NEWS ROUND-UP
Palestine event held at Hyde Bridge
Members of the Sligo branch of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) gathered at Hyde Bridge on Saturday afternoon to participate in a vigil to express solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The protesters displayed Palestinian flags and carried placards which read: “Boycott Israeli Goods”, “Stop US aid to Israel”, “End the siege of Gaza”.
Among those participating in the event, which was held in compliance with Covid guidelines, were local public representatives Cllr Declan Bree, Cllr Arthur Gibbons, Cllr Gino O’Boyle, Cllr Thomas Healy and the chairperson of the Sligo Council of Trade Unions Pat Fallon. Speaking after the event
Cllr Bree said the vigil was held “to mark the 73rd anniversary of Nakba Day or the ‘Day of the Catastrophe’ – the day when people worldwide commemorate the ethnic cleansing of over 750,000 indigenous Palestinians from their homes, two thirds of the Arab population of the time, forcing them into exile so that the state of Israel could come into existence”.
“These refugees and their descendants, now numbering millions, remain in enforced exile and are still denied their right of return to their homes, while in Palestine a process of ongoing ethnic cleansing via occupation, colonisation, apartheid, and cruel siege continues apace, with no intervention from the international community.” Cllr Arthur Gibbons said “The world needs to sit up and act now to end the current slaughter of innocent Palestinians. It is the worst decent into violence since 2014. The current escalation is a result of Israeli plans to evict Palestinian families from the occupied neighbourhood of Sheik Jarrah in East Jerusalem. This is Israeli aggression at its worst.
“It is now time for the Irish government to use its position on the UN Security Council to full effect, in order to create the moral impetus required for the international community to act.”
Cllr Gino O’Boyle referred to “the mass expulsion of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, which amounted to ethnic cleansing, the brutal assault on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the far-right lynch mobs now roaming the streets of Israeli cities looking for Palestinians to attack”.
“We have a situation where young people in Gaza, where 50% of the population is under the age of 18, have now experienced four military assaults in their lifetimes. I believe it is now time for the Irish government to expel the Israeli ambassador.”
Cllr Thomas Healy said “We have all reacted with horror, and sorrow at the murder of innocent children, to the tales of terror from families huddled in fear waiting for their homes to collapse around them following Israeli missile attacks. For how much longer will this be allowed to continue? For how much longer will Israel be allowed to act with impunity?
“Ireland has the opportunity and the means to show leadership on this issue. This is the moment for which the non-aligned nations voted for Ireland’s membership of the UN Security Council. Ireland must step up, it must show the way, and it must do everything that it possibly can to bring this violent campaign against the Palestinian people to an end,” he said.
Freight route highlights need for rail corridor
The announcement of new rail freight services between Mayo and Waterford highlights the need for the Western Rail Corridor to be reopened, Sligo-based MEP Chris MacManus has said this week. He welcomes the news that XPO Logistics are commencing two return weekly services between Ballina and Waterford in July.
He said: “This is great news for Ballina and the region as a whole and will certainly make the county a much more attractive destination for future investment.”
However, he said it was regrettable that the trains will have to travel to Waterford via Dublin rather than down the west coast via the Western Rail Corridor (which once provided a rail link from Sligo to Limerick and from there to Waterford).
“The announcement of these new services highlights the enormous potential for rail freight in the west and north-west and confirms the need for the Western Rail Corridor to be reopened,” he said. The Midlands Northwest MEP highlighted the benefits of the Western Rail Corridor for such journeys.
“If the Western Rail Corridor was in use, the journey for these trains would be 60km shorter, save businesses a significant amount of money in track access charges and be considerably more environmentally sustainable.
“This would take more freight off the roads, reducing our carbon emissions, generate a significant revenue stream for Iarnród Eireann through track access charges due to an increased demand for services, and bring greater investment and employment opportunities to communities across the west.
“A reopened rail line would undoubtedly attract additional rail freight services in a short period of time to the west and north-west and would be particularly beneficial should the proposed rail link to the international deep-water port in Foynes, County Limerick, be developed alongside it.”
The Sinn Fein MEP said that the benefits of a reopened rail line to passengers would also be significant.
“In 2019 Iarnród Éireann recorded over 50 million passenger journeys, its highest ever number. Rail is becoming an increasingly attractive transport option, and as we move towards a low carbon future, it is vital that we continue to increase rail usage in Ireland.”
Mr MacManus said that the west of Ireland was in decline and only large-scale infrastructural investment was going to reverse that decline. “If this Government are serious about balanced regional development and ensuring that communities in the west have a sustainable future in terms of employment, the Western Rail Corridor must be reopened without delay,” he said.
Marriages fell by more than half last year
The number of marriages in Sligo last year was down by more than half compared to the previous year, reflecting the impact of Covid-19 restrictions.
The situation in Sligo exactly mirrored the national situation with a 53.1% decrease between 2019 and 2020 in both Sligo and nationally.
There was a total of 169 weddings in the county last year compared to 354 the previous year. Of those last year 163 were opposite-sex marriages. Interestingly, the number of same sex marriages, six, was the same as the previous year. The figures were published recently by the Central Statistics Office, with data compiled from the marriage registration forms of all marriages registered in Ireland in 2020. There was a big difference between the two years in where people got married, with almost half of people opting for a non-religious ceremony, a big increase on the previous year.
Of the 163 opposite-sex marriages in Sligo last year almost 48% were civil or a humanist ceremony. That compared to just 31% in 2019.
For the first time the number of civil ceremonies (72) was greater than the number in a Catholic church (63). There were 14 marriage ceremonies under the auspices of the Spiritual Union of Ireland, five in the Church of Ireland and three classified as ‘other religions’. Of the 348 opposite-sex weddings the previous year, 174 were in a Catholic church, 45 Spiritual Union, four Church of Ireland and 14 other religions. There were 97 civil and 14 humanist.
Most Sligo people married someone from the county. Of the 102 grooms from Sligo, 81 (79.4%) got married to a woman from the county, while of the 99 brides, 81 (81%) married a man from Sligo.
19 of the grooms and 14 brides were wed to a partner from elsewhere in the Republic of Ireland, while just two men and four women got hitched to someone from outside the state.
The average age of grooms from Sligo fell last year to 37.2% compared to 38.8% the year before, while the average of brides dropped from 35.4% to 34.8%.
Friday and Saturday continue to be the most popular days to tie the knot for opposite-sex couples, while Friday followed by Thursday were the most favoured days to wed for same-sex couples. Sundays and Wednesdays were the least popular days of the week to marry for all couples. Probably to do with Covid restrictions December was the most popular month for opposite-sex weddings, while February was most popular for same-sex marriages.
April was the least favoured month to tie the knot for all couples.
Solicitors get online update on key issues
More than 100 solicitors from Sligo, Leitrim, Longford and Roscommon last week attended the first in a series of online events taking place this year to support local solicitors to upskill while working remotely.
Organised by Law Society, in association with the bar associations of Leitrim, Longford, Roscommon and Sligo, the Essential Solicitor Update 2021 provided an opportunity for local solicitors to stay up-to-date in areas of law relevant to their daily work within their communities.
Solicitor Michael Monahan of Michael Monahan Solicitors, Sligo, who is president of the Sligo Solicitors Bar Association, said the update was a welcome chance for local solicitors to highlight changes that have arisen in practice over recent months, such as new client bank account charges, data polices and more.
Mr Monahan said: “Every year, the Law Society hosts a series of events across the country.
“There have been limited opportunities for colleagues to meet over the last 12 months, virtually or otherwise, so this conference is a welcomed chance for Sligo solicitors to come together and discuss the challenges and changes we have faced in practice.” One of the big issues was new bank charges on money being held in client accounts by solicitors.
Mr Monahan said: “In February 2021, the Law Society and local bar associations across the country campaigned against the introduction of negative interest rates and sought an exemption for solicitor client accounts to this charge. However, the banks prevailed and solicitors are now faced with adding this charge to clients’ money held in solicitor client accounts.” Other key issues were GDPR and data protection. Mr Monahan said that whether working remotely or preparing to physically reopen, businesses must ensure that they have a robust data policy in place.
“Every small business, community group and sports team must be vigilant of the data they keep, ask themselves why they keep it and report breaches if necessary.
“As we prepare to reopen, now is good as time as any to review our data policies and delete unnecessary information. Local solicitors are experts in GDPR and if you need advice or want to review your business or organisation’s data policy, talk to your local solicitor,” he said.
Funding for two projects proposed
Funding for two projects proposed by a local councillor are to be considered for a programme of works in 2022. At Monday’s meeting of the Borough District of Sligo, Cllr Rosaleen O’Grady put forward separate motions seeking funding for a footpath adjacent to the bus stop on Cairns Road, before also calling for funding for a pedestrian crossing at the entrance to Sligo cemetery.
The provision of the footpath has previously been brought before the council as the existing path is inaccessible for people in wheelchairs and is also difficult to access for elderly people.
Acting director of services Emer Concannon said that it is not in the programme of works for 2021. She added that an inspection will be carried out to determine if it could be considered for next year. On the crossing for the cemetery, Cllr O’Grady said “the issues around crossing there are very evident.”
Likewise, Ms Concannon said that the installation of a crossing is not included in this year’s programme, but a survey of the area would be carried out by an engineer to determine a suitable location for the crossing which could be funded under the programme of works for 2022.
Cllr O’Grady welcomed the response as the area presents “difficulty with parking and crossing” due to the volumes of traffic, particuarly for elderly people.