Galway Advertiser Front Page

jayoo

Anyone else think it made an irresponsible choice by putting a picture of two people having fun with their dog in the middle of a frozen lake as their front page?

At the moment the docks are becoming frozen, plus an area not too far from the roisin. The weather is set to stay cold for at least the next week and when you combine this with the return of the students it could lead to a lot of accidents around town.

Im not tring to be all naggy, but i have come very close to losing a friend on a frozen lake in the past.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

jayoo wrote: »

Anyone else think it made an irresponsible choice by putting a picture of two people having fun with their dog in the middle of a frozen lake as their front page?

At the moment the docks are becoming frozen, plus an area not too far from the roisin. The weather is set to stay cold for at least the next week and when you combine this with the return of the students it could lead to a lot of accidents around town.

Im not tring to be all naggy, but i have come very close to losing a friend on a frozen lake in the past.

No you're right, I agree. Listening to the news in the past few days it's becoming very apparent that there are a lot of very silly people in the world. One guy was on from Cavan saying how he had seen an adult bring two small kids for a walk on a lake, and another person pushing somoene on the lake in a wheelchair :eek:

Hopefully people won't take these chances and will think for a change. We have too many water related tragedies in Galway as it is.

hoody

Agree totally with you - its practically encouraging people to go out and do it. Fingers crossed that people have the sense not to try it, anywhere.

LadyMayBelle

I hadn't really thought of it that way until you said it. They were giving warnings on the radio all week to be careful not to walk on lakes... a girl in work told me about a case in Loughrea where a woman pulled up to a lake and let her two kids out onto it...for the craic??
Warnings were also being given particularly to Eastern Europeans NOT to drill holes and fish; it is normal for some of them to do that in their country but the Water Safety folk were pleading with them not to practice that here.. the water is freezing and the ice thin

blond45

when i herd that the parents brought the kids and a scooter/gocart to some frozen lake to have fun , or as you say the foto on the paper with two people walking on it , what the hell are they thinking . the lake is not all frozen. its only 2 inchs or so. how can that suport the weight anyone.when it cracks your gone under.

+1

I work in Galway but am from Cork, there is a lake across the road from home in Cork

usually looks like this


Well for the first time in over 2 decades it now looks like this (excuse the shocking photos)



A JCB has broken the ice this evening to prevent people going out on it, a few people have already fallen through the ice, usually at the edge or something, no joke though.

biko

Nope, just because some people in Connemara is walking on frozen lake doesn't mean it is encouraged by Advertiser.
I see your point but I don't agree.

Das Kitty

I had the same reaction.

There was someone on the news in Donegal saying that they had seen adults bring their kids down on Quad bikes for a spin on the lake :eek:

Then it showed a portion of the lake where the ice had given way.

My mam was saying earlier that there was a car driving on lough Corrib near headford last weekend and kids skating after it. People are stoopid.

ronnie3585

I just think its a good picture.

Most people are generally aware of the dangers of walking on frozen lakes. A picture of same on the front of the Advertiser is hardly going to induce scores of people to do it 'just because they saw it on the paper'.

But it might suggest to others that the ice is thicker than they thought and that they could risk it.

jayoo

unfortunately we can't count on people to have common sense, especially in galway with its large population of students. This combined with the large volume of water all around the city makes things very dangerous. I have no problem with the pic itself, but just feel that they should have highlighted the risks more. Im just thinking of the typical monday/wednesday/thursday night. Merry/drunk students walking home from town, walk past the docks or beside the spanish arch. They see the frozen water and want to go messing on it. I would expect the university itself to take some actions, even if lectures were asked to say a few words at the end of a lecturer.

Just hope everyone stays safe

Blueprint

Two men died in the UK today after falling through the ice on a frozen lake.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/two-men-die-after-frozen-lake-rescue-1862218.html

I saw a dog drown on the ice when I was six years old, I've never forgotten it...

Krieg

Aww but if I walk over lough atalia then I can get into town 5 minutes quicker :P

ErnieBert

Krieg wrote: »

Aww but if I walk over lough atalia then I can get into town 5 minutes quicker :P

Great idea. And no need for a funeral because your body will be washed out sea.

trish23

I agree with OP - it is an irresponsible picture. Having said that, I walked with my brother on the outskirts of the lake at home. But I didn't bring the kids & was very wary, ice can be so unpredictable.
However, I was driving into town yesterday & saw a keg sitting on top of the ice in the Claddagh Basin. It had obviously been thrown with force as you could see cracks & stress around the barrell. I thought at the time that that would make a great picture but didn't have the foresight to bring my camera with me...

Bobeagleburger

I think it's a great photo tbh.

I can see however how it can send out the wrong message.

I lived beside a lake when I was younger and was forbidden to go out on it when it was frozen. I still wouldn't risk it now though, not a hope.

Good luck to anyone who does.,

ErnieBert

trish23 wrote: »

I agree with OP - it is an irresponsible picture. Having said that, I walked with my brother on the outskirts of the lake at home. But I didn't bring the kids & was very wary, ice can be so unpredictable.
However, I was driving into town yesterday & saw a keg sitting on top of the ice in the Claddagh Basin. It had obviously been thrown with force as you could see cracks & stress around the barrell. I thought at the time that that would make a great picture but didn't have the foresight to bring my camera with me...

Your wish is my command
https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/

biko

"I'm not saying people are stupid but how about we take the safety labels of everything and let the problem sort itself out?"

Sorry Ernie, pic was too big, IMG tags removed.

Btw, as always there's a bottle of Buckie in the frame

quietobserver

As expressed by many, the image looks great but i guess it could give the impression its safe to do likewise.

However i think we do have to allow people to be! There is enough warnings out there about walking on lakes and canals, unfortunately its like a case of survival of the fittest, some people will choose to ignore and it wont always be a happy ending.

Mrs OBumble

I think the Advertiser definitely made an error of judgement. But I can see how, though, it is a great pic. I'll bet they've already had some "gentle" feedback from the guards about it.

I have been known to mutter about "evolution in action" when people did stupid things and suffered the consequences. But it is pretty rough on their families who've done their level best to bring the kids up smart. Unfortunately the smartest of people can do dumb things when under the influence of peer pressure or various substances.

mossfort

its amazing how little people understand about the dangers of frozen lakes .
i saw two guys driving quad bikes on lough corrib the other night at 10 o clock.
if you fall through one of the weak spots in the ice of which there are many you will be paralysed straight away from the cold water and stand no chance of survival.
i cant understand how anybody can take the risk.

Niamhf

I think kids will learn the wrong things from being brought out to walk on ice...if this ever happens again and they are out on their own they will walk on it again thinking that it's ok because mom and dad brought them walking on it before....if the ice breaks and there's nobody around death is certain...

trish23

Niamhf wrote: »

I think kids will learn the wrong things from being brought out to walk on ice...if this ever happens again and they are out on their own they will walk on it again thinking that it's ok because mom and dad brought them walking on it before...

Yes, you're right but I know that when we were kids we walked on the Turlough when it was frozen. If my mother knew the half of it we'd be killed! My father did the same & I'm sure his father too.... As has been mentioned before, people are going to try this simply because they can. Unfortunately not everybody will be ok & parents who encourage this should be deparented (?)

quietobserver

deparented no, its nicer to neuter!

I agree with the OP, it may encourage folk to venture on to the ice, for example, when I took the pics I posted above there was loads of people on the ice as ye can see, now I'm quite a heavy chap at a tad over 15 stone (will be running from Roscam to the Huntsman and back again a couple of times a week once this freeze is over so it's under control ) so I wasn't going to chance it but seeing all those people on it had me considering it. Couple of hours later everyone gone home and I was walking the dog with my Dad, I mentioned to him that there was no fecking way I would go near it and that the first person who chanced it earlier must have been quite brave or stupid (depending on your view). At least two people today have fallen through the ice on the lake I posted pics of two, one was trying to rescue his dog (which he achieved in fairness) and the other fell through and was ambulanced to hospital in tinfoil in shock apparently (if you can believe the grapevine that is).

civis_liberalis

The amount of fúckwits feverishly uploading pictures of themselves on frozen lakes on facebook is frightening.

Apologies for the language, but it doesn't go half far enough to illustrate my feelings.

"The amount of fúckwits feverishly uploading pictures of themselves doing x,y,z on facebook is frightening."

You can replace the bit about frozen lakes with endless things and the sentance still works fine

Krieg

ErnieBert wrote: »

Great idea. And no need for a funeral because your body will be washed out sea.

So much for sarcasm.

lovelyhome

This post has been deleted.

JohnCleary

Only saw the picture/paper today.

Just how fcuking retarded can people get, seriously like? People I feel sorry for are the people (volunteers sometimes) who have to pull these bodies out. A little self pitty there I know, but i'd be angry recovering a body knowing that they could possibly win a Darwin award

_ZeeK_

let them publish the photo if they want, it was pretty and served to illustrate the harsh weather.

goes back to that age old adage: if everyone jumped off a cliff, would you?

if people want to be stupid and risk their lives, let them suffer the consequences of their own folly. personally, i'd much rather enjoy the winter views from indoors with a nice warm cup of tea