung capacity and a number of small heart problems.

“This new centre will make the whole process less daunting. A lot of people think cancer is a death sentence but there are so many new treatments out there.”

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A Galway-based sports performance guru can claim his share of the All Blacks’ spectacular Rugby World Cup success – and it was all in the water!

Because Pure Athlete – the company run by former Auckland Blues and Connacht Rugby performance coach Greg Muller and his wife Gena Brewerton – supplied his homeland with their recovery bath salts before and throughout the RWC.

Greg and Gina founded the company in 2010 – bringing together their combined love of sport, health and naturopathy led to them create a company with a very clear vision.

“We wanted to develop sports performance and recovery products that not only cleansed, helped to heal, repaired and rejuvenated the body but that they were also made from the highest ingredients,” he says.

“Being conscious that everything we put onto our skin is absorbed into the body we had a strong desire to formulate ingredients that would have both a positive effect on health and athletic performance,” he adds.

They started from their kitchen in Knocknacarra – but the vision was more important than the location.

“We were adamant that we would only use quality, natural, wild-crafted and organic ingredients wherever possible,” he says.

Greg has over 20 years’ experience in the health and fitness industry, working and studying around the world.

He has trained professional sports teams and soldiers – he used to work as a physical training instructor with New Zealand’s elite forces – as well as helping a great many people achieve their health and fitness goals.

And he reveals that his company ethos focuses around four key elements.

“Our four key elements are service, hones, positive and earth conscious and it is always out intention to apply these in everything we do.

“We believe that by staying true to our values, inspiring the passion and talent of our people, working in sustainable, innovative ways and doing our best to be service orientated, honest positive and earth conscious, we will keep on making the products our customers love, while at the same time have a positive impact on the world we live in every day,” he says.

Greg’s philosophy is to ‘combine the physical and mental aspect of sport’.

As a performance coach, he was responsible for getting athletes and soldiers into peak physical condition – but he began to realise that physical conditioning alone was not enough.

A myriad of factors are involved and balance is required between skill development, strength and conditioning, nutrition and recovery.

Pure Athlete takes wisdom from ancient cultures that understood the importance of recovery and healing. During the physically demanding days of the Roman Empire, bath houses were common and bathing was a daily activity in Roman culture.

So Greg and Gina have adopted the Roman approach and reimagined bath time as an essential part of recovery.

Taking a hot bath has many associated health benefits which include helping with blood circulation, reducing muscle tension, removing toxins, reducing stress, boosting the immune system, inducing and sleep and indeed allowing for better quality sleep.

The combination of Epsom salts and essential oils, expedites the body’s natural process to bring about faster healing and recovery.

Using only natural ingredients and with a blend of 15 essential oils, the company has concocted a winning formula – the very one which helped New Zealand’s superstars recover so successfully during the Rugby World Cup.

All Blacks Strength and Conditioning Performance Coach, Dr Nic Gill, came across the product by chance at an Ironman Competition in Australia.

“When the website went up, people in fitness and health immediately started showing interest,” says Greg.

But one man in Australia showed more interest than most, and had an expo table at that Ironman competition. And who should stop by this stall only Nic Gill – Doctor of Sports Science, Performance Coach….and, as it turns out, Ironman competitor.

The All Blacks coach bought some Pure Athlete products to try out for himself, and Greg followed this up with an email after hearing the prestigious sports coach had taken samples.

Dr. Nic, impressed by the products, extended that he was in the market for something of a similar nature for the rugby team.

“He said: ‘I’m looking for something like this for the All Blacks’ I said okay – let’s do it!” says Greg.

Nic Gill has worked with the New Zealand All Blacks for the past eight years, during which time they secured Rugby World Cup titles in 2011 and 2015.

The renowned All Blacks strength and conditioning coach was so impressed by ‘Pure Athlete’ products, he included a testimonial on his website.

“Body care is essential and yet is regularly just taken for granted for the simple reason that it is well… just too simple or obvious.

“Many, many years ago Hippocrates said “Health is our greatest Wealth” yet it is not until we are ill or have an injury that we fully appreciate the power or importance of such a statement and the wisdom it holds.

“This is a simple, affordable and relaxing way to take care of your body on a regular basis and its right in your home,” he wrote.

Greg recalls flying over to England during the Rugby World Cup, rushing from plane to taxi to hotel in order to replenish supplies for the rugby team who would go on to win the Rugby World Cup.

Only downside? He still didn’t get a match ticket – but he played his part in his native country’s success from the sidelines.

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It appears that households do not have to disclose how they get rid of their domestic waste after all – after the County Council was left with a €100,000 bill to clean up one massive mess.

The local authority was left with the six figure bill to combat a major problem with illegal dumping, primarily at vacant houses on the Gilmartin Road estate in Tuam.

At the time is was suggested that the community wardens visit every house in the town and ask for proof of where every household dispose of their domestic refuse – but now Cllr Shaun Cunniffe informed a meeting of Galway County Council that this could not happen as the public were not obliged to reveal such information.

“We had been hoping that householders could be asked for proof of how they dispose of their waste but it seems they are not obliged to answer this question,” he said.

“The Council do not have the resources to carry out another similar clean-up operation and if there is not a regeneration programme in Gilmartin Road then we could be looking at a repeat situation.

“In fairness to the residents, they spearheaded the clean-up with the full cooperation of Galway County Council but the fact that we cannot ask the public how they dispose of their rubbish is bordering on the ridiculous,” Cllr Cunniffe added.

The Tuam independent councillor said that illegal dumping in the town was a major problem and it was obvious that many householders were not availing of the private bin collection service that is available locally.

He also said that the penalties for illegal dumping were ridiculously low at €150. He asked that they be increased and was willing to put down a motion if this was required.

Cllr Pete Roche wants the Probation Service involved in the illegal dumping situation. He said that those who are being assessed could get vital help by being out in the community gathering up litter.

“It is one of these problems that simply will not go away. It is obscene what is happening out there but there has to be a mindset change. I could go on and on about it but I fear that this is something that will be coming up and up again. But the situation in Tuam was one of the worst I have seen,” Cllr Roche added.

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The full-route of the proposed new city bypass has now been selected and is available for inspection.

The design route for the section of the planned new road through Ballindooley, Castlegar and Ballybrit was unveiled last week.

It will include east-facing slip-roads onto the N17 junction; and now avoids a ‘mass path’, which locals say was of cultural and historical significance, and was traversed in the original route.

The chosen design route for the section from the Ballymoneen Road in Knocknacarra to the N59 was also unveiled over the weekend.

The design team has ‘tweaked’ the original route and made some changes following consultations with landowners and submissions from the public.

The N59 link road between Letteragh Road and Rahoon Road will be moved east to be parallel to Bóthar Diarmuida.

The new design allows for the existing entrance to Bun a’ Chnoic and Rosán Glas housing estates will be altered to exit onto the N59 link road, with traffic lights. This N59 link road will join the Rahoon Road at the existing entrance to Bun a Chnoic and Rosán Glas estates at a traffic light junction.

The Gort na Bró Road will be realigned to join the Rahoon Road at the proposed meeting point of the N59 link road with Rahoon Road. The existing road to the Rahoon Road will be decommissioned.

The road connecting the Galway Retail Park roundabout to Gort na Bró roundabout will be realigned to connect directly east onto Gort na Bró Road at traffic lights and the existing road will be decommissioned, reducing the Gort na Bró roundabout to four arms.

Galway County Council, lead agent in the N6 Galway City Transport Project, also last Friday released the route of the proposed road from the R336 Coast Road to the N59. Earlier in November, the route design option between Forthaí Maola in Barna to Cappagh was released. The detailed maps of the design routes are available from the N6 project office and on its website.

Michael Timmins, senior engineer with the Council, said the design team is on course to publish the final route by the second quarter of 2016, when it will be ready to forward to An Bórd Pleanála.

Until it is published, changes can be made along the route, however, Mr Timmins said: “Changes are more and more minimal as the design is progressed.”

The design team is currently carrying out drilling and testing of land along the route and this might throw up something, such as hard rock or cavities, which might necessitate a change in the route.

Land and property owners affected by the proposed route are continuing to engage with the design team and will do right up until the route is published, added Mr Timmins.

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Councillors from across the region united to demand a meeting with all senior HSE managers from the Saolta hospital group to account for the increased waiting lists a decade on from the replacement of the health boards.

Many councillors at this week’s HSE West Regional Health Forum meeting lamented the state of the health system across the western seaboard in the face of multiple high-profile managers whom successive ministers held up as the potential saviours.

Several members pointed to the single public MRI machine operating in University Hospital Galway (UHG) – a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for the region – as evidence that the system was just not fit for purpose.

Fine Gael councillor Padraig Conneely said during his recent stay at UHG, he met a Donegal woman and her daughter who discovered the MRI scanner was out of action when they arrived. Her daughter took up a bed for a week while the machine was being fixed; the mother, was forced to spend €60 a night in a B&B.

“What management would stand over a system like that in the commercial sector. They wouldn’t get any bonus or payout. That widowed mother was distraught. I got her a B&B myself for €40 a night. It’s scandalous what’s going on,” he fumed.

The HSE was set up in 2005 when the old health boards were dissolved as they were seen as too parochial. Cllr Conneely and Cllr Catherine Connolly (Ind) were both on the first health forum in 2006, but in that period had seen all too little progress.

Cllr Connolly pointed to the growing waiting lists, increasing use of agency staff increasing and ever more public money going to private institutions to pay for procedures that could not be carried out within a reasonable timeframe in the public hospitals.

In relation to a second motion, in which she called on the minister for health to adequately fund the public health service, Cllr Connolly said there would soon be a “public purse onslaught” to fund increasing numbers of patients to seek treatment overseas.

Cllr Terry O’Flaherty (Ind) said she knew of one patient who received a text from the HSE offering to pay transport and the cost of an appointment in a private Dublin hospital due to the waiting times locally.

The only MRI scanner in UHG should be operating past 5pm and at weekends to cut waiting lists, Cllr Mary Hoade (FF) insisted.

Chief Officer for Galway, Mayo and Roscommon Community Services, Tony Canavan, said clearly there were difficulties in the system.

“But it’s important if we’re looking at this openly, we’re also open to the possibility that good things have happened. In the A&E – lots and lots of people go through the A&E, and their experience is good, they’re not the kind of people who complain to you,” he insisted.

Saolta group CEO Maurice Power said there was no difficulty arranging a special meeting with senior management but it could prove tricky to get them all to come at the same time. It would likely happen next March.

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