Galway Advertiser 1981/1981_09_10/GA_10091981_E1_004.pdf 

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Dermot McCarthy of B a t h in E n g l a n d sent us this attractive p o s t c a r d s h o w i n g the quadrangle between the A b b e y C h u r c h and t h e Mercy Convent. T h e Mercy n u n s came t o G a l w a y o n t h e first of M a y 1840. T h e y s t a r t e d in L o m b a r d Street with three postulants in

extremely difficult c i r c u m stances. They quickly p r o s p e r e d to become "reputedly the best institution that ever was in Galway." The nuns eventually moved to Newtownsmyth, and of c o u r s e to F o r s t e r S t r e e t a n d S e a m o u n t in Salthill.

Y o u can see h e r e p a r t of the Franciscan Church w h i c h occupies a portion of t h e site of t h e friary w h i c h was f o u n d e d in 1296. I n this courtyard there are fragments of a 17th c e n t u r y H o l y T r i n i t y a n d in t h e ancient graveyard b e h i n d t h e c h u r c h t h e r e are s o m e

fairly c r u d e P o o r C l a r e a n d S a c e r d o t a l gravestones b y a n u n p r a c t i s e d 17th c e n t u r y hand. T h e M e r c y n u n s have recently d o n e s o m e major developments to their c o n v e n t , a n d t h e sensitive b u i l d i n g b y Paschal Ayres is now nearing completion. Its

various sloping roofs give it a n old world effect a n d it looks like b e i n g very attractive w h e n finished. The irish Wildlife Federation are holding another lecture on W e d n e s d a y n e x t , t h e 16th of S e p t e m b e r at 8.30 p . m . in t h e A t l a n t a H o t e l . T h e title

is " T h e Ecology of S a n d d u n e s . " I t is illustrated a n d will be given by M i c h e l i n e Sheehy-Skeffington. All are welcome. T.K.

galway gleanings
T h e geographic spread of t h e Taoiseach's nomina tions to t h e Senate is as obvious as t h e failure, generally speaking, to break the old moulds and introduce some fresh n o n party blood into t h e U p p e r House. Some people had h o p e d , for e x a m p l e , that Dr. FitzGerald might i n t r o d u c e some r e p r e s e n t a tives of N o r t h e r n opinion, a n d in particular from t h o s e s e c t i o n s of Northern o p i n i o n which h e claims we s h o u l d listen t o , if further polarisation is to be avoided. H e m i g h t n o t be b o l d 'enough to nominate an Official Unionist--for o n e t h i n g n o Official U n i o n i s t w o u l d b e able t o accept a S e n a t e seat a n d survive w i t h i n his o w n p a r t y . B u t w h a t of t h e S D L P a n d " m o d e s t unionism," (with a small "u") within the Alliance Party? Such g r o u p i n g s w o u l d love s o m e D u b l i n p l a t f o r m if only b e c a u s e t h e middle g r o u n d , always a d o u b t f u l q u a n t i t y i n t h e N o r t h , has now b e e n s h o w n t o be a tiny factor i n d e e d , at least in t h e latest By-Election. T h e SDLP d i d n o t contest a n d Alliance got less t h a n 2,000 votes in a poll of o v e r 60,000. by re-nominating Dr. W h i t t a k e r is also o u t of t h e way, it m e a n s t h a t D r . F i t z G e r a l d was left simply with 6 seats to a w a r d and in nearly all cases he used strict geographic p a r t y a d v a n tage--in Cork, Cavan/ M o n a g h a n , East M a y o a n d East Galway--avoiding constituency conflict with L a b o u r as b e s t h e could. I t is clear that East M a y o , C a v a n / M o n a g h a n (where a By-Election is d u e ) a n d East Galway a r e all areas w h e r e Fine Gael might hope to take a n extra seat in t h e f u t u r e , while n o m i n a t i o n s in places like C o r k city are s e e n as b o t h holding operations a n d concessions to y o u t h and o r / w o m e n Poor Tom

conflicting stories being circulated. O n e suggests t h a t M r . O ' D o n n e l l , as far b a c k as t h e e n d of 1980, told G a r r e t t h a t h e was n o t i n t e r e s t e d in a cabinet p o s t a n d wished to p u r s u e his E u r o p e a n career. A n o t h e r suggests t h a t h e was offered a J u n i o r M i n i s t r y which h e i n d i g n a n t l y refused. West's Disappointment I n W e s t Galway ( w h i c h includes the rapidly g r o w i n g c i t y b a s e of Labour's Michael D. Higgins) t h e T a o i s e a c h ' s failure to h o n o u r a F i n e G a e l person w i t h a S e n a t e n o m i n a t i o n is all t h e m o r e bitterly r e s e n t e d in view of t h e decision t o a p p o i n t East G a l w a y ' s Ulick B u r k e t o t h e U p p e r H o u s e , obviously in t h e h o p e t h a t a second seat c a n be won in that area w h e n e v e r veteran F i a n n a Fail m a n J o h n Callanan calls it a day. T h e h u g e 5 seater in W e s t G a l w a y returned three Fianna Failers as well as M r . Higgins a n d a sole F i n e Gael representative--John D o n n e l l a n whose h o m e is s o m e 15 miles east of t h e constituency b o u n d a r y as it n o w s t a n d s . T h e r e is n o strong Fine Gael personal ity in Galway city since Fintan Coogan bowed out, a n d while H e n r y C o m e r ford m a d e some impression in t h e last election, n e i t h e r he nor party veteran Padraig M c C o r m a c k were given a Senate nomination on this occasion. T h a t would h a v e given t h e m t h e seal of a real Fine Gael front-runner next time o u t . N o r did Dr. FitzGerald n o m i n a t e Pol O Foighil w h o is closely identified with t h e Connemara Gaeltacht, even t h o u g h h e is elected t o G a l w a y C o u n t y C o u n c i l for t h e city area. Instead this h u g e area west of t h e C o r r i b - is r e p r e s e n t e d in t h e S e n a t e o n l y b y Clifdcn's J o h n Mannion who abandoned a Dail career after t h e 1977'81 p e r i o d , b u t was elected t o t h e S e n a t e this time b y his o w n efforts. E v e n if S e n a t o r M a n n i o n makes a D a i l c o m e - b a c k next time o u t (and sitting D e p u t y

D o n n e l l a n would welcome a c a n d i d a t e situated so far W e s t in t h e c o n s t i t u e n c y ) , it still w o u l d not solve the p r o b l e m s of F i n e G a e l in Galway city.

Whether Dr. FitzGerald is right in his selection of areas w h e r e F i n e G a e l could possibly make l o n g - t e r m advances in seats d u e t o S e n a t e n o m i n a t i o n , is a n o t h e r matter. But o n e t h i n g is certain. Failure to n o m i n a t e o t h e r potential T . D . ' s in o t h e r areas is seen by t h e p a r t y o n t h e g r o u n d as a s n u b and as a vote of n o confidence in efforts t o build u p wider s u p p o r t . N o r t h K e r r y , for e x a m p l e , is a n g r y , as are p a r t s of Geographic Position D u b l i n w h e r e it is suspected L a b o u r Party i n v o l v e m e n t Yet when Dr. FitzGerald in t h e G o v e r n m e n t m e a n t g o t d o w n t o t h e real task of that G a r r e t shied a w a y . B u t filling his 11 S e n a t e seats h e u r b a n bases like L i m e r i c k , c h o s e t h e w e l l - w o r n p a t h of W a t e r f o r d a n d Galway also parry advantage. T r u e , the resent t h e suggestion t h a t allocation of 4 seats t o gains in these areas are any Labour made things m o r e difficult t h a n say, i n s o m e w h a t m o r e difficult C o r k , w h e r e F i n e G a e l had b u t this is n o t t h e o n l y a very g o o d t u r n - o u t last reason w h y there is yet time. L i m e r i c k is still angry a n o t h e r feeling of d i s c o n with the way Tom tent within t h e ranks at t h e O ' D o n n e l l was passed over list a n n o u n c e d . W h e n t h e for a cabinet post a m i d s t d e s i r e t o e q u a l Jack L y n c h

S a n d s was b r o a d c a s t live. But w h e n t h e H - B l o c k s Committee put forward I t is good to see a n m o r e candidates in t h e ambitious Fianna Fail G e n e r a l Election in t h e p e r s o n , especially from t h a t S o u t h , w i n n i n g t w o Dail p a r t of t h e c o u n t y w h e r e seats, M r . C a r r o n i m m e d i p l a n n i n g permissions are less controversial in a n y - ately b e c a m e persona n o n Sense at Last grata in R T E , even in t h e case, raise t h e issue. I t is case of t h e party electoral So w h a t ' s new pussy-cat? frequently observed t h a t t h e broadcast which was O n l y t h a t Councillor F r a n k b e s t G o v e r n m e n t you can allotted t o t h e h u n g e r F a h e y , t h e other y o u n g have is F i a n n a Fail once strikers, subject to the F i a n n a Fail lion w h o polled t h e y lose office, b u t i n view provisions of Section 3 1 , well in t h e last G e n e r a l of t h e fact t h a t t h e Section 4 b u t w h i c h was obviously Election has raised t h e m o t i o n is usually held u p as reviewed in t h e case of u n t o l d and u n - r e v e r s a b l e " o n e of t h e few real powers people like M r . C a r r o n as d a m a g e w h i c h t h e operation still left to local a u t h o r i soon as a decision was taken of Section 4 planning ties," it is n o h a r m to have a t o fight a n election in t h e Motions as at present d e b a t e on t h e m a t t e r . R a d i o S o u t h . N o w M r . C a r r o n has constituted ( a n d it is n a G a e l t a c h t a o r even R T E w o n a N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d seat necessary t o stress t h a t will have t o watch it o n behalf of t h e p r i s o n e r s , point) have b e e n d o i n g to however, because Mr. d u e t o t h e d e a t h of M r . t h e Galway C o u n t y P l a n H a u g h e y , o u t of office S a n d s , and because t h e a n d to t h e p r o s p e c t s , e v e n in himself at t h e m o m e n t , n o w Thatcher Government, t h e l o n g - t e r m , of s o m e type t h i n k s t h a t all elected p u b l i c c h a n g e d t h e law t o avoid of national p l a n n i n g that representatives, including further e m b a r r a s s m e n t in w o u l d give us h o p e s of some one presumes somebody Fermanagh and Tyrone, t y p e of m a i n - r o a d system like M r . G l y n n , w h o has p u t only t o find that t h e S o u t h , throughout the whole his neck o n t h e block a b o u t far from p r o t e s t i n g very c o u n t y , say, b y t h e year Sections 4 over t h e years, strongly a b o u t t h e T o r y 2,000 A . D . T h i s t o o , it s h o u l d b e allowed freedom decision to change t h e rules seems, is n o w F i a n n a Fail of speech o n t h e airwaves! to suit themselves, policy, or if it is n o t , it may Who Speaks Where? m a i n t a i n e d the b a n o n M r . s o o n b e c o m e so. W e are Carron and deliberately aware of t h e problems T h i s p r o b a b l y has m o r e played d o w n t h e signifi w h i c h Section 4 have caused t o it t h a n t h e electoral cance of t h e election itself. a n d are causing a n d also of victory of M r . O w e n C a r r o n R T E is widely received t h e t r e m e n d o u s pressures in Fermanagh/South throughout the entire w h i c h can be b r o u g h t o n Tyrone. L i k e we said, c o n s t i t u e n c y and t r a d i t i o n friends and n e i g h b o u r s t o F i a n n a Fail are great.... ally was considered by the sign certain " h a r d c a s e s " especially when in Northern Nationalist w h e n in fact t h e only real opposition. p o p u l a t i o n , as t h e Irish solution t o t h e p r o b l e m is t o national broadcasting get political a g r e e m e n t t h a t N o r should there b e any service w h i c h w o u l d give a alterations to t h e C o u n t y further R T E a t t e m p t s to fair a n d full hearing. N o w P l a n s h o u l d be m a d e in h i d e t h e reality of t h e latest even M r . H a u g h e y seems to collectiblle community N o r t h e r n election. W h e n k n o w -- a n d not simply in interest, if at all, a n d t h a t B o b b y S a n d s was elected Fermanagh/South Tyrone S e c t i o n 4 directives s h o u l d M . P . in F e r m a n a g h / S o u t h either! n o t apply in individual T y r o n e , t h e r e were only t w o p l a n n i n g applications. T h i s c a n d i d a t e s . T h i s time there Compiled by Nollaig O Gadhra. has b e e n t h e policy of t h e w e r e six. A n d even t h o u g h L a b o u r P a r t y since t h e 1979 t h e S D L P o p t e d out of t h e local elections. I t has b e e n contest, for t h e second time, PRE-SCHOOL t h e consistent policy of S i n n t h e y received m u c h m o r e PLAYGROUP F e i n for at least a d e c a d e p u b l i c i t y in the Irish before M r . F r a n k G l y n n , b r o a d c a s t i n g m e d i a for t h e i r 38 S t . M a r y ' s R o a d on b e c o m i n g C h a i r m a n in non-participation than the T e l . 22523 1979 tried to get some type g r o u p s involved. of all-party a g r e e m e n t o n A particularly a n n o y i n g This Pre-School has been t h e situation. T h i s has not aspect of t h i s , as far as t h e passed by: h a p p e n e d n o r c a n it h a p p e n Nationalist population of until the major parties make Galway Corporation, F e r m a n a g h a n d T y r o n e are a clear and absolute, o p e n W e s t e r n H e a l t h Board, c o n c e r n e d , is that w h e n M r . a n d final declaration t h a t Galway F i r e D e p t . Is r u n C a r r o n was r u n n i n g t h e they n o longer i n t e n d to use b y qualified teacher, has S a n d s c a m p a i g n as t h e Section 4 motions in P u b l i c Liability I n s u r Election Agent for t h e individual cases as a type of ance. hunger-striking prisoner, party patronage or voteT h e P r e - S c h o o l is fully h e was featured relatively b a r g a i n i n g game as is t h e e q u i p p e d , self-contained regularly by R T E . E v e n his case at present. a n d has a g a r d e n . oration at t h e funeral of B e s t O u t of Office