Senator says Tanaiste must address ‘one in six’ early school leavers

 

Galway Advertiser, May 27, 2010.

By Trevor Quinn

Tanaiste and Minister for Education Mary Coughlan must urgently address the “one size fits all” philosophy that is prominent in Irish schools, says Galway West Senator Fidelma Healy-Eames.

A recently released report entitled ‘Staying in Education:A New Way Forward’ took more than 18 months to collate and revealed why early school leavers feel they have little option as such is the lack of support or understanding they receive.

A total of 41 early school leavers from ‘at risk’ groups were interviewed, and a 25 member expert group of practitioners and researchers studied the findings and gave their recommendations.

Senator Healy-Eames says, “My motivation for seeking this study stemmed from the number of children I met in the early years at second-level, particularly boys with poor literacy and in low streamed classes. The second level system was completely wrong for them. They hadn’t a hope of passing written exams. They had lost pace with school, had little or no motivation, struggled to keep up and as a result couldn’t wait to get out.”

Senator Healy-Eames believes there should be an immediate review of the second level school curriculum to make it more relevant to the needs of young people who are at risk of leaving school early stating: “One in six of our children is dropping out of school prior to completion of the Leaving Cert. Too often these ‘forgotten’ young people are unemployed, can’t read or write, get into trouble or into drugs, end up in prison and are social welfare statistics,” she says. “Even when there was a boom their life chances were extremely limited,” she adds.

Senator Healy-Eames says that the engagement and retention of boys who are abandoning school at a much higher rate than girls needs to be addressed, and she says that reform of the school system is a necessity to convince ‘at risk’ children to complete their studies.

“Any school system that relies on a ‘one size fits all’ model as the Irish system largely does, is fundamentally wrong. It doesn’t provide equality of opportunity,” she says adding; ”As policy makers, it is incumbent on us to find out where the system is falling down, attempt to right the wrongs and work towards contributing to better lives for all our children.

Tuam native named lead planner for 2012 Olympics

 

Galway Advertiser, July 29, 2010.

By Trevor Quinn

The pinnacle of his career is how Tuam native Neil Carney describes the recent announcement that he will play a major role in orchestrating the biggest sporting event on the planet — the 2012 London Olympics.

Mr Carney, who was operations director for the Galway stage of the Volvo Ocean Race in 2009 and logistical manager for the Asian Games, is relishing the prospect of being lead planner in the Olympic Park.

His responsibilities will include overseeing where the opening ceremony and all the major events take place.
“I’m looking forward to it and I suppose it is good to have got the job at the Olympic Games after doing a number of other major events over the past few years.”

Prior to this Carney also worked as a Special Olympics co-ordinator in Dublin and recently completed nine months in charge of operations at the Special Olympics All-Ireland Games.

“Everybody will be waiting to see the 100 metres final at the Olympic Games and I will be somewhere backstage for that. While I will not be running in the 100 metres it is my task to make sure the track is clean and clear for the athletes,” he says light-heartedly. “We are lucky to have the Olympic Games being held so near to us and it is doubtful if they will ever be this close again,” he says.

Once the Olympic Games are over, Mr Carney will turn his attentions to the Paralympics which begin less than two weeks after the Olympics. “Once the Olympic Games are over I will be in charge of the Paralympics which are for physically challenged people and they are the next biggest event to the Olympic Games. There will not be much time to relax once the Olympics are over as there is only 10 days of a gap until the Paralympics start,” he adds.

Mr Carney will also have the expertise of a 30-strong team working with him and he could have upwards of a few thousand people regularly reporting to him on differential operational requirements developments.

Mr Carney will also be in charge of management teams, will be responsible for directing operation plans, and will be expected to keep up regular communication with construction companies as he prepares to leave his mark on the global showpiece.

Galway overrun by illegal cigarettes, says McNelis

 

Galway Advertiser, August 05, 2010.

By Trevor Quinn

Labour Councillor for Galway City Council Niall McNelis believes that the scale of the illegal cigarette trade in Galway city is out of control and Customs and Excise must take action to eradicate the worsening problem both in the city and county.

He says: “From reports I hear locally, Customs in Galway city and county are taking far too relaxed an approach to those selling illegal tobacco in markets and door to door. Cigarette smuggling is not some sort of victimless minor crime. Last year the Exchequer lost €556 million in unpaid excise levies. That is money that will have to be made up elsewhere through cutbacks in health services and schools. There is ample evidence that smuggling is run by vicious crime gangs and paramilitaries.”

According to Councillor McNelis, in 2009 the fines imposed for both the smuggling and selling of illegal cigarettes totalled just over €80,000. A total of 140 people were fined for cigarette smuggling, which amounted to €67,130 in fines imposed — an average fine of just €479.50. In a single recent case in Northern Ireland, a fine of over €800,000 was imposed.

“Only a quango designed by this Government, the Office of Tobacco Control, could hail their year as a success for tobacco control when the illicit cigarette trade is completely out of control. The total revenue received for cigarettes between January 1st and March 31st 2010 was €100.7 million representing a loss of €200 million from 2009, yet smoking levels remain unchanged. At this rate the Government will be haemorrhaging revenue from the legal trade by the millions by the end of 2010, at a time when this country needs every penny it can get,” he says.

Cllr McNelis continues: “Other countries, such as Spain, France and New Zealand, have shown that where there has been better enforcement and stiff penalties, smuggling rates have dramatically declined. Spain had a smuggling rate of 16 per cent in the 1990s. Between 1993 and 2000 resources to combat smuggling increased from €4 million to almost €40 million, while the real price of tobacco went up by 30 per cent. The result was a drop in the smuggling rate to just two per cent.”

Counterfeit cigarettes contain more tar, cadmium and lead than legally manufactured cigarettes and consequently pose a much greater health risk than that posed by legally manufactured cigarettes. Cllr McNelis says recent reports indicate that the percentage of cigarettes seized which are counterfeit has increased from 50 per cent last year to almost 80 per cent this year.

Tobacco is the single largest cause of avoidable death in the European Union, accounting for over half a million deaths annually. Here in Ireland, more than 6,000 people die from smoking-related disease every year with 95 per cent of lung cancers being caused by smoking.

Cllr McNelis says the Government has introduced commendable legislation such as the smoking ban to promote and aid the cessation of smoking, and there are many organisations and charities in Ireland who do wonderful work in this regard; however he says the introduction of some legislative measures have undoubtedly led to an increase in the illicit cigarette trade.

“The point of sale display ban introduced last year may have had worthy motives but in practical effect it has massively worsened the illegal trade. Since the introduction of the Point of Sale Display Ban, there have been over a quarter of a billion cigarettes seized in Ireland, recovering €95 million of lost tax revenue as unscrupulous retailers hide their illegal cigarettes under counters away from public view.”

Adrenalin Town

 

Galway Advertiser, June 03, 2010.

By Trevor Quinn

Located deep in New Zealand’s southern Alps, on the shores of crystal clear Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown has earned the right to be mentioned fleetingly as the planet’s number one adventure capital.

If you are an adrenalin junkie this exhilarating town on the beautiful South Island of New Zealand will be your mecca. Half a million tourists visit Q-town as it is affectionately known, with one thing in mind, hardcore extreme sports.

Queenstown is home to the bungy jump. It was here in 1988 that AJ Hackett started the first commercial bungy at Kawarau Bridge, and every year tens of thousands of converge on the bridges, highwires and ledges in wild anticipation of the ultimate challenge. While Kawarau was initially a steep 43 metre jump, when the Nevis Bungy opened in 1999 it was the highest bungy in the southern hemisphere standing at a death defying 134 metres.

The Nevis really has to be seen to be believed, and the jump will test your mental and physical boundaries in terrifying fashion. Most will agree however that the sense of accomplishment and dose of adrenaline fuelled satisfaction is immeasurable.

For those of the more nervous disposition there is a wide range of other high octane challenges that can be sampled. Tandem skydivers can combine the massive thrill of freefalling at 15,000ft and reaching a terminal velocity of 200km an hour, with the incredible parachuting views of lakes, glaciers and rugged mountain peaks. Action activities like the canyon swing, jetboating, white water rafting and paragliding give visitors an immense choice of exciting activities to indulge in.

Winter sports like skiing and snowboarding are popular in the surrounding snow capped peaks of Queenstown. The ski runs usually open at the beginning of June and the season lasts until well in to October. There are a number of nearby resorts that cater for the most vertically challenged beginners to the most ardent of experienced skiiers.

Unfortunately for me I was most definitely the latter, but everyone is put into groups with people of a similar level so the craic and the banter is fantastic. We travelled 65 minutes by bus to Cardrona ski fields which is renowned among skiers and snowboarders for its dry natural snow, and wide open slopes.

The price ranges from operator to operator but a day skiing in Cardrona including bus, rental and lessons cost about the equivalent of 70 euro per person, while two and three day packages can cost as much as 150 euro. It’s not cheap but you have to forget about price to a certain extent and live for the moment when in Queenstown.

If you are interested in some sightseeing, a trip to Milford Sound is a visual treat. English author and poet Rudyard Kipling once described it as the eighth wonder of the world, and it was recently voted the number one travel destination in the world by users of Tripadvisor. Milford Sound is a spectacular place located in the World Heritage Fiordland National Park and is rich in dense rainforests, waterfalls and spellbinding lakes. Mountainous cliffs peer out over lush rainforests.

The Maori once claimed that the extremely steep cliffs were created by a ‘titanic mason’. Cascading waterfalls plunge from sheer rock faces that rise vertically over 1,200 metres from the sea. Milford is the only fiord which is accessible by road, and although it is four hours from Queenstown by bus the stunning alpine drive makes the journey a breathtaking experience. When we arrived we took a memorable cruise on Milford Sound and enjoyed our lunch in the midst of the stunning scenery.

The nightlife in Queenstown has gained legendary status and while tourists and backpackers traditionally rise early to partake in the heart-pumping thrills that the region has to offer, visitors are in no hurry to bed once they have sampled the atmospheric nightspots. After dark the bars and late night restaurants come alive; Queenstown is synonomous for its party culture, and at bars like the World Bar and Altitude you are pretty much guaranteed a good night’s entertainment every night of the week. There is music to suit all tastes and lots of promotions and themed nights to entertain revellers.

The World Bar is covered in funky decor and the atmosphere is absolutely electric. There are live bands, loads of dance floors and hoards of happy go lucky people dancing on the specially positioned tables. Most people seems to be celebrating their successful bungy or first ever skydive every night. The World Bar is famous for serving cocktails in teapots and you could be forgiven for assumming that the lively revellers are no more intoxicated than your granny after an afternoon brew but this would be a a big miscalculation!

After the late night shenanigans, where better to go in Q-town than Fergburger, who modestly claim they serve up the best burger in the southern hemisphere. Fergburger has gained a formidable reputation for delicious fast food. The establishment has over 100 fan pages on networking site facebook, they make everything made from natural ingredients and their burgers are big enough to stuff the mighty Jonah Lomu.

With the rugby world cup looming next year, Queenstown has plenty to offer, and it should be top of every Irish visitors itinerary when visiting New Zealand.

Paradise in Phi Phi

 

By Trevor Quinn
Galway Advertiser May 20th 2010

The beautiful laid back confines of Ko Phi Phi in southern Thailand are a perfect escape for anybody seeking a hedonistic paradise. The islands of Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh retain their traditional escapism; there are no cars or busy roads, so take a short tranquil walk or a local longtail boat from one perfect beach to the next.

Phi Phi Don is the largest and only populated island. The local people give visitors an exceptionally warm welcome, accommodation is cheap and plentiful, and the nightlife is incredible with revellers partying from dusk till dawn at exhilarating beach parties and lively bars.

Phi Phi Leh is an uninhabitated island that has become immensely popular in the last decade. Ever since the film ‘The Beach’ was filmed at Maya Baya on the island, a steady flow of tourists has descended on this exotic Utopia. The incredibly clear sea is home to a huge variety of tropical fish, with one of the world’s most abundant coral reef systems, and the locations and sights are both plentiful and astounding.

Getting to Koh Phi Phi is easy as ferry services make return trips twice daily from Phuket and Krabi. There is a huge range of PADI courses for beginners and experienced divers; other water based activities such as snorkelling, waterskiing, cruising, and fishing are also well catered for.

The tsunami in 2004 resulted in massive loss of life and caused irreparable damage, but the local people were resilient and determined to rebuild, and the response has exceeded all expectations almost six years on.

Charter boats and tours to Phang Nga Bay, James Bond Island, Koh Yao Noi, and Maya Bay run daily and all are well worth exploring. Long tail taxi boats can also be hired for as little as €30-€40 per day, and are ideal for groups who wish to explore uninterrupted, with more freedom, and without time constraints.

We were eager to avoid the hoards of people on the chartered boats and decided to get a long tail taxi boat after we met some likeminded Dubs and Canadians in a bar on the island. Our intentions of congregating early the following morning were a little ambitious as we partied away into the small hours, but we eventually made it out by about 11am and what a day it turned out to be.

We hired snorkelling gear and set off in great anticipation, the sun was glistening, spectacular limestone cliff faces jut out of the crystal clear emerald lagoon and seem to stretch into eternity. I nudged one of my accomplices who was feeling the effects of the previous night and we both agreed that this was the best hangover cure known to man.

We eventually settled on a snorkelling site and the schools of illuminating tropical fish that we encountered were truly awe-inspiring. A friend of mine decided to throw some breadcrumbs next to one of the Dublin girls, and seconds later much to our bemusement, she was surrounded by what seemed like hundreds of Nemo lookalikes.

Next we sailed onto Maya Bay which has gained a cult following since the film ‘The Beach’ was filmed there in 1999. Maya Bay is a stunningly beautiful place which is surrounded by steep 100 metre limestone cliffs. By being almost separated from the sea, the emerald waters are similar to that of a giant swimming pool, giving it an exotic secludedness and the turquoise waters sit effortlessly in front of 200 metres of powdery white sand. We were the only people on the island when we docked and at the time it felt like our own little private paradise.

We later stopped momentarily at Monkey Island which as the name implies is home to a herd of Macaque monkeys. The monkeys come down regularly to the beach from the surrounding cliffs, and surprisingly they are not daunted by humans, and can be fed fruit by passing tourists. As the tide was out we threw some apples over the rocks that separated us from them and watched as they chased and harried each other excitedly.

As the most glowing of sunsets was being created we sailed off to get a nice calm vantage point. A huge cruise liner sailed up adjacent to us momentarily. “Only one thing is missing,” a Canadian accomplice commented as he directed our driver over to the side of the much bigger vessel. One of the driver’s comrades took some drink orders and disappeared up a ladder onto the ship, re-emerging moments later with a collection of ice cold beers.

We toasted the perfect end to a sensational day in true Irish fashion and soaked up the marvellous picturesque scenes in front of us.

Loughrea teenager says stammering recovery programme changed his life

Galway Advertiser, May 27, 2010.

By Trevor Quinn

Simon Madden is a 14-year-old recovering stammerer who comes from Loughrea. While Simon is now a contented teenager, he admits stammering previously had a negative effect on his everyday life.

His confidence suffered and he admits he found it difficult meeting people or speaking on the telephone. “This time last year I wouldn’t have been able to have this conversation with you because I would have been stammering and blocking and I probably would have hung up the phone by now,” he says.

Approximately one in every 100 people is challenged by stammering and it affects their everyday lives in such ways as answering the telephone, ordering food in a restaurant, or checking in to a hotel. The McGuire Programme is a recovery programme run by recovered or recovering stammerers and the programme teaches individuals to overcome their fear of speaking by concentration, breathing exercises, assertiveness and non-avoidance techniques.

The McGuire Programme has thousands of members worldwide. Pop star Gareth Gates has benefited greatly from it. He completed the course after his first X Factor audition and then went on to win the show. Gates has now passed his coaching qualifications and is a course instructor. In recent years he visited Galway and he was the main instructor and speaker for a weekend course.

Simon joined the McGuire Programme over 12 months ago and his progression and development in dealing with his stammer in such a short time has been remarkable. He says the determination within the group to help each other makes the programme so beneficial.

Initially there is an intensive course to help individuals and Simon says the support after this course is fantastic.“You’re on a phone list so that anyone on the McGuire Programme can ring you,” he says. “I ring four to five coaches every evening just to practice my techniques.”

In the past year Simon has been assigned a primary coach to assist him, he regularly attends local support meetings, and he believes he is lucky to have benefited from the McGuire Programme so young. He says, “ I’m very lucky I joined the programme at the age I am. There are older people who have stammered for 40 or 50 years.”

Some individuals, he says that are now on the programme have lived their lives in jobs they disliked. “They wouldn’t go for interviews because of their stammers and they lacked the confidence,” he adds. “I won’t have that fear because when I leave school I’ll have been on the programme for three years.”

Simon says the McGuire Programme has changed his quality of life and he is very optimistic about the future. The McGuire Programme Galway Support Group will present an Open Information Evening at 8pm on Tuesday June 1 in the Harbour Hotel, New Dock St, where recovering and recovered stammerers will talk about the McGuire Programme and share their own personal experiences. Anybody with an interest in the subject is welcome to attend.

Galway LGBT group Amach! is striving to build a society of inclusiveness

 

Nuala Ward -

By Trevor Quinn

Galway has changed considerably since the eighties and early nineties when Nuala Ward, the chair of new Galway lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) group Amach! says she and her colleagues were met with indifference, fear and a lack of understanding.

Ms Ward remembers clearly the difficulty in booking venues for society events and the responses from businessmen and women when they were confronted. “They would say ‘We’re Catholics’ and I would think, “so am I,” she says. “Other people said that it would be bad for business.”

She believes that an invitation to GLEN (The Gay and Lesbian Equality Network) to attend Aras an Uachtarain by then President of Ireland Mary Robinson represented a major breakthrough and brought a significant sea change in the public’s attitude towards the gay community. Nuala Ward was one of those who attended the Aras and says: “The Mary Robinson invite was a big boost for the LGBT community in Ireland.”

Ms Ward says that before homosexuality was decriminalised in 1993 colleagues and friends in Galwegian gay and lesbian societies would often ignore her if she stopped to talk to them on the street. “I suppose they didn’t want people knowing, and if they were seen talking to me people might have known,” she adds. In the pubs and clubs we all chatted away but people felt like they had to be discreet she says.

In November last a decision was taken by the LGBT community in Galway to establish a registered company limited by guarantee to be an umbrella organisation for the interests and activities of the community in Galway city and county.

That organisation is Amach! and there were jubilant scenes at the launch on July 5 at Galway Civic Museum when special guest Senator David Norris officially opened proceedings. The group aims to celebrate the diversity within the LGBT community by encouraging active participation and positive campaigning.

It is hoped that this will lead to a strong support structure for all members. Ms Ward says, “The community wanted something that would be more focused and more structured and sustainable”.

She says there is a major reliance on a “good core group of people” but there has always been a steady flow of voluntary members willing to help out. The LGBT community has now set up a range of subgroups which cater for the needs of members.

The pride group are responsible for the organisation of the hugely successful Galway Community Pride festival which will be held for the 21st consecutive time from August 19 to August 22 this summer. There is also a focus group which targets diversity policy in hospitals, and a film group who are currently producing a special Galway LGBT documentary.

According to Ms Ward, Amach!, ShOUT! - which caters for the LGBT youth - and the entire community are constantly striving to build a society of inclusiveness. “The purpose of Amach! and the LGBT community is to try to represent everyone equally in Galway city and county so it’s a big undertaking,” she says.
The next step is to get a resource centre which will act as a focal point for the LGBT community and Ms Ward says they are curretly looking at a number of viable locations for this centre.

She believes there is a strong community spirit in Galway and is proud that the LGBT community are part of this. “Between age, gender and sexuality there’s a wonderful diversity in Galway,” she adds.

While there have been murmurs of discontent in some quarters regarding certain legislative measures in the Civil Partnership Bill Ward says it is undoubtedly a positive first step. “I think it’s great that it’s happened, and that it’s on the agenda, but I think it’s unfortunate that children and same-sex couples have been left in limbo,” she says. Under the legislation gay people can only adopt individually, and if that person dies the child will require additional guardianship.

Ms Ward says that the same rights and privileges are not afforded to the LGBT community and their children as to heterosexual couples and that was fundamentally wrong. “Its a step forward but there’s a long way to go,” she adds.
                                        
-July 22nd 2010

Footsteps to provide power for the streetlights on the Prom

Galway Advertiser, June 24, 2010.

Deputy mayor Marciel with a sample of the power sensor.

By Trevor Quinn

Pedestrians in Eyre Square and along the promenade in Salthill could soon be supplying clean and renewable lighting to Galway city, just by walking.

The revolutionary new eco-friendly lighting system will soon halve Toulouse’s energy consumption and should be used in Galway and cities across Ireland, says Toulouse deputy mayor Alexandre Marciel, who spent 10 days in Galway city and Clifden recently.

The pioneering politician has said that Galway is ideal for such a project and he is set to make a proposal on the matter to city council officials in the coming months. The system will see special sensor pads placed along the promenade footpath and the pressure of footsteps will generate sufficient power to light the same area.

Toulouse made headlines globally when it launched the first ever electrified pavements, putting France’s fourth largest city at the forefront of green energy initiatives. The southern French city with a population of 450,000 people is the first to embrace this technology and Mr Marciel says that there has been significant interest in the technology from around the world.

“There has been contact from cities in India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil,” he says, “ and maybe tomorrow why not Shop Street, Eyre Square and the Promenade in Galway which in my opinion is ideal for this technology.
“There is a lot of energy lost in a city with a lot of pedestrians. I wanted to capture this energy and to translate this energy into electricity.”

The technology works as a result of microsensors producing energy as people walk over them. This energy is then captured during the course of the day and is subsequently used as electricity.

Speaking at the time of the launch deputy mayor Marciel championed the project as “a world first”, and said it is an idea that has existed for a long time in people’s minds but which has never actually been made a reality.”

The ground-breaking technology was evolved and adapted from a prototype developed by Dutch company Sustainable Dance Club (SDC) for use in a nightclub in Rotterdam where the energy captured by dancers was subsequently used to power the club. The SDC designers have been inundated by interest from all corners of the globe but Toulouse is the first urbanised centre to test the technology.

The principle of the system is the capturing of an electromagnetic force by eight panels which are strategically placed on the pavement. This energy is then fed through the metric system to produce renewable lighting. While the project is at an early developmentary stage the eight custom made panels embedded on the Toulouse streets are capable of producing between 50 and 60 watts of electricity to power a nearby street lamp.

Deputy mayor Marciel believes it is a marvellous way to produce clean, renewable, energy with little effort. “The real benefit of this product is that it produces clean energy. No coal or nuclear power . . just walk!” he says.

Mr Marciel says the cost of the project was funded entirely by the city of Toulouse in partnership with the University of Toulouse. He says while the project required some investment at the beginning it is a long term renewable project and it will prove to be completely sustainable.

Marciel says that a number of citizens were sceptical about the project in its infancy but they have now been convinced of its genuine merit. “Some people thought it was not true and they could not believe it was produced by walking“ he says before adding, “It’s so natural it is normal.”

Further development of the technology in crowded places like sports stadiums and railway stations could provide a unique opportunity for cities to produce and save massive amounts of energy in the future.

Deputy mayor Marciel is confident that Toulouse can develop the technology so that in time many more of the city’s pavements can power substantial clean renewable energy across the city. He is also optimistic that innovative eco-friendly technology like this can be used in cities like Galway in the coming years.

“This product could be set up in any kind of street. The places with more people the better,” he says. “It’s very exciting, everybody should imagine the tomorrow world, the future world.”