The Gaza Kids to Ireland are coming back to Galway!

A group of children from the Palestinian territory will be playing in Kinvara on Monday, 31st July at 3pm, in what will once again be a joyous occasion.

Incidentally, Kinvara became the first town in Ireland to boycott Israeli goods, as pro-Palestinian activist Joe Loughlane recently pointed out in an interview .

Kids from Al Helal Academy in the Gaza Strip, described by some as an ‘open-air prison’, will be playing matches in many towns and cities across Ireland in the coming days.

After being in Ballybrack, Co. Dublin today, they will make their way west tomorrow, and take to Killina pitch in the afternoon.

Last year, Israel blocked the children from leaving Gaza for their scheduled trip, and they were required to postpone and reschedule their entire trip when their permits were finally granted in late July.

But upon arriving in Ireland, the trip was successful, highlighted by thier meeting with President Michael D. Higgins.

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JP McMahon has backtracked on his promise to close his Galway restaurants during this years races, however his Michelin starred restaurant Anair will close.

The chef and restaurateur took to Twitter last year to vent his anger at the behaviour of some during one of  Galway’s busiest periods.

Abusive customers. Drunk and disrespectful. People pissing and vomiting on door. I'll close the restaurants for #GalwayRaces next year.

— Jp McMahon (@mistereatgalway) July 29, 2016

McMahon said that after eight people did not show up, which is one third of his small restaurant, it was not worth it to open this year.

Aniar is renowned for its high-class food and wine and during the Galway Races, and its big window facing Dominic Street Lower can sometimes be a window to another world from the fine-dining experience inside.

Did JP Make the right call? Share and tell us what you think.

The city and suburbs are top of the tree in Ireland when it comes to single people, new census figures have revealed, with over half of residents unmarried.

There were 66,461 persons aged 15 or over in the settlement of Galway city and suburbs of which 35,278 (53.1%) had a marital status of single.

There were 17,119 (54.1%) single males and 18,159 (52.1%) single females – leaving a total surplus of 1,040 gentlemen!

Nationally,  41.1% of the population aged 15 and over, accounting for 1,544,862 people, were single.  Over one-third of single people (36%) lived in cities, 34% lived in rural areas with remaining 30% in urban areas excluding cities.

Just under 40% of people living in Tuam are single, while the figure for Cliften is just over 40%, which is more in line with the national average.

Remarkably, two-thirds of Barna residents are married, with only 238 (33.3%) single males and 257 (32.8%) single females.

It must be remembered however that ‘single’ actually means unmarried, and the true number of singles is rising and falling every day.

And to those approaching their 53rd birthday: well, 53 is the peak age for separation and divorce.

Take from that what you like!

There has been an extraordinary deterioration of the homelessness situation  in Galway, where there are now 50 people sleeping rough each night.

There are also in the region of 50 homeless families, including up to 100 children, and 45 single person households in emergency accommodation in the city.

“This is an unprecedented situation in Galway,” explained Martin O’Connor of COPE Galway.

“The most obvious manifestation of the crisis are the numbers of people who can be seen bedding down in shop doorways in the city centre at night time but what most people in our community don’t realise is that there are so many people, families and single person households, trapped in emergency accommodation for weeks and months at a time as they cannot find and secure housing”.

Mr O’Connor went on to explain that homeless services in the city are stretched to breaking point and that there are very real concerns about the coming autumn and winter period and how the city can address this situation.  “There is a lot of really good work happening in terms of intervening early to help prevent someone becoming homeless and there is a steady stream of allocations of social housing, but it feels that this is hardly making a dent on the large numbers coming through our doors”, he said.

COPE Galway is calling on Minister Donohoe and his colleagues in Government to take whatever measures are necessary to build additional social housing, including increasing the capital budget provision and both resourcing and supporting local housing authorities and approved housing bodies to build this housing.

They also see scope for further measures to be taken to support households who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to compete in the private rental housing market.

“Shortage of supply of housing generally in Galway and, in particular, the shortage of supply of social housing is indisputable at this point and the only way that this can be addressed is through the building of more housing,” O’Connor said.

“We know that there are a range of challenges and obstacles that have to be overcome to bring this necessary additional social housing on stream but ways have to be found to overcome these. Budget 2018 represents an opportunity for Government to clearly demonstrate their commitment and intent to get one with providing these badly needed additional homes for its citizens,” added the COPE spokesperson.

The government is being hypocritical when it comes to voting rights for emigrants, according to Sinn Féin Diaspora spokesperson, Trevor Ó Clochartaigh.

The Galway senator has criticised Fine Gael for advocating the retention of EU voting rights for Irish people in Britain, whilst remaining silent on the prospect of extending the franchise for Presidential elections in Ireland.

Speaking after a number of meetings with representatives of the Irish community in London earlier this week, Ó Clochartaigh said: “It is high time that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirmed his commitment on the government promise to hold a referendum to extend voting rights to Irish citizens abroad and in the north in Presidential elections.”

Extending the franchise to Irish citizens abroad has for some time been a key priority for the senator.

Many other democracies allow their citizens abroad to vote at embassies and other official buildings during elections; however successive Irish governments have been reluctant to do the same.

One obvious reason would be that many in the North would presumably vote for a Sinn Féin candidate in a Presidential election, which is arguably one of the reasons the party is pushing the issue.

Added to this, many Irish citizens abroad have been forced to emigrate during the recession, and would be unlikely to vote for government parties’ candidates.

“[Leo Varadkar] has been very quiet on this since Enda Kenny made a grand announcement in the White House on St. Patricks Day. Minister Simon Coveney also gave a rousing speech at the Global Civic Forum early this year stating that he fully supported the campaign as well. But Taoiseach Varadkar has not responded to Sinn Féin calls to clarify where he stands and the new Minister of State for the Diaspora is extremely quiet on the issue as well,” Ó Clochartaigh said.

“I am concerned that this issue is not a priority for Leo Varadkar and his new cabinet and we need a renewed campaign to ensure that they fulfil the commitment that has been given to the Irish abroad and outline what model they propose and when the legislation will be brought before the Houses of the Oireachtas to facilitate the holding of a referendum to facilitate the Irish electorate making the aspiration a reality if they so wish,” added the senator.

Increased security measures have been taken to ensure public safety during this years Galway Races, from Monday 31st July to Sunday 6th August, following a review of safety procedures with the relevant authorities.

There will be more extensive, bag and physical search procedures for all patrons and staff at all racecourse entrances and there will be a stronger Garda presence throughout the racecourse.

An official statement warned that backpacks and large bags will not be allowed into the racecourse this year and only small bags measuring no bigger than A4 (29.7cm x 21cm) will be permitted to the racecourse and may be subject to search procedures.

There will also be no bag storage facilities in or around the racecourse.

It has also been noted that it is inevitable that access to the racecourse this year will take longer than normal and the Galway Races is asking for understanding, patience and cooperation with its security personnel.

Galway County Council has issued a statement advising people about what to do when faced with suspected bogus callers. The statememnt was released following concerns that people have been receiveing phonecalls from people pretending to be from the Council and Irish water.

The statement read:

“It has been reported from time to time that people are receiving phone calls from people saying they are from the County Council or Irish Water.

“In the event that this happens please ask them for their name and their contact number and tell them that you are going to make contact with the County Council (091 509000) or Irish Water (1850 278278) to verify their identity before you will deal with them.

“If in any further doubt ring your local Garda station and inform them of the call.

“If a person calls unexpectedly and asks to be let into your house please adopt the same approach and do not let anyone in until you are satisfied as to their bona fides.

“A County Council or Irish Water employee will rarely require access to your home so be immediately suspicious and close the door unless you are expecting the person to call.”

Always be vigilant out there folks!

Deputy Catherine Connolly has welcomed confirmation from HSE management that funding will be made available to ensure that the Youth Counselling Service will not close its doors in September and will continue to operate in Galway City and County.

Deputy Connolly said the Youth Counselling Service provides an essential service to young children and teenagers from the age of 12 years to 21 years.

Indeed she said it meets a specific need not being met by Jigsaw and in fact complements that service which provides a listening support service to teenagers from 15 years upwards.

Moreover, she said this organization has provided counselling on a shoe string budget since 2012 in Galway City, Tuam, Ballinasloe and Loughrea, by accredited counsellors and has counselled approximately 800 young children and teenagers in that period of time.

One-hundred-and-ninety young people in Galway, Ballinasloe, Tuam and Loughrea accessed counselling in 2016 with 154 of them in the 12-15 age range.

It is a unique service in that the counselling is free of charge, takes places in accessible locations and in a space that is safe and suitable to the age group. Of particular note she said is that parents can refer without a GP referral and there is a short waiting list.

Given the quality and nature of this essential service it is incredible, said Deputy Connolly, that the organisation has never had a guaranteed source of state funding and struggles from year to year to remain open.

Following a public meeting last week, public representatives agreed to meet with HSE management as a matter of urgency and also to raise the issue in the Dáil.

Subsequent to those commitments Deputy Connolly raised the matter as an urgent topical issue in the Dáil last Tuesday and as a result the Minister of State for Mental Health Jim Daly promised to take a hands on approach and revert back to her within a week.

Separately at a meeting with HSE management on Monday, the 11th July in Merlin Park, it was confirmed that adequate funding would be provided to ensure that the service continued this year.

In relation to an ongoing stable source of funding into the future it was also confirmed that the organisation should submit an application for funding under the Section 39 process.

Deputy Connolly said this is a positive step but pressure has to be maintained to ensure that adequate ongoing funding is provided not only to enable the Youth Counselling Service to remain open but to urgently extend its service to Conamara and Gort.

In this regard, a clear need for the counselling service has been identified in Carna, Clifden and Gort.

The approximate sum required to enable this to happen is 62,250 Euro which is a tiny percentage of the mental health budget and is in fact saving the HSE money.

This autumn, COPE Galway will commence the renovation of the Convent building on Forster Street which was associated with the Magdalene Laundry in Galway, for use as a centre for women and their children who experience domestic violence.

In advance of this, COPE Galway, with the support of John Tierney of Eachtra (community led heritage projects) is carrying out a project to remember, respect and record the lives of the women who lived and worked in the Magdalene Laundry and convent on Forster Street.

COPE Galway CEO, Jacquie Horan says, “This initiative is a way for us at COPE Galway to remember the women who lived and worked in the Magdalene convent and laundry since it was first opened on the Forster Street site in about 1870. As we prepare to renovate the Convent building on Forster Street for its new use as a centre helping women who experience domestic violence, we want to do so in a way that acknowledges its history and in particular remembers the women associated with it”.

The ’Remembering the Forster Street Magdalene Laundry Women’ project will run over 3 months and will focus on researching the biographical details of those women who lived and worked in the laundry from 1870 to 1984.

“The laundry buildings themselves were demolished in 1991 so we aim to gather any historic documents we can find about the laundry – photographs, letter heads, invoices – artefacts that people in the community may have”, said Jacquie Horan.

“If any Galway families have such items and are willing to share them we’d ask them to attend the public information session and we will make arrangements to copy, scan or photograph the objects, documents or photographs.

Also if people have relatives who lived and worked in the laundry we welcome any help we can get in trying to trace their individual life histories”.

Following the information session, John Tierney and the Eachtra Team (the Historic Graves project is one of their best known projects) will record the headstones of the Magdalene women in Forster Street, pursue any available historical and genealogical sources available and try to gather the facts of these women’s lives.

“We are aware some of the women are buried and commemorated in Bohermore cemetery and we would encourage anyone with stories about burials of the women in Bohermore to contact us”, continued Jacquie.

Any families, people or groups who have information should email John Tierney john@eachtra.ie and we will make arrangements to meet and record & share the stories.

The Whitaker Institute and School of Geography and Archaeology at NUI Galway hosted an event this week as part of a creative exchange seminar titled ‘Screen Industries on the Periphery: Policy and Practice’, at the Huston School of Film & Digital Media as part of Galway Film Fleadh.

International practitioners from the North of Ireland, Finland, Iceland and Sweden talked about their experiences of working in film, TV and digital media. These practitioners are in Galway to attend this year’s Galway Film Fleadh and have been funded by NUI Galway’s a creative momentum project.

Speakers at the event included, Dr Conn Holohan from the Huston School of Film & Digital Media at NUI Galway who spoke about the influence of film funding in Irish cinema. Declan Gibbons from Galway Film Centre shared insights into running the UNESCO City of Film designation for Galway and their involvement in the Screen Talent Europe Network. Paddy Hayes, from the IFTA winning Galway-based production company Magamedia, gave a talk titled ‘Who lifts the mirror?’

Dr Patrick Collins, lead researcher on the project from the School of Geography and Archaeology at NUI Galway, said: “Creative pursuits are often lonely ones, in more peripheral regions this isolation can be heightened. On this occasion, a creative momentum focuses on film makers, bringing them together to hear about each other’s experiences and provide valuable insights into making sustainable creative careers in Europe’s more remote areas.”

A creative momentum project supports the development of the creative sector in five regions across Europe’s northern edge. One aim of the project is to support creative entrepreneurs through opportunities to network and collaborate across the five partner regions.

It is a well-known fact that participating in creative industry events in the regions helps creatives to connect with potential markets and audiences, as well as provide networking opportunities.

The cost of participating in such events can however be high and this project has selected five established events as ‘creative hotspots’ across the partner regions and funds relevant creative enterprises from the other partner regions to participate.

Galway Film Fleadh was selected as the West of Ireland creative hotspot. This six-day international film event welcomes a diversity of filmmaking from around the world. The Galway Film Fair, the industry arm of the annual Galway Film Fleadh, provides these international practitioners with an opportunity to meet with financiers and build new partnerships.

A creative momentum project is co-funded by the EU Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) Programme 2014-2020. The project operates the My Creative Edge website, which is a three-year, €2 million transnational project being implemented by six organisations across five regions.

The website showcases the work of businesses and freelancers working in the creative industries sector in Mid-Sweden, North East Iceland, Northern Finland, South East of Northern Ireland and the West of Ireland.

Gardaí are investigating a spate of burglaries in the city and county.

On Thursday night, the reception area of Kilronan Hostel on Inis Mór was burgled. A sum of cash was taken from the reception area of the hostel during the incident.

Gardaí in the city and county are also investigating three separate incidents which took place in Menlo, Tuam and Kinvara over the weekend.

Between 2am and 10am on Sunday, a house in Crestwood on the Coolagh Road in Menlo was broken into. Two childens’ bicycles were taken, and later recovered.

On the same night, a house in The Birches in Tuam was entered. An iPhone 7 plus was taken, along with some medication.

Between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, a shed at a house in Lisheeneenaun in Kinvara was broken into. A number of tools were taken including a strimmer and a chainsaw.

Garda are also investigating a fifth incident at Briarhill Shopping Centre.

Between Saturday and yesterday, a substantial amount of cash was taken from Fitness 35.

Gardaí are appealing to anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in any of these areas at the time of the incidents to contact them at 091-538000, or any Garda station.

On warm, sunny days, which we don’t see all that often, a few drinks in the Spanish Arch is the natural plan of action for many of us in the city.

A new on-the-spot €100 which was introduced last year threatened this, accompanied by increased checks by the Gardaí on people drinking in public.

Well this could all die down with gardaí saying that they might have to decrease the amount of checks carried out.

Galway’s Garda Chief said this week that the sustaining increased checks for public drinking in the Spanish Arch is under threat due to a lack of resources.

A lack of resources is a serious concern for the public, and should be addressed.

But the Garda Cheif did not mention the fact that disturbing peaceful drinkers on sunny days is in fact a waste of dwindling resources.

If an Garda Síochána are feeling the strain after years of cuts, then it seems bizarre that they would want to continue to throw away tax-payer’s money on tackling such ‘crimes’.

Speaking to a meeting of the Galway City Joint Policing Committee (JPC), Chief Superintendent Tom Curley of the Galway Garda Division said that he was unsure if the current increase in patrols was sustainable.

Since a clampdown on ‘bushing’ in the Spanish Arch began this season, gardaí have issued 60 fines – with those caught enjoying a can in the sun slapped on the wrist and given an unfair €100 fine.

However, Chief Supt Curley also said that an astonishing €15,000 has been forked out in overtime since March of this year.

“I have limited resources and I have to police the whole city and county,” he said.

He added that this was not a one-person job and it required a Sergeant and four to five gardaí to carry out the checks.

Chief Supt Curley said that public drinking increased the risk of accidental drowning. Surely there is a more cost-effective way of ensuring that doesn’t happen.

If the Gardaí are serious about public safety, some degree of lateral thinking is needed. Punishing people with fines and erecting sineage is quite clearly not going to work.