Arts extravaganza as Galway City Culture Night programme announced

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September 1, 2023

Galway Daily news Council submits plans for Claregalway housing project

Galway County Council is seeking planning approval for a social and affordable housing development in Claregalway.

The council has submitted a planning application to An Bord Pleanála for 88 houses and apartments in the townland of Droim na Gaoithe, Claregalway.

The 2.7ha site is located on the south side of the town, next to the existing Cúirt na hAbhann estate on the R381 road.

The estate is to be split roughly half and half between social and affordable housing, with 43 social homes and 45 affordable homes.

In terms of houses to be provided, there will be 2 four-bedroom, 19 three-bedroom and 18 two-bedroom homes.

The apartments in the estate will comprise 15 three-bedroom, 22 two-bedroom, and 13 one-bedroom units distributed among the 15 apartment buildings.

All of the proposed houses will be two storeys tall, while the apartment buildings will range from 2½ to 3 storeys in height.

The estate would have two main exits, one onto the R381 road to Oranmore, and the other onto Lakeview Road.

A decision on this planning application is due from An Bord Pleanála by next February.

Worst August on record for trolley numbers at Portiuncula Hospital

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August 31, 2023

Galway Daily news Portiuncula Hospital reports high flu circulation

Portiuncula Hospital experienced its worst August since records began for overcrowding this month, with over 300 patients on trolleys.

There were 304 patients without a bed at the Ballinasloe hospital in August, almost twice as bad as the next highest figure, 185 in August 2022.

INMO figures also show that UHG was extremely overcrowded this month, with 920 people on trolleys in August, the third highest figure in the country.

This is also the second worst August on record for University Hospital Galway, exceeded only by 1,166 patients without a bed in the same month last year.

NMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said that there is no doubt that this winter will continue the pattern of “difficult and dangerous times” in Irish hospitals.

“The summer period used to see an easing off in overcrowding figures but this year numbers admitted to inappropriate spaces, trolleys and chairs have been alarmingly high too early in the season.”

“The new so-called target of no more than 320 people on trolleys set by HSE was only achieved on five days this year.”

“Last year was the previous record for August overcrowding, and the winter that followed was honestly beyond what we could have imagined.”

“This August is somehow worse again, and our members are worried, for themselves, and for their patients, about what is in store for them over the coming months.”

This was the worst August for overcrowding nationwide since the INMO began recording trolley numbers, with over 9,720 patients admitted to hospital without a bed.

The number of children on trolleys is escalating at a worrying rate with over 167 children admitted to hospital without a bed throughout the month of August.

The worst affected hospitals were University Hospital Limerick (1,885), Cork University Hospital (984), University Hospital Galway (920), Sligo University Hospital (737), and Letterkenny University Hospital (539).

“The ongoing increase shows how urgently we need to implement safe staffing legislation, so that hospitals have sufficient staff to diagnose, treat and discharge patients safely, and vulnerable people are not languishing on trolleys and chairs for days at a time.

“Medical evidence shows that spending more than six hours on a trolley is detrimental to a patient’s long-term health outcomes,” Phil Ní Sheaghdha added. “In stark terms it increases the mortality rate by over 8%.”

She said that the situation is not being addressed with the required urgency or focus, and that constant overcrowding is the chief reason so many nurses and midwives are leaving, or exiting the profession altogether.

Water outages in all of Gort and surrounding areas today

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August 31, 2023

Galway Daily news Moycullen water outage

All of Gort and surrounding areas of the county are experiencing water outages today due to issues at the water treatment plant.

The County Council has said that technical issues with the water treatment plant are causing outages for everyone on the Gort Regional Water Supply Scheme.

Repair works are currently underway, but no timeframe has yet been provided for when locals can expect to see their water supply restored.

It may take 2 – 3 hours after repairs are completely before people see their water return, as the network refills.

A statement from the county council said:

“Uisce Eireann and Galway County Council, Water Services wish to advise residents and businesses served by the Gort Regional Water Supply Scheme that due to technical issues at the water treatment plant, all areas served by the scheme will be without a supply of water today.”

“Works are underway to resolve the issues and further updates will issue later today.”

“Galway County Council working in partnership with Uisce Eireann regrets any inconvenience that may be caused by these essential works.”

Report claims Airbnb worth €54 million to Galway’s economy

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August 31, 2023

Galway Daily news Airbnb worth €54 million to Galway economy report claims

Airbnb contributed €54 million to the economy in Galway last year, and supports hundreds of jobs here a new report claims.

The report from Oxford Economics, which was commissioned by Airbnb, said that the platform also supports 830 jobs in Galway.

Travel on Airbnb in Ireland is a significant part of the country’s tourism economy, the report states, and provides a sizeable share of Ireland’s accommodation offering

Nationwide it accounted for 6% of all nights in paid accommodation in 2022, and saw more than half a million guest nights booked in Galway alone.

Domestic guests accounted for 24% of all Airbnb bookings in Galway last year, with another 27% coming from the United States, 14% from the UK, 12% from France, 6% from Germany, and 18% from a mix of other countries.

Guest spending in Galway for 2022 was valued at €63 million, with more than half of that going to non-accommodation sectors such as food, drink, and retail.

Derek Nolan, Head of Public Policy at Airbnb Ireland said, “Airbnb provides authentic and affordable stays for guests in Ireland and drives economic benefits for local Irish families and their communities by generating employment and dispersing tourism across the country.”

“We want to play our part as a key pillar of the Irish tourism economy, and support the introduction of a Host register to protect Ireland’s tourism, unlock the benefits of hosting for Irish families, and help local authorities to clamp down on property speculators.”

However, while Airbnb contributes to Ireland’s tourism economy, the platform has also been heavily criticised for its impact on the housing market.

At present there are almost 700 properties in Galway City on Airbnb, compared with just 30 properties to rent in the city on Daft.ie.

The report claims that Airbnb-linked spending represented 10.5% of all international tourism-related spending across Ireland, and contributed over €500m to Ireland’s GDP in 2022.

In 2022, the spending footprint attributable to Airbnb guests in the West region was worth €79 million to Ireland’s GDP.

Green light for new Headford Road housing development

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August 31, 2023

Galway Daily news Galway County Council has granted planning permission for a housing development in Headford

Galway City Council has granted planning permission for a residential development of 36 houses and apartments on the Headford Road.

The application by Sweetbay Ltd is for 2 three-storey and two part two-storey, part three-storey buildings at Tornóg, Ballinfoile, on the outskirts of the city.

These will contain 14 two-bed and 16 three-bed apartments. The housing development will also include 6 three-bed houses and a creche.

Parking in the housing development will comprise 56 car parking spaces, and 112 bicycle spaces.

Planning permission was granted by the city council with a total of six conditions attached. A contribution of €310,094 towards the provision of public services for the area must be paid by the developer.

There is also currently a live application by the same developer for an assisted living apartment complex to the south of this housing estate.

This development would comprise a four storey over undercroft apartment building, with 45 units in total.

A decision on this planning application is due to be delivered by the city council by mid-September after further information was requested.

Galway targeted in crackdown on TV ‘dodgy boxes’

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August 31, 2023

Galway targeted in clampdown on TV 'dodgy boxes'

Galway is one of seven of counties being targeted in a crackdown on ‘dodgy boxes’ providing illegal access to tv streaming services.

A wave of legal warnings have been delivered in person, by post, and by email to individuals getting illegal access to premium TV content.

Cease and desist letters were sent to addresses in Mayo, Monaghan, Galway, Louth, Dublin, Cork, and Laois between August 7 and August 18.

A ‘dodgy box’ is a device, often called an Android Box, which can bypass pay requirements for television shows, sports, and movies.

The Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) has stated that it is working with broadcasters and Gardaí to target illegal streaming services.

The cease-and-desist notices instruct those running the services to immediately cease all illegal streaming activity, or risk facing criminal prosecution.

Kieron Sharp, CEO at FACT, commented: “Illegal IPTV service providers are breaking the law and putting consumers at real risk of malware, data loss and identity theft.

“Consumers who pay for pirate services should also know that they are often funding serious organised crime groups.

“FACT and partners remain committed to disrupting these criminal operations and protecting consumers”.

The first wave occurred across Ireland in March, with a number of illegal streaming services taken down and legal proceedings brought against individuals.

In May, five men were sentenced in total to just over 30 years in prison in the UK for their part in running three illegal streaming services – Flawless, Shared VPS and Optimal.

The ringleader of the operation, Mark Gould, was sentenced to 11 years. The case was led by Premier League, and supported by Sky and others.

Missing Clare teenager found safe and well

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August 31, 2023

Galway Daily news missing teen found safe

A teenage boy reported missing in County Clare last weekend has been found safe and well.

17-year-old Ivan Ryan had been reported missing from his home in Tulla, Co. Clare since Saturday, August 26.

He has now been found safe and well An Garda Síochána have said this morning.

Gardaí thanked the public for their assistance in this matter.

Farrell welcomes publication of CAO offers but says housing remains real concern

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August 31, 2023

Galway daily news Almost 3,500 Galway students receiving Leaving Cert results

Galway West TD Mairéad Farrell has welcomed the publication of CAO offers this week and said she hopes that as many students as possible received their chosen courses.

The Sinn Féin TD cautioned however that the accommodation crisis will be a “real source of concern” for parents and students as they try to source somewhere to stay.

Deputy Farrell said that yesterday was no doubt a significant day in the lives of many young people who have finished secondary level education.

“For those who got their chosen courses, I wish them the very best and hope these courses meet their expectations,” she said.

“For those who have not received their chosen courses, I’d like to say that despite the disappointment this is not the end of the world.

“There are alternative means to pursuing a chosen career path for example undertaking an apprenticeship.”

Deputy Farrell said that unfortunately for those who have gained access to third level institutions far from home, they will now have to grapple with the housing crisis.

“We still have a frightening lack of regulation when it comes to student “digs” accommodation. This has led to serious issues around a lack of privacy, which is a serious source of concern for young women. It’s high time there was regulations introduced to address this.

“Then of course there’s the general lack of supply, never mind affordable supply, of standard rental accommodation. The high costs of rent forces many students to work almost full time just to afford to keep a roof over their head.

“It’s difficult for third level institutions to deliver on the required demand and provide accommodation that is affordable given their current funding model. We need a new model of delivery with affordability at its core. This is something I plan to look at in the coming year.”

Deputy Farrell also flagged the difficulty for those from the north accessing third level places in the south, and the inflated CAO points and the manner in which the A-Levels are assessed, stymies them from studying in the south.

“The current model makes the access of courses by students from the north incredibly difficult. We have fantastic universities offering so much to our student population. It is essential that these same opportunities are open to all those on this island. Our future will be the better for it.”

Mayoral Reception held for Galway United Women

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August 31, 2023

galway daily news mayoral reception for galway united women's team — Cllrs Donal Lyons, Terry O'Flaherty, Alan Cheevers, John Connolly, Mike Cubbard with Galway United Team, Manager & Coaches

A Mayoral Reception was held this week to celebrate the historic victory of the Galway United Women’s Senior Football Team at the Avenir Sports All-Island Cup Final.

After a 1-0 win, the Women’s team brought home the first league cup to Galway united in 25 years.

Speaking about the achievements of the team, Mayor of the City of Galway, Councillor Eddie Hoare said it was his ‘great pleasure’ to host the Mayoral Reception, to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of the All-Island football champions.

“With this win, you bridge a 25-year gap for Galway United as a club, bringing home a league trophy and making history for Galway City,” said Mayor Hoare.

“This victory comes six months into your debut season in the Women’s Premier Division.”

“You are an inspiring group of women, and I wish to congratulate you on your fantastic achievement, and what I know is only the beginning of your sporting achievements as individuals, as Galwegians and as representatives of your club and City.”

The Mayor recognised the achievements of the management team, Phil Trill and Adrian Cronin, the coaches Gabrial Darcey and Theresa Keane, and shared the pride of the families, friends and supporters of the club.

Community owned hotel proposed for Mountbellew

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August 31, 2023

galway daily news tasc mountbellew hotel proposal — Some of the participants of the TASC consultation meeting in the Malt House Mountbellew earlier this year

A new report being published this evening will propose the establishment of a community-owned hotel and related tourism services in Mountbellew.

‘The People’s Transition: Mountbellew’ is a report produced by the economic and social think-thank, TASC, and identifies an almost total absence of accommodation facilities in the town.

Report author, Kieran Harrahill, says that “by providing a space for tourists to stay in the area, a community-owned hotel would support community wealth building while increasing the opportunity for environmentally friendly tourism linked to the area’s hinterland.”

“Mountbellew is adjacent to Carrownagappul Bog, one of the most accessible raised bogs in Ireland, which could be used both for recreation by tourists and serve to educate people on the fragility of our ecosystems and the need for preservation,” he said.

Other report recommendations include the development of a small-scale hydroelectric generation which could deliver both small scale local energy generation and act as a further tourist attraction bolstering the existing excellent attractions.

Part-funding for these initiatives could be obtained from the European Union’s ‘Green Deal’ initiative, established to support regions most affected by policy measures to achieve climate neutrality by no later than 2050, and by the government’s recent Just Transition fund.

Cllr Peter Roche, Chairperson of Galway Rural Development, said: “We are thankful to Kieran and TASC for wanting to build on the work going on through Smart Villages.

“The potential is enormous here and we’re delighted to support the community initiatives thus far.”

“Much credit is due to the Smart Villages Mountbellew team and to the wider community for their input. We are looking forward to the report’s publication this evening and we also look forward to a great community attendance at the Malt House Bar from 7:30pm.”

NTA must provide more stops on Local Link bus services says senator

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August 30, 2023

Galway Daily news Galway Senator condemns "rotten, corrupt" saga at Inland Fisheries Ireland

Local senator Seán Kyne has said that the National Transport Authority (NTA) needs to give immediate consideration to the frequency of stops offered along rural Local Link bus services.

Senator Kyne is also calling on Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan to engage with the National Transport Authority (NTA) on introducing flexibilities on this service.

The Fine Gael senator said Local Link bus services provide a vital and much valued form of transportation across all parts of rural Ireland.

He acknowledged and welcomed the level of investment made into those services over the past number of years, but argued that there needs to be some lateral thinking when it comes to how the bus stops along these routes.

“Fixed stops, as city dwellers would be familiar with, don’t work as effectively in remote parts of the country, where often, passengers require an additional mode of transport to reach their destination,” he said.

“In my own area in Galway, for example, the new 432 service in Connemara, which serves An Cheathrú Rua,Carna, Casla, Roundstone, Ballyconneely and Clifden, has fixed stops – you cannot request a stop along the route. Someone living halfway between Ballyconneely and Clifden will have to go back to Ballyconneely to get the bus to go forward to Clifden. This is nonsensical and a waste of passengers’ time and money.”

Senator Kyne said that this needlessly creates additional car journeys, which is what we all must collectively work towards reducing.

“We can see additional services being rolled out along routes with regard to both frequency and the addition of new routes.

“Putting in more request stops would make perfect sense when it comes to increasing the use of the service. Connemara and other rural areas have lots of small roads which lead on to National and Regional roads which also need dedicated stops.

“Allowing for more designated stops along particular routes has no cost, can be implemented immediately and gives passengers more choice and control over their journeys. This is surely what the Minister for Transport and the NTA must also be supportive of – time to act on it now.”

Almost 4,000 students offered places at University of Galway in CAO Round One

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August 30, 2023

Galway Daily news International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor

Almost 4,000 students have been offered courses at University of Galway as part of Round One of the CAO process.

President of University of Galway Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh and Deputy President and Registrar Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh congratulated the students for their efforts and achievements.

University of Galway outlined CAO points changes across all four of the University’s Colleges.

For the third year running and on the back of another year of near record demand for places in higher education, University of Galway expects to see an intake of around 3,500 first year undergraduate students.

Almost half of the University’s courses experienced an increase in points.

The University has more programmes in 500 range than in other ranges, and noticeably, all Engineering and Law programmes are above 500 points and all except one Commerce programme.

There is a resurgence in demand for Arts and courses with a strong creativity theme, an indication of the value of our continuing strategic education partnerships with the Galway International Arts Festival and Druid and of Galway as a creative city and university. These include Journalism; Global Media; Music; Drama, Theatre and Performance; History.

In the area of Teacher Education, Arts (Mathematics and Education) is up 3 to 418; while Education (Computer Science & Mathematics) shows an increase of 10 points to 435, indicating an interest in teaching and education, so important for the future generations and the fabric of our society.

In healthcare, given the limit on numbers, Medicine will be random selection, despite a small drop in the points requirement; Midwifery is seeing a 10 point increase to 463; while Nursing is seeing a slight fall.

Shannon College of Hotel Management and its programmes linked to the hospitality management sector continue to see an increase in demand, with points up.

On the sciences, Marine Science is up a significant 17 points to 477; while Mathematical Science is up 56 points to 566; Physics up 14 to 454; and Computer Science and Information Technology is up 11 to 521.

In Engineering, five of our eight programmes show an increase in demand – Energy Systems Engineering up to 520; Civil Engineering up to 512; Electronic and Computer Engineering up to 532; Electrical and Electronic Engineering up to 510; and Engineering (Undenominated) up to 533.

Of the seven programmes which saw a significant decrease in points requirement in 2022, five see an increase in demand this year – Arts with Human Rights; Arts – Drama, Theatre and Performance; Arts with Journalism; Global Media; Electronic and Computer Engineering

Some 30 programmes experienced points increases and another 30 programmes experienced points decreases from 2022.

Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, President of University of Galway, said: “Comhghairdeas to the Leaving Cert class of 2023 who have demonstrated remarkable resilience over their studies. A new adventure now begins.

“A warm welcome awaits all those students who take up the offer to come to University of Galway and to learn for themselves the importance that we place on our values of respect, openness, excellence and sustainability.”

University of Galway Deputy President and Registrar Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh said: “I congratulate each and every student who has navigated their post-primary years and the Leaving Cert in 2023, particularly as this year’s class felt such an impact from the Covid pandemic.

“Our registration team at University of Galway is once again doing stellar work to facilitate our students joining us this September.

“We welcome all those who have achieved in the exams and are taking up an offer to come to University of Galway and to learn for themselves the importance that we place on our values of respect, openness, excellence and sustainability.

“In the midst of the celebrations and endeavours of staff to secure places for as many students as possible we also hope that the Government seizes the opportunity in the coming year to begin to address the issue of inflated grades in the Leaving Cert exams and to put in place a fairer playing field for all students who are applying for undergraduate programmes.”

“My teacher asked me on a date” – New study looks at teachers’ sexual misconduct

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August 30, 2023

A joint study between a number of universities including University of Galway has collected anecdotal experiences of sexual misconduct in post-primary schools in Ireland and the UK.

All respondents took park in the survey because they had experienced some form of sexual harassment or misconduct by a teacher during their time in secondary school.

The study, which is the first of its kind in Europe, recruited respondents over the age of 18 to participate via various social media platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Its recruitment social media post read: “Did you experience any sexually inappropriate comments or behaviour from a teacher during your time in secondary school (or 6th form college (UK))? Anonymously share your experience in this 5-min survey”.

Overall, sexist harassment by a teacher was the most commonly experienced form of misconduct experienced by both Irish (86%) and UK (95%) respondents, for example, being treated differently because of their gender.

The second most commonly experienced was sexual harassment (72% and 85% in Ireland and the UK respectively).

Common forms of sexual harassment included making offensive remarks about the student’s physical appearance or sexual activity, and making attempts to discuss sexual matters with the student.

Kate Dawson, Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Greenwich and lead author of the study said: “The findings indicate that some teachers need specific training regarding what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate behaviour.

“Reporting mechanisms also need to be put in place that enable students, or concerned school staff, to report misconduct without fear of repercussions.

“These preliminary findings need to be investigated further within a larger sample to find out how prevalent this issue is in UK and Irish schools.”

Pádraig MacNeela, Senior Lecturer at University of Galway and co-author of the study, said that the study sheds light on an important issue for the first time.

“It demonstrates that the culture change we need to support in our education settings is wide ranging. It includes supporting staff who work in post-primary schools to speak up and address staff-student harassment if they ever encounter it,” he said.

The responses collected highlighted a wide range of first-hand experiences.

Among the UK respondents, 98% were female, 1.5% were male, and 0.3% identified as genderqueer or non-conforming. 65% of respondents were 25-34, at the time of study participation.

The full report is available here.

Boil Water Notice for more than 2,000 Connemara homes lifted

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August 29, 2023

Boil Water Notice for more than 2,000 Connemara homes lifted

A Boil Water Notice for over 2,000 homes in Connemara has been lifted with immediate effect today.

Uisce Eireann had issued the Boil Water Notice this month for some 2,294 customers supplied by the Carna Kilkieran Regional Public Water Supply Scheme.

The notice, which was issued on 19 August, was put in place to protect the health of customers following a deterioration in raw water quality.

This has been lifted today following testing of water samples and in consultation with the HSE to ensure that it is safe to drink.

Uisce Eireann’s Eoin Hughes acknowledged the impact of the notice on the community and thanked customers for their support while we worked to lift the notice.

“Uisce Éireann’s primary focus remains the protection of public health and we worked with our stakeholders to lift the notice as quickly as possible.”

“We are grateful to customers, elected representatives and the media for their assistance in sharing information on the boil water notice in recent weeks.”

Parts of Loughrea town remain under a BWN after more than five months, which was imposed due to low chlorine residuals along with elevated levels of iron and turbidity.

This may remain in force for some time for a number of area while Uisce Eireann replaces approximately 1.8km of old cast iron water mains in the town which are at the root of the problem.

St Jarlath’s College Tuam opens its doors to first female students

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August 29, 2023

Galway Daily news St Jarlath's College Tuam opens its doors to first female students

St Jarlath’s College in Tuam has opened its doors to female students for the first time in over two hundred years this week.

Monday saw the secondary school take in its first class of 30 female students as the new academic year begins, in an historic moment for the Catholic school.

Founded in 1800 under the patronage of the Archbishop of Tuam, St Jarlath’s was originally geared towards preparing students for Maynooth Seminary.

It became a boarding school some decades later when it moved into the former Ffrench’s bank building.

The school expanded many times in the decades that followed, with the three storey building constructed in 1850s still forming the core of the college facilities.

A shift towards day students began in the 1970s, and with declining numbers of boarders, the school ceased boarding altogether in 2006.

Currently St Jarlath’s has more than 600 students enrolled, with around 60 staff employed.

Gardaí investigating shooting incident arrest two men

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August 29, 2023

Galway Daily news Missing 17 year old teenager found safe and well

Gardaí investigating multiple incidents, including a shooting which saw a man brought to hospital in Galway, have arrested two men.

A man in his 50s was brought to University Hospital Galway with non-life threatening injuries after a shooting in Co. Clare on Sunday evening.

Shortly after 6pm on Sunday, reports came in of multiple people in the Deerpark area of Ennistymon, Co. Clare who were armed with an array of weapons, including at least one firearm.

Extensive damage was caused to a number of domestic residences and vehicles in multiple incidents, along with the shooting injury already mentioned.

Two men, both aged in their 20s, were arrested in connection with these incidents on Monday.

Both men are detained at a Garda Station in the Clare Region under Section 30 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1939.

A number of scenes have been preserved for technical examination. Investigations are continuing at Ennistymon Garda station.

Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to any of these incidents to come forward.

Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling in the Deerpark area of Ennistymon on the evening of Sunday 27th August 2023 are asked to make this footage available to Gardaí.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Ennistymon Garda station on 065 7072180, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.

Galway researcher gets funding for reducing side effects of chemotherapy

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August 29, 2023

Galway researcher gets funding for reducing side effects of chemotherapy

A Galway researcher has been awarded funding to explore a new therapy for reducing the side effects of chemotherapy.

Professor Martin O’Halloran at University of Galway has received a European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept grant worth €150,000.

This is for his research work on NeuroProtect – a novel therapy to prevent peripheral neuropathy in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord, which can ead to weakness, numbness and pain, usually in the hands and feet which can cause significant disability and pain for cancer patients.

Speaking about the ERC grant for NeuroProtect, Professor O’Halloran said that it addresses a medical problem which is deeply significant to cancer patients.

“It builds on ever growing collaborations between engineering and medicine at the University, and we hope to have an impact in the clinic in the very near future.”

Martin O’Halloran, Techrete Professor of Medical Electronics, Executive Director of the University of Galway-Enterprise Ireland funded BioInnovate Ireland and Director of the Translational Medical Device Lab at the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.

Proof of Concept grants are awarded to ERC grant holders as top-up funding to explore the commercial or innovation potential of the results of their ERC-funded research.

Professor O’Halloran is Techrete Professor of Medical Electronics, Executive Director of the University of Galway-Enterprise Ireland funded BioInnovate Ireland and Director of the Translational Medical Device Lab at the university’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.

This latest grant brings his total ERC awards to seven with a combined value of €4.25 million in funding since 2015, making him the joint-highest ERC awardee in Ireland.

Professor Jim Livesey, Vice-President Research and Innovation at University of Galway, said: “The record ERC awards for Professor O’Halloran are a striking recognition of the quality and level of research he and his teams are leading at University of Galway, as well as the potential for impact on people’s quality of life.”

“The ERC awards also demonstrate the role which our University plays regionally, nationally and internationally and its value in the medtech sector on a global stage.”

Gardaí seize over €90,000 cash in Ballinasloe drugs investigation

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August 29, 2023

Galway Daily news Gardaí seize over €90,000 in Ballinasloe drugs investigation

Gardaí seized over €90,000 found concealed during a search operation related to ongoing drugs investigations in Ballinasloe this week.

On Monday afternoon, Gardaí from the Ballinasloe Community Engagement area searched a residence in the town.

During the course of the search they found €90,500 found hidden in a vehicle on the premises, along with a quantity of Sterling.

The cash was seized as well as the vehicle, which is currently subject to forensic analysis.

The search operation was carried out as part of ongoing investigations into the sale and supply of drugs in the Ballinasloe area.

No arrests have yet been made in connection with this, and Gardaí have said that investigations are ongoing.

Planning approval for Galway company’s new headquarters in Athenry

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August 29, 2023