Galway Advertiser 2003/2003_04_24/GA_24042003_E1_019.pdf 

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Dear Editor, The recent media and public curiosity about Ryanair has prompted many letters both in support of and against. While I do NOT agree that Ryanair have 'done more for the poor than most'!, however, they have opened the doors to swift travel options making 'cheap flights'or sometimes even free flights' available to all as a means of getting from A to B in 'jig' time: My late father.Thomas McCormack, joined the Irish Civic Guards in February 1923 at McKee Barracks. His first turn of point duty as a recruit was at Fairyhouse Races on Easter Monday 1923 where he proudly directed the 'traffic' of donkeys and carts, pedal bicycles, and the odd motorised vehi cle, the occasional Crossley or Lancia Saloon, in his own words, all wending their way to see the Grand National that day. Seven years earlier, Easter Monday 1916, Patrick Pearse stood on the steps of the GPO imploring all young Irishmen and women to 'sacrifice themselves for the com mon good' for what would become, but not without a bitter and grinding struggle, Saorstat Eireann,: that Easter Monday of 1916, most of the British Army domiciled in Ireland were up backing horses at Fairyhouse.

Nuff of the Guff!

Letters

fortunate, and an acute lack of the slightest interest in offering that Cead Mile Failte, for which we, the Irish, were renowned, to those who have sought, and continue to seek refuge in this country, in more recent times. When writing his memoirs in the early 1960is, Tom McCormack remarked that the Irish nation, even at that time, seemed about to 'pass herself out'! Well, he was not far wrong in that observation -- Ireland has changed beyond recognition, and not all for the best -- so maybe she has done just that by now! The words 'pick me up on your way down' have a certain resonance also in the affluent Irish society of today. Is this what Ireland's finest gave their noble young lives for 87 years ago? -- and the young people ask 'What are THEY march ing for'..??!! In July 1928, Tom McCormack, then aged 25 years, as a young Civic Guard stationed at that time in Westport, Co. Mayo was assigned, with a colleague, to escort a sus pect back from England to Ireland to 'face the music', as he put it. The round trip from Ireland to Fleetwood,in Yorkshire, and back, took them 5 full days - from Thursday to Monday.! Five whole days police time spent on this one case with no overtime, no Many of Ireland's finest paid the ultimate price for securing that longed-for freedom. sleep, no thanks!! More's the pity there Patrick Pearse would have hoped that 87 weren't lads like Michael O'Leary around in 1928 to 'sort out' things out and Tom years on, all true Irishmen and women would still be working together for the McCormack would have been able to do that trip in 5 hours, over and back! icommon goodi: However, his words have "If vanity and riches vast, been 'gobbled up' by the Celtic Tiger who Cause us to forget our glorious past, should snap his mouth shut forthwith and The peace that we find so elusive. fly back -- free- to where he came from!. Will pass us by, we'll not be 'sasamh'! The Island of Saints and Scholars is turning Yours into ithe Island of 'choppers and Shoppers' and Beemers, Jacuzzis..and off-shore Aileen McCormack-Glynn accounts!! -- whose affluent populace dis 133 Seacrest, plays a growing indifference to those less Bama Road, Galway

Youths make life hell for Newcastle residents
Dear Editor, We are writing as concerned resi dents of an estate in Newcastle. For the last 18 months, we have been the target of reckless, disrespectful, belligerent teenagers. With little else to occupy their time, these vandals spend their evenings firing large stones, rocks and other objects against our windows and indeed, at our cars. Sadly we are not alone in our victimisation -- other neighbours have voiced identical con cerns In our estate, as in many around the country, there is an unlit alleyway lit tered with all sorts of rubbish, some of which these teenagers use to fire at houses. This is also a place for these young people to loiter and conceal themselves after vandalising our area. Obviously, due to this fact, people are reluctant to use these so-called "convenient" short cuts later in the evening -- people sim ply do not feel safe. We have a basic right to feel safe and protected in our community and to enjoy that which we achieve from our hard work. How is this possible when we are constantly worrying about something as basic as leaving our car parked outside our home? We feel that the authorities should make every effort to safeguard our communities and that every measure should be taken to rectify the all-toofrequent problems of vandalism. We believe also that the first step in achieving this goal is to block off the aforementioned alleyways and to improve street lighting in and around our estates. It is our hope that should you print this letter, those of your readers in agreement with us, or with similar con cerns, will join us in petitioning our city council to make these changes and make them soon. Yours, Frustrated resident (Name and address with editor)

No law against being pro-Israeli
Dear Editor, The recent alt.com column on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict was interesting for the way in which the writer repeated many of the canards of the extremist Jewish rejectionists represented by the current leader Sharon. First the Israelis and Palestinians are two equal opposite forces under international law. The Israeli occupation of the occupied territories (and the Golan Heights of Syria) are illegal under international law. International law places very specific obligations on the occupy ing power and under these the actions of the Israeli army are also illegal and constitute numerous war crimes. This criminal occupation long predates the current Palestinian tactic of suicide bombing which is clearly a desperate resort of a suffering people. Outside of that tactic the violent resistance to occupation is perfectly legal under international law. It is a complete fabrication that Arafat is at fault for the failure of the Oslo accord. Jeff O'Connell's parroting of Israeli propa ganda on that issue does not make it true. It is also utter non sense to repeat the Israeli propaganda that the occupation is about "security". It is about settlements, a religious and ethnic plot for a greater Israel and resources like water. Israel is a regional superpower, unconditionally backed by the world's only remaining superpow er. The idea that moving Israel's borders a few miles east or west is nonsensical in the extreme. It would be similar to Britain taking control of Dundalk to "secure" itself against the Irish army. There is no law against being pro-Israeli. But at least get the facts right and argue from there. Yours, Phelim Murnion 4 Oakfield, Oranmore

A n t i - w a r g r o u p s based o n b l i n d hatred o f certain countries
Dear Sir, Now that the war in Iraq is coming to an end, it seems to me the true agenda of so-called "anti-war" groups is becoming more and more evident. Last week we had one group lauding the men who "fought and died" in 1916 while condemning Ireland helping the US get rid of Saddam Hussein. Apparently it is not so much a case of against war per se but against whatever war the US is involved. John O'Shea of Goal pointed out last week the absence of any action against Uganda. Others who mysteriously escape censure by these groups include terrorists and suicide bombers, Palestinian gunmen (Israel are fair game), and Zimbabwe Why? Is there a political agenda? Also in the Galway Advertiser last week we have (unrepresen tative) Iraqi people lauding the UN and wanting them in Iraq straight away despite the fact thai the UN (led by the self serving French) obstructed the removal of Saddam Hussein at every turn. The UN sanctions (according to 'antiwar" groups) led to many more deaths than the short war led by the US. Yet the UN are seen as the saviours and the US as the monsters! They ignore the fact that the US has sacrificed the lives of its youth as well as billions of dollars to get Iraq to a position where it can now look forward to something better that Saddam's terror. The so called "antiwar/against war" groups appear to me selective at best and based on a blind hatred of a particular coun try at worst. Perhaps now that the war is all but over these movements will be a little more honest and rename themselves "anti-US" and "against US" so that people can see clearly what they are about. O yes and pigs may fly. Much better to play on genuine people's emotions to serve their political purposes. Yours faithfully. Sean Gallagher, Knocknacarra

Dear Sir, have just listened to Cllr Michael Fahy (FF). giving out on local radio about how nflexible' Galway County Council offi cials are when deciding on planning appli cations for one-off houses in the country side. It would seem to myself and fellow members in An Taisce that what standards Cllr Fahy would like to see applied, is no standards at all, and that people should be allowed build houses wherever they like, no matter what the consequence to our envi ronment? In answer. Mr. Donal O'Donoghue, County Manager (a quite reasonable man) pointed to the fact that, in the last year (2002) there were 5.100 separate applications to build houses in County Galway and that 929r of these were for one-off houses. Only 10 per cent of these were refused in county Galway. while in the rest of Ireland an average 18 per cent of applications were turned down. We were informed that there have already been over 4000 applications for houses in county Galway in the first three months of this year (2003), and that massive pressures are being put on council staff as well as on existing infrastructure, water, roads and sewage etc. In An Taisce's view, councillors like Michael Fahy should be more concerned that this voluminous development of houses in the countryside is having a deleterious effect on our environment, causing signifi cant pollution of all kinds and is entirely

Does Cllr Fahy want an absence of standards?

unsustainable. Does he not know that only 60 per cent of group water schemes fall within acceptable safety levels because of contamination by septic tanks and poorly managed farmyard waste. Does he. and his like, not understand that without proper planning standards and without significant real infrastructural investment in our county towns and vil lages, commuter driven pollution will con tinue to rise, thus we will all be worse off. Has Cllr Fahy not yet heard that the E U will soon begin the process of issuing heavy fines on Ireland, because of our fail ure to implement any measures to cut atmospheric pollution which is largely being caused by inappropriate develop ment? An Taisce believe that if we continue to build over 35 per cent of our housing in the countryside, even though nearly all profes sional sociologists and all economists and environmentalists consider this to be a time-bomb, that we are going down the wrong development path altogether. It is noted that Government ministers pro mote this and none really advocate curtail ing it? Yours, Derrick Hambleton Chairman An Taisce,
(,alwa Association

Dear Editor, I was bom in Hertfordshire, England in 1943. My father was Michael Thomas Finnerty. At the lime of my birth he was 62 years old. I never knew my father and only recently obtained a photograph of him. He died in Royton. Lancashire inn 1957 when I was 14 and a half years old. I am endeavouring to trace any family members who may still be living in Ireland. In 1964.1 was able to trace my father's niece, who I vague ly remember. She came to see me when I was about five years old. She was liv ing in Royton. Lancashire. Her name

Who am I?
was Annie Grady and her mother Ellen Grady nee Finnerty, was my father's older sister. Annie told me that she had been to visit relatives who lived in Mayo. I have no idea where they lived. My grandparents were Mary and Anthony Finnerty. I know that Mary was bom in Ireland, but I am unable to find any records relating to Anthony. I know that my father was born in Selby, Yorkshire (from 1891 and 1901) censuses) but I am unable to find his birth certificate entry. To my knowl edge, my father had three older siblings Ellen, James, and Thomas, and a younger sister called Bridget. I understand that your newspaper has the largest circulation in the west of Ireland and I would be very grateful if you could consider publishing this letter as it is very important for me to find out who I am. Yours, Netta M Lambie 19 Lydham Road, Heath Farm, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY13HL (t.lambie@btinternet.com)

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