Galway Advertiser 1999/1999_04_08/GA_08041999_E1_028.pdf 

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Comment & Letters

The problem of the rings burst refuse bag
Dear Editor, Dear Editor,
Perhaps airing my concerns on your letter page will get me the few answers I require for an issue I believe has been regarded with complacency in the past. Recent anti-litter legislation has increased the focus on culpability of the individual member of the public for their own 'litter bug' actions, a move which I wholeheartedly support. However, do the very people who are employed by Galway Corporation to dispose of household refuse feel that they are above the law? Last week during the refuse collection in my area, a neighbour's refuse bag burst while the workman threw it into the refuse truck. Plastic bottles and food wrappings dropped out over the pavement and across the road. When we ques tioned the collector as to whether he was going to remove the spilled refuse, the reply given was "I cannot be cleaning up after everyone", followed by the chal lenge that "you can report if you want". Upon inquiring of City Hall the nature of the refuse collector's responsibilities concerning this matter, the response was less than satisfactory. The person with whom I spoke in the sanitary con trol section was unsure of the workmen's responsibility, adding that "it was up to themselves" to pick the refuse up or not. I find this situation a very frustrat ing lack of responsibility exhibited by civil servants, who appear to be arro gantly unaccountable for their actions while members of the public can be fined for doing the exact same thing. I am a research stu dent at Queen's University, Belfast, am looking for anom alies in oak rings and| trying to relate them toj [extremes of climate The oak tree samples I am studying at present! came from Garryland Wood near Gort in C o | Galway. I have records of temperatures and; rainfall from Shannon, but it is very difficult to| gauge what would con rStitute flooding or drought in a limestone karst area with fur loughs such as Garryland Wood. Would any of yourj readers have any records or reports of] floods or droughts in the area of Gort or Garryland Wood would be very grateful for such information if| you have it, as it will give me an indication of] what rainfall levels would qualify as flood or drought. Information can be sent to me at Palaeoecology Centre, The Queen's University, Fitzwilliam Belfast. 43 Street

St Patrick's Day parade in New York
Dear Editor,
O f all the places to be on March 17, New York is regarded as being one of the finest. And so it was with eager anticipation that I looked forward to my first and possibly only St Patrick's Day in the city that never sleeps. This year's parade was the 238th in New York's history, and the honoured Grand Marshall was renowned Irish actress Maureen O'Hara. Full advan tage was taken of the unusually warm spring weather as spectators lined 5th Avenue to catch a glimpse of those marching. Unlike traditional St Patrick's Day parades in Ireland, the New York ver sion unfortunately failed to promote our country's unique personality. Traditional Irish dance and music were ignored, as kilts and bagpipes appeared to be held in higher esteem. Many Americans tend to have diffi culty in distinguishing between the Irish and the Scots - public displays such as this may explain why. Parade organisers, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, a congregation comprising of first, second and third generation Irish seemed to be out of touch with the dynamic Irish identity of the 1990s. A shortcoming which was clearly illustrated in their unwill ingness to allow the Irish Lesbian and Gay organisations march in the parade. There was a glaring political and historical edge to the parade. Many marched under banners sup porting the disbandment of the R U C , others demanded Britain's presence in the north to be withdrawn. While these are topical issues at the moment organisers could have used the parade to expand the average American's knowledge of Ireland's rich culture. This was an obvious opportunity to showcase our heritage and tradition, but regrettably the full potential of the event was not realised. Had the organ isers of the parade focused upon con temporary and traditional music, song, and dance, a more educational and entertaining parade would have emerged. Having seen first hand the major role played by Ireland in making New York city what it is, one could not help but feel proud to be Irish. Perhaps the organisers could justify the parade's lack of cultural content with the posi tive image it portrayed of Ireland's achievements in the U S . It is certainly worth highlighting, at least once a year, the profound effect our small country has had on such a dominant global power. While I agree with highlighting Ireland's past achievements in New York and our current political situa tion at home, I believe these issues were over-emphasised throughout the parade. More benefit could have been gained had our ever evolving identity marched in the New York parade.

A frustrated Newcastle resident.

Running tracks at housing estates
Dear Editor,
It seems now that Ballybane is not getting a running track after all the promises that were made by our local councillors. The people of Galway should know what each councillor votes, on a Monday night, and not have a coun cillor coming out and saying that he voted for it. A few years ago I met Noel Carroll, RIP, in Dublin and one of the topics we discussed was that when housing estates are built in the future they should be provided with a running track and sports facilities for our youth. After all our youth is our future and I am disappointed with the plan ning in Galway. We should be learning from other major cities. Instead we are doing the same thing and having no green open spaces.

Martin Geary Ballybane

Anne MG McComb Belfast

TJFlynn Bronx, New York, USA

C h i l d c a r e p r o b l e m in G a l w a y
Dear Editor,
We would like to address the current and ever worsening childcare problem in Galway for working parents. As the childcare regu lations are now being implemented by the pre-school services (of which we are in total agreement), existing creches and playgroups are finding it either difficult or impossible to meet the requirements. Those that are lucky enough to be able to stay open with the most common alterations, a reduced number of children in attendance, tend to raise their prices to compensate for the alterations. This is making it expensive for the average working parent to acquire adequate care for children. These problems can lead to unan nounced absenteeism from work, which can lead to loss of productivity for the employer or even loss of a job for the parent. So as more and more childcare services either close or raise their prices out of the reach of the average working parent, people will find that they cannot get the childcare or they cannot afford the childcare that may be available. We have also done a study on running a childcare facility from the home. We took the average child per charge, the average sized living room, and the average wage for a nine hour day. We applied the childcare regulations and found that a reasonable prof it could not be made. Even when two rooms are used, the number of adults would need to be doubled which doubles the wage expens es. This will lead to an unreliable service. The larger the room, the more children can attend, the less expensive the wage bill will be, and the more reasonable the childcare cost will be to the parent. This will result in less unemployment and absenteeism etc. M y wife and myself have been trying to open a childcare centre in Galway specifical ly aimed at the working parents. The child care centre will consist of a playschool, creche, before / after school care, and holi day care. We have all of the relevant quali fications necessary and we have conducted a feasible study, which shows that this is a des perately needed service as working parents are having great difficulty in finding ade quate childcare. We have put together a plan that can ease the problems of childcare in Galway. Whilst running in accordance with the childcare regulations, the business can make a profit, and working with local businesses, this leads to reliability. We have been trying to get this project off the ground for over a year but with no success. Our main problem is acquiring an appropriate building on the east / south east side of the city. We have approached all of the auctioneers without success and we have spoken to property owners out asajar as Clarinbridge. Most of the properties we have seen were not suit able, and the few that were, the owners did not want a childcare facility on their premis es. We found that some people seem to have a blinkered view that childcare should only be given in the home. The type of property we are looking for is a building of around 2000 square feet with an outside area of at least the same size. The area around must not be of heavy industry and there should be safe access. A purpose built pre fabricated building on a site rented to us by businesses or the Council could also be an option. We would like to ask the public for their help in acquiring a building or a pre-fab and site to use for this much needed service.

Address and phone number with editor.