1923 – The impact of war

It is just nine years since the news of the European War fell upon a Galway gathering to celebrate Race Week. The banks closed, international credit and stability rocked upon their foundations.

True, the waves of that terrible conflict broke harmlessly enough upon our shores; our farmers and our few manufacturers grew opulent by supplying John Bull with food and clothing for the war, a few of our towns benefited by a temporary, if fickle and untrustworthy, increase in trade.

But that evening in 1914 marked the beginning of a period during which the progress of ordinary business sense was impossible.

The intervening nine years have not been wasted years: they have been rich with gain to Ireland; they will yield greater wealth in the future if only all of us, putting personal vanities or the desire for political domination aside, will work for the honour and glory of Ireland, material as well as punctual.

One useful way in which this can be done immediately is by brightening our towns, making them put on a cheerful and attractive summer garb, keeping our streets and alleyways bright and clean. In Galway there is little encouragement to do this, for deserts of dust and limestone grit lie upon the streets and are the sport of every wind that blows.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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After more than two decades working as a chemical engineer while being involved with many arts organistions in his spare time, Fergus Cronin is now exploring his own literary creativity and his debut collection of short stories, Night Music, has just been published by Galway’s Doire Press. Looking at human nature in all its complexity, it’s getting a great response. From Dublin, via Kilkenny and with deep roots in the West of Ireland, he does most of his writing in Connemara, where he revels in the peace and solitude, as he tells JUDY MURPHY.

Had he grown up in a different era, or even in a different family, Fergus Cronin might have followed an artistic career earlier in his life. But he didn’t and in his younger years, took a scientific route.

“I was good at maths and physics,” says the retired chemical engineer. “But I was good at English too,” he adds.

He still is – as his debut collection of short stories, Night Music, which has just been published by Galway’s Doire Press, proves.  Winner of the Maria Edgeworth Short Story Prize in 2022, it has been praised by leading writers including novelists Richard Ford and Joseph O’Connor. Ford described the book as “a stirring, artful and ultimately beautiful suite of stories”, while O’Connor praised the “fine lively collection”  for having the “juiciness of everyday speech and the nuance and insight of very strong storytelling”.

Fergus, whose father was from Ballinrobe and whose mother from Inchicore, grew up in Clontarf, “a relatively new middle class area of Dublin”, the oldest of two children. His father loved Gilbert and Sullivan but other than that, there was very little music around and no books or art. His love of literature, which began in his teens in the 1960s, was thanks to well-read school friends rather than the education system, he says.

Fergus can trace his long connections with Galway to his dad and childhood visits to the Galway Races. He also spent summer holidays in Ballinrobe and recalls happy days in The Neale where his cousins, the Farraghers, were farmers. Fergus has retained contact with them and reflects with sadness on the death of his cousin Marie in an accident last year.

“Those visits are what first connected me with Connemara,” says Fergus who now spends much of his time in North Connemara where he has a second home. It’s where he does much of his writing.

“I love the quietness and stillness and I love aloneness,” he says of his routine there. “I’m happy in company but in Connemara, I keep to myself. There are great people but I like being alone.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App

Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.

Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite  HERE.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Health, Beauty and Lifestyle with Denise McNamara

With the weather scorching outside, of course school exams are approaching. I don’t remember being half as relaxed as the Junior Cert student in our house when exams beckoned.

In fact, they have very definitely taken a back seat with sport and a summer job are currently the prioritised.

It’s only the Junior Cert I’m forcibly told when I raise the little subject of study.

But it seems not everyone takes a similar attitude. A youth support organisation which was founded in Galway, Jigsaw tells us that exams are one of the biggest sources of stress in the lives of young people.

As thousands of our young people once more get ready for their Junior and Leaving Certs, Jigsaw has put together ten top tips from their clinical and mental health experts to help parents and guardians give support with exam stress:

Try not to talk too much about studying and exams – If it can be avoided, try to avoid talking exclusively about studying and exams. There can feel like there’s pressure coming from every teacher, parent, group chat, and passer-by. If possible, only broach the subject sparingly, and think of other things to chat about.

Meet them where they’re at – Remember that their goals and idea of success may look different to yours.

Have an honest conversation – Ask them to be honest about how they are feeling, and what would help. It’s important to acknowledge when it’s feeling difficult, but it’s equally important to have a plan for what will help.

Remind them to talk to themselves with kindness and compassion – Would they be telling all their friends that the only thing that matters is a few weeks of their lives? Of course not!

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App

Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.

Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite  HERE.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.