Long Live The Galwegians

GALWAY has the sixth highest life expectancy for men and eighth highest for women in the country, according to a new survey by the Institute of Public Health.The figures refer to life expectancy at birth during the period 2002-2004, and it is the first time that these have been made available at county level in the Republic of Ireland. Roscommon had the highest life expectancy for both men (76.9 years) and for women 82.2. Galway was ranked sixth, behind its fellow Connacht county, Laois, Meath, Kilkenny, and Waterford, with an average life expectancy for men at 75.867 years; and in eighth place for women at 81.225 years, behind Roscommon, Sligo, Meath, Kilkenny, Laois, Donegal and Clare.Incidentally, the EU average, in 2005, among the first 15 countries was 76.8 for males and 82.6 for females; while for the total of 27 countries, the figure was slightly lower, at 75.4 for men and 81.6 for women. The counties with the lowest life expectancy in this study were Leitrim for men (72.848) and Limerick for women (79.314).The North-South contrast during the recorded period was stronger for men than women. No county in the Republic had a life expectancy above...