Galway Advertiser 1994/1994_05_26/GA_26051994_E1_016.pdf 

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COMMENT

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LETTERS

More Gardai Needed in R u r a l Areas

CRITICISM IS UNFAIR
Dear Editor, Mr. Be. Eagan, President of the Galway Council of Trade Unions, takes um brage to a group of people who, in their opinion, are defending their rights. I am not a part of that group so I hope my remarks will be taken as being neutral to both parties involved. All areas without excep tion should be made - and let me repeat, " s h o u l d be m a d e " - to take their share. 1 feel Mr. Gavin is doing his best, but with one hand tied behind his back. I know for a fact the Eastside Group have no ob jections to the old time families being fixed up. They have great praise for them. It is the twenty wagons that block their road for a week or two, and then move off in the middle of the night, they object to. There may be other items which Mr. Gavin w o u l d be willing to son out with a view to facilitating all sides, without such remarks as those of the President of the Trade Unions being taken as legitimate o r , in my opiniot just. T o conclude, 1 live beside a Travelling family for six years and there was never anything but harmony.
" F a i r Play F o r All"

P

E O P L E in the W e s t o f I r e l a n d h a v e b e e n s h o c k e d badly o v e r r e c e n t w e e k s by a s e r i e s o f horrific m u r d e r s that h a v e d i s t u r b e d the n o r m a l p e a c e a n d tranquility associated with rural a r e a s . T h e terrible m u r d e r s that focused the w h o l e c o u n t r y ' s attention o n the East G a l w a y village o f E y r e c o u r t , w h e r e F r . J o e W a l s h s e r v e d as c u r a t e , a n d the n e a r b y

village o f W h i t e g a t e , w h e r e the lives o f a y o u n g w o m a n , I m e l d a R i n e y , a n d

h e r b a b y s o n , L i a m , w e r e cruelly t a k e n , p r o m p t e d first h o r r o r at their casual brutality a n d t h e n loud c o m p l a i n t s that the G a r d a i had not acted with the speed and effectiveness that m i g h t h a v e b e e n e x p e c t e d . T h e m u r d e r o f M r s . P h i l o m e n a G i l l a n e , a l t h o u g h it s e e m s t h e r e is n o c o n n e c t i o n with the o t h e r t h r e e d e a t h s , h a s a l s o r a i s e d t h e q u e s t i o n of a n a d e q u a t e g a r d a p r e s e n c e in country areas. A n d n o w this w e e k B o b b y M o l l o y T . D . h a s sharply criticised further plans to cut b a c k g a r d a m a n p o w e r in s o m e rural stations a r o u n d t h e C o u n t y . T h e r e is n o q u e s t i o n a b o u t t h e fact that p e o p l e living in rural a r e a - e s p e c i a l l y o l d e r p e o p l e living in isolated p a r t s o f the C o u n t y - a r e badly frightened a n d feel they a r e b e i n g further isolated a n d left at risk b y the p r o p o s e d r e d u c t i o n s | a n d e v e n , in s o m e c a s e s , c l o s u r e s o f rural g a r d a stations. O u g h t e r a r d , for e x a m p l e , is u n d e r threat o f b e i n g d o w n g r a d e d in favour o f Salthill. M i n i s t e r M a i r e G e o g h e g a n Q u i n n , w h o s e responsibility t h i s i s , a r g u e s realistically that c r i m e levels in Salthill a n d its i m m e d i a t e s u r r o u n d i n g s is || t h r e e t i m e s that o f O u g h t e r a r d , a n d that the p r o b l e m s a s s o c i a t e d with t h e s e l e v e l s , in p a r t i c u l a r d r u g a b u s e , w a r r e n t a r e d e p l o y m e n t o f g a r d a i t o t a c k l e t h e m forcefully. N o o n e w o u l d d e n y that Salthill h a s w i t n e s s e d o v e r t h e p a s t few y e a r s a significant i n c r e a s e in c r i m e a n d d r i n k a n d d r u g related v i o l e n c e that c e r tainly d e s e r v e s the h i g h e s t p r i o r i t y . H o w e v e r , a s w e h a v e p o i n t e d o u t in t h e p a s t , t h e very i n c r e a s e d effectiveness of city p o l i c i n g h a s led to g a n g s of c r i m i n a l s starting to v i e w the still c o m p a r a t i v e l y " s a f e " c o u n t r y s i d e as ready for t h e p l u c k i n g . T h e fullest p o s s i b l e attention m u s t b e g i v e n to not l o s i n g that v a l u a b l e and t i m e - h o n o u r e d relationship b e t w e e n the rural g a r d a i a n d the c o m m u n i t i e s I they h a v e s e r v e d o v e r t h e y e a r s . T h e local g a r d a is often t h e only o n e w h o | k n o w s w h o is c o m i n g a n d g o i n g in h i s a r e a ; his p r e s e n c e o n the s c e n e p r o v i d e s b o t h security for t h o s e in his c h a r g e a n d a still effective d e t e r e n t against crime. W e often h e a r that t h e r e a r e s i m p l y not e n o u g h g a r d a i to g o a r o u n d , so they m u s t b e sent to t h o s e p l a c e s w h e r e the p r o b l e m is i m m e d i a t e l y e v i d e n t . W h i l e r e c o g n i s i n g t h e j u s t i c e of t h i s , w e w o u l d a s k a s i m p l e q u e s t i o n : in t h e s e t i m e s of high u n e m p l o y m e n t , w h y c a n n o t t h e State r e c r u i t m o r e y o u n g II m e n a n d w o m e n for t h e G a r d a S i o c h a n a ? F a i l i n g t h a t , w h a t a b o u t e x p l o r i n g | the c o n c e p t of C o m m u n i t y W a t c h a n d e v e n C o m m u n i t y P o l i c i n g . T h o s e in a p l a c e a r e t h e o n e s w h o h a v e a n interest in m a k i n g s u r e it stays safe. Is t h e r e not a c a s e to b e m a d e h e r e ?
I

Jackie

T

H E death of Jacqueline K e n n e d y O n a s s i s brings the final curtain d o w n o n C a m e l o t . that half-mythical b u t p a r t l y real e r a in not only U n i t e d States but w o r l d history w h e n t h e v i r t u e s of i d e a l i s m a n d youthful e n t h u s i a s m s e e m e d set t o c h a n g e the dull old w o r l d f o r e v e r . It w a s a time - and only those w h o w e r e t h e m s e l v e s y o u n g d u r i n g those few brief y e a r s c a n verify the intangible but very real sense of it - w h e n e v e r y t h i n g s e e m e d p o s s i b l e . " T h e t o r c h h a s b e e n p a s s e d to a n e w g e n e r a t i o n " , P r e s i d e n t K e n n e d y said in t h e m o s t e l o q u e n t i n a u g u r a l a d d r e s s a U . S . p r e s i d e n t h a s e v e r g i v e n . T h a t spirit of h o p e , of o p t i m i s m , w a s snuffed o u t in a few m i n u t e s in D a l l a s o n N o v e m b e r 2 2 n d . 1 9 6 3 .

T h e e n d u r i n g i m a g e o f t h o s e t e r r i b l e few m o m e n t s - o n e o f t h e m o s t p o tent i m a g e s of the e n t i r e c e n t u r y - is of J a c k i e , w e a r i n g a stylish p i n k suit, ,, c l i m b i n g o n t o the b a c k of the p r e s i d e n t i a l c a r , c l u t c h i n g instinctiviely at the I s h a t t e r e d f r a g m e n t s o f h e r m u r d e r e d h u s b a n d ' s h e a d . Is it a n y w o n d e r t h a t , | w h e n B o b b y K e n n e d y , i n c r e d i b l y , suffered the s a m e fate as his b r o t h e r in 1968 s h e is r e p o r t e d t o h a v e said about the c o u n t r y that h a d b r o u g h t s u c h p a i n to h e r , " I hate this c o u n t r y ! " W a s h e r m a r r i a g e to A r i s t o t l e O n a s s i s really so h a r d to u n d e r s t a n d ? H e r life after the d e a t h of h e r s e c o n d h u s b a n d , as d u r i n g the p e r i o d of h e r e a r l i e r w i d o w h o o d , w a s d e v o t e d to raising h e r t w o c h i l d r e n , J o h n a n d C a r o l i n e . A n d o n e of t h e g r e a t t r i u m p h s of h e r life m u s t s u r e l y b e the w a y in w h i c h she m a n a g e d , in the m o s t m e d i a - c o n s c i o u s c o u n t r y d u r i n g t h e m o s t m e d i a - i n v a s i v e c e n t u r y , to p r e s e r v e h e r o w n p r i v a c y , a n d raise h e r s o n a n d d a u g h t e r o u t of the limelight she c a m e to l o a t h e . S h e w a s a g r e a t l a d y , a w o m e n of d i g n i t y , style and c o u r a g e , a n d the w o r l d is a p o o r e r p l a c e with her death.

What makes me write at all is the idea of any member of a Trade Union accusing anyone or anybody of incite ment to hatred. When they I N THIS week in 1 8 8 1 call a strike for what is a I a fire broke out in a Right, in their opinion, s t a b l e on N u n ' s things are said and done to Island. It was discovered make sure nobody gives any at midday and the source aid to their management. of the blaze was a large That was never called incite ment of any description. quantity of hay stored on Now, when a group of peo the premises in a loft ple take the same action, i.e. above the stables. defending what they think is The neighbouring school, their Right, the Trade Union St. Joseph's Academy, was President wants them dealt considered to be in great with in the Courts. danger and the Patrician I have a rule of thumb, Brothers were immediately which is, anyone criticising informed. The Superior, any group in relation to Brother Lynch took steps to unsettled people, are just ensure the safety of his making sure they do not set pupils. Billowing smoke tle near themselves. There is poured from every opening a crying need to settle in the building making it dif Travellers who want to be ficult to identify the exact settled, but I do not think part of the premises which shoving them all into one was alight. Word was at place is the answer. It is once sent to the military bar neither fair or just to the racks where there were fire Travellers or the settled engines and Major Fryer (a people. somewhat inauspicious name surely) and his men of the Rifle Brigade were soon causing some alarm as they dashed along the street, at Dear Editor, double quick time, dragging I read with great interest two fire engines behind your piece on Clifden, in them. particular the walking tours However it was other in the company-of Michael equipment which brought Gibbons. Mr. Gibbons is the fire under control. T w o also the co-founder of a fire extinguishers from the Galway company called nearly Palmer's Mill did a Western Heritage, which great deal to control the sets out to complement the flames while Henry S. activities of Connemara Persse's really powerful Heritage Tours. pump was directed from the Hoepfully, it is not the other side of the Mill Race case that the Galway Adver by Michael and Timothy tiser finds environmentalists Dempsey to pour water on to be worthy, even heroic the burning building. people when they are active The hose reached across at the far end of Connemara, as the Mill Race and reached but r e g a r d s t h e m graduates" the conflagration while a " b u s y b o d y thirty foot suction pipe on when they raise similar the other side reached into issues in an urban setting the river to provide the issues like the destruction of Galway City's medieval water. In about forty minutes the heritage.

A CITY FIRE 1 8 8 1

Pathetic Coverage
Dear Editor, Given that page 2 2 of your current edition is head ed " T h a t ' s Entertaiment", I should perhaps ignore altogether J . O ' C . ' s alleged s u m m a r y of allegations made in the latest free edi tion of " F i l m W e s t " . The magazine is described as "the Galway-based quarter l y " - when those of us lucky enough to be able to find a copy of it (even a free copy!) Your entire coverage ot even this limited part of what should be an on-going media debate, in the West and in the Gaeltacht, is as pathetic and simplistic as your front-page story sug gesting that Mr. Robert Molloy of the PDs stands to gain most from the withdrawal of Donegal's Neil Blaney, of the Rainbow Group, from the European Election. Even if you ignore the place in the spectrum oc cupied by the various E.U. political groupings, to sug gest that Fianna Fail people view Mr. Blaney, who was expelled from the Fianna Fail party for very clear na tional Republican doubts about the integrity of Mr. Jack Lynch at a time when Mr. Molloy moved in to fill the shoes in Government of Mr. Kevin Boland, a minister who resigned in protest at the way Lynch had treated Mr. Blaney in the

same light as the Salthill man who left Fianna Fail in its moment of crisis to found the PDs is ridiculous.
Nollaig O G a d h r a Galway

T h i s G r o u p Does Not Represent Me!
Dear Editor,

I am a resident Y o u r s faithfully. A n n e Boyle 42 M o n i v e a P a r k , Galway.

"Busybody Graduates"

THIS WEEK
VOELL N O O N C , M R N , P R o r t T BlTHtS, CKPeRttMCE.

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crisis was over. There had been no casualties and the " B i s h " was intact. There were many people whose prompt and vigourous ac tions had helped to save the N u n ' s Island area from destruction. The newspapers mentioned particularly Sergeant Major Lowe of the Galway Artillery, Mr. Halloran a carpenter and his colleague, Mr. Nolan, who was engineer, the Distillery. As yet there was no town fire brigade. Thomas P . O'Neill

One does not have to go to West Connemara to take a walk that deals with ar chaeology, heritage and the environment. Such walks are also available right here in Galway, from the Galway Tourist Office. We would be glad to guide the Galway Advertiser on one of our walks, free of charge.
Yours sincerely, Toby Joyce c/o Western Heritage, 34 C a r r a g h HiU, Knocknacarra. (tel. 0 9 1 21699)