Galway Advertiser 1989/1989_12_21/1989_10_19/GA_19101989_E1_006.pdf 

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A DESPERATE

NEED

LETTER

BOX

The situation of the 13 year old Galway girl committed to the care of tiie Minister for Education by Justice Garavan highlights an appalling lacuna in our custodial system. Ms. Pearl Kennedy rightly claims that the legislation on the books stating that any child too difficult to cope with in a special school be imprisoned reflects a shocking lack of concern for the consequences of such an action. It positively reeks of the Victorian method of dealing with young people. It is almost unbelievable that there exists no hostel for homeless girls in Galway. Young girl offenders are placed in a situation fraught with potential dangers, and the scars left by the kind of treatment - or lack of it - meted out in such circumstances as those described in the paper this week will not heal quickly, if at all. Ms. Kennedy also points to the worrying fact that many of these homeless young girls take the boat to England, where they are quickly swallowed up in the great maw of the metropolis. Anyone who has had experience of the situation of the many homeless young Irish people in Britain will realise that the dangers they are exposed to - drugs, prostitution, crime - are multiplied ten-fold if the reasons for leaving Ireland are that there is simply no room for them, and no one to care for them. It is, quite simply, a question of responsibility. But even more, it is a question of compassion. Many, if not most, of these homeless young girls are in trouble through a combination of cir cumstances, frequently rendering them more sad victims than anything else. What they need, once they leave home, is genuine care and friendship - not only of those whose task it is to deal with them, but the friendship of other girls in similar situations. The particular case of this unfortunate girl will have served some purpose if it alerts people to the glaring inadequacy that at pre sent exists. Funding simply must be found to meet this desperate need for a shelter. This problem is not going to go away. It has to be tackled - and tackled now.

SLIMMING
D e a r Sir, P r o m p t e d by your Com ment on " T h e Folly of Slimming" (Galway Advertiser, 5th Oct., 1989 ) we w o u l d like to c o n gratulate you on your well thought out considerations and sensible conclusions. We greatly appreciate your down-to-earth statements and clarifying information. In addition we would like to point out s o m e facts and thoughts connected with diets. First and foremost " d i e t " should not only b e seen in connection with obsessed women slimming for so-called feminine beauty reasons; diet is one of the c r u c i a l f a c t o r s health is depending on, and a p o o r o r even wrong diet c a n be as detrimental to health and well-being as t o b a c c o and alcohol. As naturopathic therapists w e would like to emphasize the fact that to day a healthy diet is m o r e necessary than ever before in this country. T h e Irish rank 5th in the world in the league table for premature death from cor onary heart disease, caus ed m a i n l y b y a highfat/high-sugar diet (WHO Statistics 1986). A healthy diet should contain all e s s e n t i a l n u t r i e n t s to maintain proper body functioning and create a feeling of well-being and fitness. But what is a healthy diet?

LIBRARY DISPUTE
D e a r Sir, As the L o c a l Govern ment and Public Services Union is the body representing librarians in v o l v e d in the c u r r e n t dispute at the City Library, The Galway Branch wish to respond to Mr. P e t e r Fernie's letter which appeared in last w e e k ' s issue. Mr. Fernie r e p r e s e n t s the p a y i n g public w h o avail of this service. We regard the library s e r v i c e as an essential in gredient of further educa tional and leisurely reading. As such it w a s , p r i o r to this d i s p u t e , available to the public for as many hours as w a s h u m a n e l y possible. In deed, fullest and active consideration was given by this Branch and our m e m b e r s in the library to this feature of the service when contemplating in dustrial action. Consequently the dispute as it stands does not i m p a c t on the Mobile Library S e r v i c e o r the Schools Library Service. P e r h a p s at this point it may be appropriate to give the b a c k g r o u n d to the dispute. After many months of negotiation and discussion, industrial a c tion c o m m e n c e d in April this year. As a result, the library is not open to the public on Saturday mornings. The dispute centres around the non-filling of career break vacancies which has culminated in acute staff shortages. At e v e r y opportunity afford ed, this Union strives to seek w a y s to terminate this action and o n c e again m a k e the -full s e r v i c e available to the paying public. One last point in M r . F e r n i e ' s letter w e feel must b e addressed, i.e. the privatisation of the ser vice. Profit would b e c o m e the sole motive o f such a venture and the service factor would b e c o m e a poor relation, resulting in a catalogue list g e a r e d to a commericial market, a c companied by high charges, and a d o w n g r a d i n g o f a long established c o m m i t m e n t and service to the public.

Galway A nniversaries
Catholics Put Out of Tuam
On this day in 1655 Colonel Richard Lawr ence and Thomas Richardson were com missioned by the Cromwellian govern ment to value the houses and casdes of Galway city. Twelve months before the M a y o r , Thomas Lynch, the recorder, John Blake, and the sheriffs, R i c h a r d L y n c h and Anthony French, had been deposed and replaced by Cromwellian appointees. In July 1655 all Catholics who had any right to a premises within the city or near to it were ordered to be removed. The valuation undertaken by Lawrence and Richardson was linked with this effort to transfer the old inhabitants to less urban areas. All proprietors were to have about a year in which they could sell their interest in any property to a Protestant. But there was a built-in property tax! One third of the purchase price was to go to the government. The removal of the Catholic inhabitants was carried out by Sir Charles Coote whose report on the clearing of the town shows his thoroughness. He had, he wrote, "dispensed

Also the noise level is a big distraction, and I feel that there should be a separate reading room I also find it difficult to locate any books I require as the layout of the library is totally unsuitable. Due to the poor working condi tions of the library, it is im possible for the librarians to perform their duties at their best. Therefore, I would like to see an Arts C o u n c i l grant for the library which would im p r o v e and maintain its condition. I hope this sug gestion is taken up.

Yours faithfully.
Tina O'Rourke,

200 Castlepark,
Ballybane, Galway.

TAIWAN FRIENDSHIP
D e a r Editor, I a m from Taiwan and h a v e w o r k e d at The University College Hospital in Galway for three years until the end of June this year. I love Galway and Galway peo ple. I wish to promote economic ties and cultural exchange between Ireland and Taiwan, in particular Galway and Taipei, my hometown. I would like Galway people to know two recently established institutions which function towards the same goal as I wish. Both places provide information about Taiwan, the Taipei-Dublin Liason Office also issues visas for visiting Taiwan. The addresses are: Chinese Trade and Culture Centre (TaipeiDublin Liason Office), 1st Floor, 10-11 South Leinster Street, Dublin 2 (Tel. 01 785413/785580) Represen tative: Mr. Timothy Yang. Assistant: Mr. George l*i Ireland-Taiwan Association. Confederation House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 (Tel. 01 779801)

SPUC'S INCONSISTENCY
We'd better begin by stating that in what follows we are bound to be misunderstood by many people. There are no cir cumstances we can envisage where we would publish either an advertisement or information realting to abortion. This is a mat ter of editorial policy and, as such, reflects the opinions of the Editorial Board. However, having said that, we seriously ques tion the campaign by SPUC to restrict access to information deal ing with abortion and abortion referral services. As Conor Cruise O'Brien pointed out recently, the Constitutional amendment pass ed during the referrendum contains hidden dimensions that threaten the whole principle of freedom of information. Carry ing things to their ultimate conclusion, he argued, anyone in possession of a 'phone directory is potentially breaking the law, because the dialing codes to England are clearly displayed. This might seem to be too absurd to even contemplate. But if SPUC is prepared to interfere in some areas, then why not in them all? Logically, SPUC should ensure that all British magazines especially women's magazines - should either be banned outright or have the offending addresses and other information removed from the magazines. Television programmes, especially those beamed in from other couhntries, also should be subject to a vigilant censorship. At the moment, SPUC is being selective in the areas it chooses to enter, but consistency demands that if in formation relating to abortion is illegal under the terms of the amendment, then any and every mention of it should not be allow ed to fall into the hands of any woman who might be tempted to have an abortion. SPUC has already given an impressive display of its organisational abilities. Let them now give equal weight to issues of consistency and logic. Meanwhile, we await their response with interest.

Considering all these facts, w e developed our Grain Diet - which has been on the Irish m a r k e t only about a y e a r - to the for with a few persons who, benefit of those who don't through extreme age want to dig their graves and sickness, and the unreason their forks. It is a with ableness of the weather, were d i e t , b a s e d o n 7-day unable to remove". He grains, vegetables, herbs was thanked by the state but and dairy products. It is was cautioned to ensure not designed as a lowthat the few whom he calory slimming diet, but exempted on merciful it will detoxify, cleanse g r o u n d s s h o u l d be and revitalize the body, removed as soon as the boast the metabolism and season would permit it. A supply all vitamins, fortnight later he received minerals, fibre and trace further orders. All the elements that are essential priests or friars whom he for proper organ function held prisoner in Galway ing. In most cases there is were to be sent out of the s o m e weight reduction, Kingdom, those over forty but this loss of weight is years of age to France or not due to a concealed Portugal and the younger starvation; it is due to the ones to the Barbadoes or cleansing effect on the the American plantations. bowels and to the getting It was also laid down that rid of e x c e s s water in the the weekly markets should body tissues. be kept outside the walls till further orders. This grain diet is meant to b e a start and a Thus by 1658 new guidance to a change for a names had taken over the better diet in general, and major houses of the city. to promote the ideas for Lynch's Castle was in the high quality food in its hands of Peter Stubbens, natural state, prepared in mayor and military a simple way. And if after governor, Sir Dominick this 7-days regimen an ac Browne's three storey tive, healthy life-style and house was held by John a diet high in fibre but low Camell, Edward Skerret's in fat and sugar in pur property was occupied by sued, the body will con John Wine and so on. tinue to b e in its healthy Galway had changed and slim condition. hands, Yours very truly, Thomas P. OWflW. R. & G. Christ Cornellistrum, Rosscahill, Co. Galway.

Dr. W. James Jan Rotunda Hospital, Dublin 1

Interior Decorating and

Dtuf

Galway Branch, Local Government and Public Service Union.

STUDY SPACE IN LIBRARY
Dear Sir,
I a m writing in conjunc tion with the W e s t e r n Writers Guild regarding the c o n d i t i o n o f the Galway City Library. As a student, I find it almost impossible to study there because if I sit at the win dow it is like a zoo with all

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