Opinion
A more natural way to keep our food greener
Country Living with Francis Farragher
There was a time about a half generation back when we were all blissfully unaware of such topics as greenhouse gas emissions, slurry gas or the impact of carbon dioxide on our atmosphere and food.
Now a day won’t pass without some new contribution on all the stuff floating around in our atmosphere, apparently burning holes in our ozone layer, that protects us from the most harmful rays of the sun.
The deadliest of those gases from a human health point is hydrogen sulphide (H2S) that is produced in slurry tanks from a series of chemical reactions and that gets trapped under the crust of the liquid over the course of the winter.
When that crust is broken at the point of agitation the gas escapes into the immediate atmosphere with the inhalation of a lung full, enough to be fatal.
Farmers should have enough in their self-preservation instincts to steer clear of the slurry hazard but it continues to claim lives, year-in, year-out – what cannot be seen or scented can be the stealthiest of enemies.
On a more global level, the agriculture industry across the world is coming under increasing pressure to leave less of a carbon footprint from their food producing activities – in other words to produce less greenhouse gases that damage our atmosphere.
One of the biggest culprits to be identified over the past couple of decades has been Nitrous Oxide (N2O), a gas that is naturally present in the atmosphere but that increases in proportion to fertiliser/nitrogen use on farms.
The great ‘catch’ in all of this is that with the world population shooting up each year – we’re currently over the seven billion mark – the demand for food is going to grow and grow.
To meet that demand, farmers will have to produce more crops and animals and to do this they need to keep their farms highly fertile by applying higher rates of the basic nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous and potash.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, agricultural emissions account for about 75% of their total N2O output, so now a huge chunk of research budgets has been allocated to try and come with some natural way of limiting the production of this substance.
Teagasc are currently involved in a European research project examining how some soil micro-organisms can naturally break down the nitrous oxide output from farms.
Scientists from Teagasc along with their counterparts in Scotland, Sweden and France have now discovered a family of soil microbes that can help to neutralise the impact of the nitrous oxide.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Bradley Bytes – a sort of political column with Dara Bradley
In 2015, RTÉ launched an ‘action plan’ for the Irish language. It contained initiatives such as the introduction of Irish language news bulletins on 2FM, delivered by staff of RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, including those based in Conamara.
Galway man Rónán Mac Con Iomaire, who back then was RTÉ Group Head, Irish Language, said the plan “seeks to integrate the Irish language into everything we do in RTÉ”.
At the time, according to RTÉ News, it was welcomed by Taoiseach Enda Kenny as an “integral part of the implementation of the 20-year strategy for the Irish-language 2010-2030, which is the cornerstone of Government policy in this area”.
Alas, the Irish bulletins on 2FM are not so integral, it seems. The station has now quietly dropped them.
Who cares, you might ask. But RTÉ is the national broadcaster. And as such, it has a special responsibility towards the Irish language. Yes, RnaG provides a vital service to Gaeltacht areas and to its Irish language listenership. But it cannot be expected to do the heavy-lifting alone.
RTÉ radio has a responsibility to the Irish language, whether it likes it or not. Part of its public service remit is a commitment to Irish language programming. That’s not just an aspiration. By law, RTÉ must provide a certain percentage of programming ‘as Gaeilge’.
We know the Coimisinéir Teanga (language commissioner), based in Na Forbacha, has previously highlighted RTÉ’s failures to fulfil its commitment to Irish language programming.
Despite the removal of the Nuacht bulletins, Head of 2FM Dan Healy (pictured) insisted the station “remains committed to the Irish language in its schedule”.
He told Bradley Bytes: “We believe that 2FM’s 1.30pm Nuacht bulletin is not an appointment to listen for Irish language speakers and doesn’t offer a viable listening opportunity to non-fluent speakers.
“In 2023, 2FM has introduced bilingual travel bulletins, Monday to Friday, during our midweek breakfast show. We are also introducing a new weekend bilingual breakfast show with Blaithnaid (sic) Treacy on Saturdays and Sundays, and we will continue with our National Chart Show in both languages.
“These changes represent the start of 2FM bringing more Irish language to our listeners which we believe will better promote the Irish language to our audience.”
Taken on face value, getting rid of Nuacht bulletins and focusing on other Irish language programming appropriate to its young audience, might be in the best interests of 2FM. But is it what’s best for Irish?
And will it encourage the D4 decision makers in Montrose to move to axe Irish-language news bulletins from RTÉ Radio One? If that happens, what’s next?
The reality is that without Irish output on RTÉ, the language is screwed.
So today, St Patrick’s Day, the final day of Seachtain na Gaeilge, is an appropriate time to ponder our national broadcaster’s relationship with, and responsibility to, the Irish language.
This is a shortened preview version of this column. For more Bradley Bytes, see the March 17 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.
A Different View with Dave O’Connell
Paul Mescal has a lot to answer for – and it’s nothing to do with his Oscar nights or his antics in Normal People.
No, it’s his propensity to wear sports shorts completely out of context and season – football togs, in old money – because he has inspired a nation of copycats.
Everywhere you look there are fellas out on freezing nights in O’Neill’s togs – frequently set off with white ankle socks and sometimes even sliders – as though they were wandering back from the beach for an hour on a sun bed beside the pool, instead of coping with the freezing temperatures sent down here from the Arctic.
Last Thursday night was the coldest night of the year and only an eejit would go out without a big coat, gloves and a hat.
Indeed you could argue that only an eejit would go out at all, but at least we were on our way to a play – so that was a good excuse given that we’d spend the night in out of the cold.
There we were, wrapped up like Eskimos and edging gingerly through the sleet along the Salmon Weir Bridge when who should be happen upon?
A fella in a sweatshirt and football togs as though this was a sun-kissed evening stolen from July.
Perhaps these hardy boys look on with the same sense of astonishment at us wearing four layers, hat and gloves – but you don’t have to have spent time in medical school to know that you don’t die from sweating.
And yet funnily they don’t even look all that cold. They’re not rushing anywhere fast to get warm; they’re just strolling around like superstar footballers who just bought the place.
Their only concession to this being March in Ireland and not Marbella in August is the said sweatshirt they’re wearing over their tee-shirt to stave off complete hypothermia.
Ironically – and this is only from personal experience – as soon as they go home to the old pair’s gaff for the weekend, the first thing they do is hit the central heating so they can shed the oul’ sweatshirt and chill, but not be chilly because the boiler is burning away for all it’s worth.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
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Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
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World of Politics with Harry McGee
The last local elections in May 2019 were dominated by the story of a big swing; nothing to do with the voting though – it was the famous swing in the Dublin version of the Dean Hotel that former TD Maria Bailey took a tumble from.
That’s how exciting local and European elections are for the media and the public. As a political story, they ran a distant second to the so-called Swing-gate.
As it happened there were political swings too. In the locals, the Greens made big gains. Fianna Fáil and the Social Democrats made some gains. Fine Gael was treading water. Sinn Féin lost a fair few seats.
It was a little different for Europeans. The Greens gained two seats. Fianna Fáil gained two but failed to take one in Midlands North West. Sinn Féin lost two of its three MEPs. Fine Gael ended up winning four with Maria Walsh taking a second seat in Midlands North West.
At the time, Sinn Féin was on a downward slope and had been since the general election of 2016. What won it gains in 2014, messages of anti-austerity, protests against water charges, no longer applied. It was struggling to find its feet.
It lost almost half its seats in the locals, falling from 159 down to 81. Its share of the vote had dipped to below 10 per cent, a drop of 5.6 per cent.
So, the ‘read’ at the time of the 2019 election was that Fianna Fáil seemed to be continuing its recovery from the nadir of 2011 into the next general election. Fine Gael was in its second term of government and was concerned about holding its own. Sinn Fein looked like it would have a difficult general election.
For the Councils, Fianna Fáíl held remained the largest party in local government and showed strongly in working class areas of Dublin. Its European election was mediocre though.
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.
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