Archive News
Child sex abuse victims face a 60 hours wait to be examined
Date Published: 13-Dec-2010
By Dara Bradley
Health cutbacks mean child sex abuse victims in Galway and the West could be forced to wait more than 60 hours for forensic examinations while the wait for the same service for sexually assaulted adults is just two hours.
A slashing of HSE West’s budget means despite the opening of an adult Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) there are no emergency or out-of-hours services provided for sexually assaulted children in Galway.
City Councillor Catherine Connolly has slammed the HSE West for cutting back the service and the government for its “utter failure to ensure sufficient funding for the most essential services while sparing no monies in relation to saving the banks”.
The Independent General Election candidate has received representations from paediatric consultants in Galway who have threatened to withdraw their provision of paediatric forensic facilities for children from this Sunday, December 19.
She said she fought hard to get the SATU clinic up and running on the Tuam Road, which although temporary, provides a 24-hour emergency cover seven days a week for adults who have been sexually assaulted.
At the same facility, however, where paediatric services for sexually assaulted children are being provided, Cllr Connolly says paediatric forensic examiners will not be on a rota and not available 24 hours a day; will not be paid to do emergency examinations at weekends or out of hours in the evenings; will not be indemnified or insured to do medical examinations on children out of hours; and are not funded in any way to provide emergency telephone advice in or out of hours.
“The reality is as a result of cutbacks, there is now no emergency service for children under 14 years of age who have been sexually assaulted. “
And in contrast to an adult victim who will be seen within two hours of assault, a child sexually abused on, for example, Friday, will have to wait until Monday for a paediatric forensic examination,” said Cllr Connolly.
Read more in this week’s Connacht Sentinel
People’s living conditions less than 100 years ago were frightening. We have come a long way. We talk about water charges today, but back then the local District Councils were erecting pumps for local communities and the lovely town of Mountbellew, according to Council minutes, had open sewers,” says Galway County Council archivist Patria McWalter.
Patria believes we “need to take pride in our history, and we should take the same pride in our historical records as we do in our built heritage”. When you see the wealth of material in her care, this belief makes sense.
She is in charge of caring for the rich collection of administrative records owned by Galway County Council and says “these records are as much part of our history as the Rock of Cashel is. They document our lives and our ancestors’ lives. And nobody can plan for the future unless you learn from the past, what worked and what didn’t”.
Archivists and librarians are often unfairly regarded as being dry, academic types, but that’s certainly not true of Patria. Her enthusiasm is infectious as she turns the pages of several minute books from Galway’s Rural District Councils, all of them at least 100 years old.
Part of her role involved cataloguing all the records of the Councils – Ballinasloe, Clifden, Galway, Gort, Loughrea, Mountbellew, Portumna and Tuam. These records mostly consisted of minutes of various meetings.
When she was cataloguing them she realised their worth to local historians and researchers, so she decided to compile a guide to their content. The result is For the Record: The Archives of Galway’s Rural District Councils, which will be a valuable asset to anybody with an interest in history.
Many representatives on these Councils were local personalities and several were arrested during the political upheaval of the era, she explains.
And, ushering in a new era in history, women were allowed to sit on these Rural District Councils – at the time they were not allowed to sit on County Councils.
All of this information is included in Patria’s introductory essay to the attractively produced A4 size guide, which gives a glimpse into how these Rural Councils operated and the way political thinking changed in Ireland during a short 26-year period. In the early 1900s, these Councils supported Home Rule, but by 1920, they were calling for full independence and refusing to recognise the British administration.
“I love the tone,” says Patria of the minutes from meetings. “The language was very emotive.”
That was certainly true of the Gort Rural District Council. At a meeting in 1907, following riots in Dublin at the premiere of JM Synge’s play, The Playboy of the Western World the councillors’ response was vehement. They recorded their decision to “protest most emphatically against the libellous comedy, The Playboy of the Western World, that was belched forth during the past week in the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, under the fostering care of Lady Gregory and Mr Yeats. We congratulate the good people of Dublin in howling down the gross buffoonery and immoral suggestions that are scattered throughout this scandalous performance.
For more from the archives see this week’s Tribunes here
Date Published: 23-Jan-2013
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Date Published: 29-Jan-2013
Athenry FC 1
Kilbarrack United 2
(After extra time)
For the second year in succession Athenry were done in extra time in the FAI Junior Cup as last season’s beaten finalist’s came from behind to snatch an excellent game in Moanbawn on Sunday afternoon.
On a heavy pitch that was only playable following extensive groundwork by club officials all morning, the home side were by far the better side in the opening half, but failed to take advantage of a number of opportunities that came their way.
An Alan O’Donovan penalty gave them a merited advantage just after the restart, but thereafter were on the back foot as Kilbarrack took over, but for all their pressing, the home rearguard were dealing comfortably with their forays.
However they were struck a body blow just six minutes from time, as big striker Keith Kirwan was left all alone at the far post to head the equaliser and from that point on the Dubliners were the better side.
They started off the extra time in the ascendancy and enjoying all the momentum before striking for a good winning goal on 104 minutes. A strong bench allowed them to make some necessary changes and it was not a facility that was available to Athenry manager Gabriel Glavin.
With Gary Forde and Gary Delaney out through suspension following their sending off against OLBC in the previous round, and Seamie Crowe injured, it left their bench rather threadbare with just a number of young squad players available.
Playing with the aid of the slight incline and any wind advantage going, the home side had a Connor Cannon effort on target in the opening minute, while John Meleady was just over with a flick at the other end.
Meleady then tested Andrew Walsh who saved comfortably, before the goalkeeper pulled off a brilliant double save on 14 minutes.
Firstly he went full length to push away a Meleady shot and was then back on his feet to parry David Jackson’s close-range rebound.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.
Galway broadcaster Sean O’Rourke is back – exploring the world on podcast platform
HIQA report finds issues with hygiene, staffing and food at nursing home in Moycullen
Backlog at pain clinic in Galway means no treatment for patients
Deputy Sean Canney confirms that The Old Grove Site in Tuam has now been handed over to the HSE
Draft Athenry Local Area Plan goes on public display
‘Peeping Tom’ Garda spied on female colleagues
Burkes return home to revel in their local roots
Man prosecuted for building house instead of agricultural storage unit
Juvenile’s driving ban for doing doughnuts in BMW
East Galway farm sells for €1.3 million
