Galway Advertiser 2008/GA_2008_06_26/GA_2606_E1_016.pdf 

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BE A GALWAY VOICE

UHG staff -- Thanks for saving our son's life
Dear Editor, I am writing this to talk about a group of people who have in the last while been criticised and gotten a lot of bad press in the recent past. Our doctors and nurses. On Father's Day last I went in to check on our 15-month-old son who was asleep in his cot, when I picked him up I knew there was something seriously wrong with him, as he was non-responsive, had a high temperature and was going in and out of having seizures. On rushing him to the hospital he was immediately taken in A&E, this was our first port of call. It was like a scene from ER, there was a large team of doctors and nurses working on our son. Not only did they have to cope with his dramatic entry into the hospital they had to cope with a very traumatised family. These people saved our son's life, myself, my wife, our daughter and our little warrior Fionn will forever be grateful for how the staff of UCHG treated us all. There is so much negative media attention in relation to our health service right now that I feel I have to say there are still people who work very hard, under extreme circumstances, people who care, people from all walks of life. Our family honour you for the work you do, a lot of the times going unnoticed. The care our son received from the moment he entered the hospital to the day he got out was of such quality and high standard, it left me knowing that we still have good, caring, empathic people working in our health service. There are times in the middle of a crisis you start to pray and pray hard, this was one of these moments in our lives, you pray to God like you have never prayed before. In the midst of all this mayhem you have these people doing what they can for a good outcome and the realisation for us as a family was that we were surrounded by special peopleGod's Special People on earth or whatever higher power there is looking after us. So to the people of A&E, the Intensive Care Unit and the staff in the Paediatric Unit ,our family thank you for your care, humanity, empathy and honesty. May the angels look down on you wherever you walk. Yours, Fionn's Dad. (Name and address with editor)

Closure of IILT school shows that politicians think non-nationals don't matter or vote
Dear Editor, It is a disgrace that the Department of Education should force the closure of IILT (Integrate Ireland Language and Training Galway), but it should not come as a surprise. The IILT did good work; it provided language skills training to people of refugee status and others. But it did not count so far as votes were concerned. One might forgivably conclude that once immigrants are taught the language of their adopted countries they become empowered and it does not serve every political interest to empower them. A person who can read and write is a political person; a man who can sign his name and read a newspaper has political power. The new immigration Bill will specify language testing; is there a connection between this filtering system and the withdrawal of funding to an organisation whose aim is to give people the required language? The cynicism of the Department of Education is matched only by our political memory-loss. It is not so long ago that Irish passports and Irish citizenship were being thrown at rich individuals who asked for them and who never intended to spend a wet week in the country. That Irish citizenship was for sale bothered no one; Irish politicians don't do shame. In a city which continues to describe itself as a city of culture and give the odd yap-to-camera about cultural diversity, it seems darkly ironic that an organisation that tries to offer people language has its funding withdrawn. One would expect nothing less than that Galway politicians, writers, and those involved in the arts come together to deplore the Department of Education's very odd move; and they can publicise their opinions by writing to national and local newspapers and to the Minister. The IILT should have its funding restored at once. Yours, Fred Johnston, 1, Carn Ard, Circular Road, Galway.

Physio department a real treat, says patient
Dear Editor, I recently attended the physiotherapy department at University College Hospital Galway for a period of six months, following an accident. The treatment and services at this department are excellent. On entering the department patients are greeted by a friendly receptionist. Employees moving throughout the department are pleasant and attentive. The therapist who treated me was skilled in his work and he explained the treatment and exercises in detail to me. The benefits of the exercises were emphasized which in turn motivated me to practice them regularly. I have recovered very well from my injury, thanks to this great service. Yours, A grateful patient.

means IILT student IILT decisionthose abandoning saddened in the hostels by closure
Dear Editor, My name is Kheiria ElGamati and I have been a student in IILT since last September. In the IILT school, I learnt many things about life in Ireland. I am writing to you because I feel sad that my school is to close on July 13 as the Department of Eductaion has stopped funding the school. How can I continue my study? Who can help and support us? Can someone tell us what we are going to do? Yours, Kheiria El-Gamati, Ardilaun Road, Newcastle, Galway Dear Editor, I am writing you becase I have been attending the IILT school for a year and a half. In this school, I have learned many things, improving my English, writing and reading, and speaking and this has made me more confident now. This school taught me how to live in Ireland. Where would I be if I didn't know ho to speak English -- nobody would understand what I would be saying in offices, shops and at the doctors.

What next for City Council -- a byelaw to ban scruffy trainers on the Prom?
Dear Editor, I am writing in relation to the dog ban on Galway beaches which is due to come in to effect from next month. As a dog owner I think it will be a sad and sorry day when you go to the beach and there won't be a dog in sight. Since I got my dog two years ago we have frequented the Prom morning, noon and night and I have met many people over the past two years through walking the dog. In particular I have had lots of conversations with elderly people as they felt safe striking up conversation through the medium of my dog and I know for sure they would have never approached me unless I had the dog with me. There is so much isolation in our society and I feel this decision will add to the isolation and make us even more plastic than we have already become. Surely the council could afford to put more dog litter bins and disposable bags along the prom. If people knew there was a bin close by they would be more enticed to run and get the bag and dispose of the dog litter. If there is only one dog litter bin and bag disposal machine and you are at other end of prom, well you probably would not bother to go find it. They spent millions doing up Eyre Square to make it look pretty much the same as it was before -- how about spending a few hundred on dog litter bins and then leave us to clean up after our dogs? This is dictatorship at its height, what next -- only designer trainers on the prom please, Oh and people on social welfare are barred between 6pm and 8pm as people travelling home from their high powered jobs in City Hall want the prom to themselves. Yours, Emer Hennelly Galway City.

Brussels elite are like the fat pigs in Animal Farm
Dear Editor, When does "No" mean anything else but "No"? Only when our Government doesn't get the answer it wants. If Ireland voted "Yes" for the Lisbon Treaty then I doubt if any politician in the Government would analyse that answer! In truth they never believed that the Irish people would do anything else but vote "Yes". But Irish people do not like being told what to do. I always understood that one voted because there was a choice to be made. After all we are a free country If the EU or our Government is now going to twist things around so as to ignore the will of the people then we can all say goodbye to democracy. They say that they were seven years working on this treaty.....or EU Constitution. The truth is that they spent six months or so changing the EU Constitution into the Lisbon Treaty. Why can't they be call a spade a spade and call it the Lisbon Treaty/EU Constitution? The fact is that many Irish people have fallen out of love with the EU. While fishing and farming are destroyed as livelihoods and workers in manufacturing face an uncertain future nothing changes for the political elite who get generous travel allowances for their journeys to Brussels or other EU capitals. When Social Partnership talks begin in a few week's time Irish workers are going to be told to expect a wage freeze. With the price of food and fuel increasing by the day the Government is not looking for a price freeze on those essential commodities. Workers are left in traffic jams for hours burning up expensive petrol with no traffic corp in site. The whole thing reminds me of George Orwell's Animal Farm. We are the animals forced to build the windmill while the elite in Brussels are gathered around a well stocked table drinking wine, discussing how to make the rest of us more competitive. Yours, Nuala Nolan Bowling Green Galway

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Galway Advertiser
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The Galway Advertiser wishes to advise that it is not responsible for the content which appears in the letters pages and accepts no liability arising from publication of material on these pages. The Galway Advertiser, 41-42 Eyre Square, Galway. Tel: 091 - 530900. Fax (General) 091 567079 Fax: (Advertising) 091 - 567150 Fax: (Newsdesk) 091 - 565627 Internet Address: http://www.galwayadvertiser.ie / news@galwayadvertiser.ie

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HAVE YOUR SAY

16 L E T T E R S

June 26 2008

Now I can write a CV, apply for jobs and speak with employers. Now I can write this letter asking why the Department of Education has stopped funding the school. Many people like me wait in hostels and don't speak English and don't understand. Who will help them. Who can help us? Yours Saskia Pechova, Gort na Bru, Western Distributor Road, Galway