Galway County Council is holding a free collection of old mattresses for households in the county today.
People who wish to freely dispose of mattresses can bring them to Maam Cross Mart.
The collection will run from 10am to 3pm on Friday, September 16.
Any mattresses must be clean and dry, and a limit of three per customer applies.
This waste collection is for domestic households only.
One man was arrested in connection with the seizure of approximately €10,000 worth of drugs in Galway yesterday.
On Thursday, Gardai in the Divisional Drugs Unit stopped and searched a car in the Gort area.
During the search they found cannabis herb with an estimated value of approximately €10,000, pending analysis of the drugs.
One of the occupants of the car, a man in his 40s, was arrested in connection with this incident.
He was taken to the North Western Regional HQ where he was detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
He has since been released without charge; A file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has called for meaningful and targeted interventions to prevent another winter of out of control overcrowding.
This comes as 596 patients are without a bed in Irish hospitals today, including over 20 children under the age of 16.
University Hospital Galway is the second most overcrowded in the State, with 57 people on trolleys this morning at 8am.
INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said that over 1,710 patients have been without a bed so far this week and that these figures speak for themselves.
She said that we are facing into yet another ‘completely predictable winter crisis’ unless urgent action is taken.
“The number of children under the age of sixteen on trolleys has been steadily increasing this month, with over 91 young patients without a bed since the beginning of September,” said Phil Ní Sheaghdha.
“As the Dáil returns from its summer break today, the political system must intervene in the now predictable overcrowding which faces our members and their patients this winter.”
She called for the Minister for Health to publish a fully funded winter plan to coincide with the publication of Budget 2023.
“We cannot wait for this situation to get worse until we see meaningful and targeted interventions.
“Next Monday’s meeting of the Emergency Department Taskforce is extremely important. Practical solutions and measures that arise from this meeting must be implemented immediately in order to prevent this entirely predictable surge.
“Over the coming months, we cannot see any obstruction when it comes to recruitment and retention measures. Nursing and midwifery vacancies need to be filled so that patients get the care they need.
“Unless action is taken now to stem the worst of overcrowding, we will be sleepwalking into another winter of crisis for our members and their patients.”
Nobel Peace prize winner Dr James E Muller will deliver a public lecture at University of Galway on the issue of nuclear weapons and the threat of nuclear war.
The talk, entitled Nuclear Weapons and the Future of Humanity- a fifty year perspective, will take place at the University’s O’Donoghue Centre for Drama Theatre and Performance on Monday, September 26 at 5pm.
Dr Muller is an academic cardiologist and entrepreneur who has worked to prevent three threats to humanity – nuclear war, heart attacks and sexual abuse of children by priests.
In 1980 Dr Muller was one of the founders of International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), the organisation awarded the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize.
In 2007, IPPNW co-founded the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) which was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.
Dr Muller visited Moscow in his work against nuclear arms four months before the invasion of Ukraine and he has spoken widely on the role of health professionals in the prevention of nuclear war.
In his work as a cardiologist, along with Dr Peter Stone and Dr Geoff Tofler, Dr Muller is credited with introducing the term ‘vulnerable plaque’ in 1989, a concept now widely used in cardiology which describes a build-up in the arteries which can break away and cause heart attack or stroke.
Dr Muller is attending University of Galway as part of a meeting of international cardiologists, The Imperial Vulnerable Patient and Plaque Meeting, where he is a keynote speaker.
Places for the public lecture are limited and registration is essential. To register or for more information click here.
A monthly classic cinema discussion group will begin next week at Pálás Cinema in Galway city.
Cinephile Paradiso kicks off at 6.30pm on Thursday 22 September with Alfred Hitchcock’s classic mystery thriller Rear Window.
On a Thursday towards the end of each month, there will be a screening of a classic film, followed by a discussion in the bar, and then a podcast will be released recapping the event.
All cinephiles and anyone who has an interest in film is welcome to attend.
Cinephile Paradiso aims to encourage the discussion of cinema, asking questions such as, ‘what is cinema, what do films mean to us, and how has this changed over time?’
For more information visit palas.ie
Boojum is set to give away 1,500 burritos to students in Galway next Thursday as part of Fresher’s week celebrations.
People with a valid student ID who purchase any main meal in store on Thursday 22 September will get a free Boojum meal to bank for later as part of the promotion.
Boojum will also be helping one lucky student fund their studies with a €5,000 giveaway and free burritos for a year in what is the Mexican food chain’s biggest Fresher’s giveaway to date.
The new ‘Fund Your Studies’ campaign aims to help one student alleviate the mounting costs of student life in Ireland.
David Maxwell, Boojum’s Managing Director said that they have always been a student-focused brand and are constantly looking into ways that we can give back to our loyal customer base.
“What better way to reward them for choosing us, than offering them another free burrito to bank?
“Life at university can be financially challenging at the best of times but this year especially with inflation soaring, students will really be feeling the pinch.
“With that in mind we wanted to build on our previously successful Fresher’s week campaigns and also offer a student the chance to have us fund their studies for a year.”
Seven parks and community green spaces in Galway City and County have been awarded Green Flag awards this year, including one new addition to the honour roll.
An Taisce awarded the Green Flag to three public parks in the city this year, and one in the county, along with three community led projects in Galway.
In this tally of Ireland’s best parks and green spaces, Quincentennial Park in Salthill and Children’s Millennium Park have retained their awards for their 3rd and 4th year running respectively.
Palace Fields in Tuam has also retained its Green Flag this year, after receiving it for the first time in 2021.
The newest addition to this environmental award in Galway is O’Sullivan Park in Mervue, receiving it for the first time.
The Green Flag Awards are judged every year by a peer jury of green space experts, who volunteer their time to visit applicant sites and assess them against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability, and community involvement.
Patrick Greene, Director of Services with Galway City Council commented, “Galway City Council is delighted to see the work of our staff in Environment and Recreation and Amenity recognised today, with the award of three Green Flags for the City.”
“Staff are engaged on a daily basis in planting, cleaning, upgrading playgrounds, supporting biodiversity, protecting wildlife, litter-picking, and creating beautiful, engaging and playful spaces for the people of Galway.”
He added that the city council is continuing to invest in recreational facilities, such as the recent upgrade of tennis courts in Westside, Crestwood and McGrath’s Field, new wheelchair friendly swings in Salthill, and more.
“Many thanks also to the volunteers who assist us in maintaining parks and green spaces in the city.”
“We are particularly delighted with the award for O’Sullivan Park this year and look forward to adding more parks to the list of awardees in future”.
Of the 104 Green Flag sites Ireland was awarded today, 85 are formal public Green Flag Park sites and 19 are volunteer run Green Community Sites
Outside of public parks, the Green Flag was also awarded to the Headford Community Garden, led by Headford Development Association; the Ballyglunin Railway Restoration Project; and the Headford Community Orchard.
University Hospital Galway is the second most overcrowded in Ireland again today, with almost 60 patients on trolleys.
There are 53 patients on trolleys in the emergency department at UHG today, along with another 4 without a bed in the wards.
Fortunately, things are better at Portiuncula Hospital, where there are no patients on trolleys this morning.
So far this week, there has just been a single patients at Portiuncula Hospital on a trolley.
Figures from the INMO Trolley/Ward Watch show that hospital overcrowding has left 516 patients waiting for a bed in public hospitals this morning.
The only hospital worse affected than UHG is Cork University Hospital, where there are a staggering 80 people admitted and waiting for a bed.
Fortunately, the number of COVID patients in hospital has continued to decline, with 18 at UHG as of Wednesday evening, two of whom were in the ICU.
At Portiuncula Hospital, there were also no reported COVID-19 cases as of yesterday evening.
The new series of Bailte’ returns this evening, with Síle Nic Chonaonaigh continuing her journey through the townlands of Ireland, starting with Tír an Fhia.
Síle will be getting to know the people of Tír an Fhia, a small village of 200 odd people on the South Connemara island of Garmna.
She finds Tír an Fhia to be a welcoming confident village where old customs and traditions are still practised along with a positive outlook and understanding of what is required for a remote community to survive in modern day Ireland.
Síle meets with Antaine Ó Gríofa who, together with his wife and family, returned to Tír an Fhia from England in the 1990s and with Micheál Ó Domhnaill & Eibhlín Ní Chonghaile and their toddler as they begin family life in Tír an Fhia.
With over 60,000 townlands in Ireland, they remain one of the pillars of modern Irish life.
On this journey Síle explores the resilience within our rural communities, and the the deep connection people in them have with the landscape, and their traditions.
Among the other townlands visited this series are Rann na Feirste in Co. Donegal, Béal Átha an Ghaorthaidh in Cork, and An Baile Riabhach on the Dingle Peninsula.
The first episode of the new series of Bailte will air on Thursday, September 15 on TG4 at 8pm.
COPE Galway has warned that the precarious situation of many people on the edge of homelessness is being made worse by the cost of living crisis.
The homelessness charity is calling on the government to increase social welfare payments, fuel allowance, and HAP limits in its pre-budget submission.#
“This is a rapidly changing and deteriorating situation for a growing number across our community. Many are increasingly fearful of what the coming winter and beyond will bring,” said Martin O’Connor of COPE Galway.
“We are calling on Government to take action in the upcoming budget to insulate people against the worst impacts of the crisis we are facing into.”
“For many, keeping the lights on and having food on the table while keeping a roof over their head, cannot be taken for granted”.
The local charity is seeking an increase in social welfare payments by a minimum of €20 a week, as well as €15 per week increase in the fuel allowance, and an extension to the length of time it is paid out.
COPE submission also calls for the prioritisation of social housing builds under the Housing for All plan, and an increase of the HAP limits to reflect the reality of the cost of rent.
“People who are reliant on HAP need to have a fighting chance to secure rental accommodation to help prevent them falling into homelessness,” said Mr O’Connor.
“There were a record number of people nationally living in emergency accommodation this July. Unfortunately this figure is continuing to grow as more and more people are on notices to quit their private rented accommodation,” he added.
“Social housing is the viable and sustainable solution to address the housing needs of many of these households. Families, couples and single men and women are falling into homelessness”.
COPE Galway has also said that the country urgently needs a temporary ban on evictions, and a freeze of rents.
A Galway family have been crowned Ireland’s top dairy farmers at a national awards ceremony this week.
The Connolly family from Tuam, supplying the Aurivo Co-Op, were the overall winners at the 2022 NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards.
Austin and Yvonne Connolly, together with their four daughters Ava, Anna, Jane and Kate, came out on top from among 13 families in the annual competition.
The Connolly family won the overall prize at the event in Cork on Wednesday for excelling in all areas of the judging criteria, including milk quality, animal welfare and sustainable farming practices.
Though the Connolly’s are fifth generation farmers, they are relatively new to the dairy business, having made the switch just four years ago.
Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said, “Greatness recognises greatness so it is a tremendous honour for all those farm families who have been nominated for the prestigious 2022 NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards.”
“My sincere congratulations to the Connelly family as well as the rest of the nominees. To be recognised by your own peers and your own co-operative in the first instance is a tremendous honour.”
“The success achieved by winners and nominees comes from a lifetime of dedication to dairy farming excellence and constant improvement.”
“On behalf of the industry, I thank all the nominees and winners for what they have achieved,” Minister McConalogue added.
Water outages and other supply issues may occur in multiple neighbourhoods in the Westside and Claddagh areas of the city today.
Irish Water is carrying out repair works on the water mains network in part of the city on Thursday, September 15.
During these works, people living in Highfield Park, Roasary Lane, Devon Park, Dalysford Road, Oaklands, Beach Court and Grattan Park may experience temporary water outages or low pressure.
The works are currently scheduled to last from 9am to 5pm on Thursday.
Typically, it takes two to three hours following restoration time for normal supply to be fully restored to all areas.
Speaking about the works, Rónan Daly of Irish Water said, “Irish Water understands that this type of work can be inconvenient.”
“Working in partnership with Galway City Council, we will make every effort to minimise the disruption that these necessary works may cause.”
After the water supply is restored, some people in the affected areas may also experience temporary discolouration of their water, or internal airlocks.
Updates can be found on Irish Water’s supply and service website page.
Galway GAA have confirmed fixtures and ticketing details for the Senior and Intermediate hurling club championship games on this weekend.
This weekend, Saturday & Sunday September 17-18, will see Round 4 of the senior championship played out, as well as the Quarter Finals of the Intermediate Championship.
Tickets for the senior championship games cost €10, and are available to purchase online, while U16s go free and do not need a ticket.
Saturday, September 17
Sunday, September 18
Saturday, September 17
Sunday, September 18
The Quarter-Finals of the Intermediate Hurling Club Championship, as well as two relegation Semi-Finals, will also take place this weekend.
Admission for the Quarter-Finals costs €15 if purchased in advance online, with students and seniors paying €10, and U16s going free.
Tickets for the relegation Semi-Finals cost €10 if purchased in advance online.
Saturday, September 17
Sunday, September 18
Croí provided over 300 free stethoscope checks at their event in Galway City on Monday as part of Heart Valve Disease Awareness Week.
The heart and stroke centre will also host a free webinar tomorrow Thursday, 15 September from 7pm to 8pm.
The webinar will focus on raising awareness of heart valve disease and is titled ‘Listen to Your Heart – Heart Valve Disease’.
For more information and to register for the webinar, visit croi.ie/valveweek.
Galway East TD Ciaran Cannon has called for the Department of Housing to extend the Croí Cónaithe scheme to rural areas with populations over 400.
The Croí Cónaithe scheme was introduced in July of this year and supports people who want to turn a formerly vacant house or building into their main residence.
The maximum grant available is €50,000, but the scheme is currently limited to properties in towns and villages with a population of more than 400 people.
Deputy Cannon said that he has received numerous queries about the scheme from people who live in rural areas, outside of towns and villages.
“In my time as a public representative I have rarely seen such a positive response to a government housing initiative as I have seen with the Croí Cónaithe scheme,” said the Fine Gael TD.
“It has prompted numerous calls to my office from people seeking additional information and advice on how they can secure the grant.”
But Deputy Cannon said the vast majority of these calls have been from people seeking to refurbish a vacant rural home, adding that he has found it difficult to explain to them that the scheme does not support the refurbishment of such homes.
“I’m at a loss to understand why the hundreds of vacant rural homes that we have across Ireland are not included in the scheme and I’m urging Minister O’Brien to reconsider the qualifying criteria of the scheme so that we can support the provision of additional housing in rural as well as urban Ireland.”
Free contraception for women aged 17 to 25 will become available from today at primary care centres, GPs and pharmacists who sign up to provide services under the scheme.
The free contraception scheme was allocated funding of €9 million in last year’s Budget and was officially launched today by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly.
All consultations needed to access prescription contraception, fitting and removing Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARCs) will be free.
Service providers will be signing contracts with the HSE from today and over the coming weeks to provide services under the scheme.
Minister Donnelly said that women’s health is a top priority for the Government and was strongly supported in Budget 2022.
He said that today represents another big milestone in the delivery of our commitments, under the Women’s Health Action Plan 2022 – 2023 to improve all areas of women’s healthcare.
“Access to free contraception was a key recommendation accompanying the Repeal of the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution and is a key element of the Women’s Health Action Plan,” said Minister Donnelly.
“The scheme, a vital Programme for Government commitment, puts women aged 17–25 at its centre in providing a full suite of options for them to choose which form of contraception works best for them.
“We are removing any financial barriers to the age cohort for whom such barriers are most likely to be an issue.”
A special conference will take place in Galway city this weekend to examine the experience of Irish Travellers/Mincéirs and the State from 1922 to 2022.
The two-day event, which is part of the Decade of Centenaries Programme, will be on the University of Galway campus on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 September.
The conference will examine Irish Travellers’ experience of discrimination since the foundation of the state, paying particular attention to the state’s role in perpetuating disadvantage.
It was proposed by Patrick Nevin and Elaine Martin and will be run in conjunction with the Irish Centre for the Histories of Labour and Class at the University of Galway.
Minister Catherine Martin said that she is pleased to support this important conference reflecting on the experiences of Irish Travellers/Mincéirs since the foundation of the State.
She said events such as this, grounded in original research and scholarship, have been welcomed by the Expert Advisory Group on Centenary Commemorations.
“The ethos of the Decade of Centenaries Programme is inclusive, authentic, meaningful and respectful commemoration and this provides a timely opportunity to include a community, often historically overlooked in the commemorative narrative.”
The conference agenda is multi-disciplinary and participative. It features 70 speakers, a play, a living exhibition, two further exhibitions and a number of performances, with presentations in a variety of formats and featuring local, national, and international perspectives.
There will be contributions from Traveller/Mincéir activists and advocates, historians, folklorists, psychologists, sociologists, artists, cultural theorists and others.
Contributors include Patrick Nevin, Elaine Martin, Rosaleen McDonagh, Mags Casey, Dr Sindy Joyce, Dr Aoife Bhreatnach, Vincent Browne, Owen Patrick Ward.
The conference will also involve the participation of members of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on Roma and Traveller Issues, which is being hosted on campus to discuss policy issues around inclusion, women’s rights and education among other topics.
Helen Maher, Vice President for Equality Diversity and Inclusion at University of Galway, said that hosting such important engagement on the issues affecting the daily lives of Traveller and Roma communities today is hugely significant and symbolic for our University.
“It is also key that we are endeavouring to learn from the past and it show our commitment on the unfinished journey of embedding equality, diversity and inclusion in education and society.”
Owen Patrick Ward, University of Galway’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager – Race Equality, said: “This conference highlights the many social, economic, and cultural contributions made by Irish Travellers since the foundation of the Irish State; contributions, that for so long has been ignored and erased from public discourse.
“I want to commend all involved in this conference including the guest speakers and panellists but particularly to the University of Galway for continuing to play a leadership role in this area.”
For further information, see https://mooreinstitute.ie/
National housing charity Threshold has called on the Government to introduce a tax relief on rents paid by private tenants in Budget 2023 to help ease pressures caused by the cost of living crisis.
It is one of several measures the charity wants to see in the budget to improve the private rental sector.
Threshold has previously welcomed increases in the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and the extension of notice periods for tenancy terminations.
But the charity warned that immediate actions must be taken by the Government to protect against rising rent costs and energy bills which are pushing many private renters further into financial distress or into homelessness.
Threshold’s Chief Executive Officer, John-Mark McCafferty called for private renters to be a priority in this year’s Budget.
“Renters are one of the groups hit hardest by rising inflation and are at greater risk of poverty in comparison to owner occupiers having sustained unrelenting rent increases since 2014,” he said.
“Private renters are now facing extreme financial uncertainty as the cost of energy, heating, transport and food has increased rapidly over the last year. Some may be forced to choose between paying for rent, heat or food this winter.”
Threshold is calling for financial relief for private renters via tax relief, a €20 million Rent Arrears Fund to support renters experiencing financial difficulty, an increase in the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) base rates and the creation of a Dedicated Homeless Prevention Budget, amounting to 20% of all homeless expenditure.
The charity also wants the Government to deliver measures to retain homes in the rental sector via relief on the Capital Gains Tax (CGT), to provide targeted measures to improve the energy efficiency of private rental homes, create a Deposit Protection Scheme as committed to in Housing For All, and allocate the necessary funds to hold a Referendum on the Right to Housing in 2023.
Threshold’s helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9am- 9pm at 1800 454 454, with webchat at www.threshold.ie/advice/help for any renter in need of advice or support.
The Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation is urging people in Galway to climb or walk a local hill as part of the eighth annual Up the Hill for Jack and Jill fundraising challenge supported by Abbott.
This year, the children’s foundation is celebrating 25 years of funding and providing specialist in-home nursing care and respite support for children with severe to profound neurodevelopmental delay, up to the age of six.
This includes children who may have a brain injury, cerebral palsy, a genetic diagnosis or other undiagnosed condition.
Another key part of the service is end-of-life care at home for all children up to the age of six who require it, irrespective of diagnosis.
The nationwide charity has reached its own summit in 2022 by providing support to 412 children, the highest number in its 25-year history.
Jack and Jill has provided support to 183 Galway families since it was first established.
Jack and Jill Liaison Nurse Manager for Galway, Cathy Keighery, said that every parent needs a break, and that it is a privilege to be a part of the lives of Jack and Jill families.
“These are ordinary parents facing the extraordinary care needs of a child with a complex medical condition; a child who may not be able to walk or talk, who may be tube-fed or oxygen-dependent, requiring intensive, around-the-clock care, at home.
“But everyone needs a break, and that’s where we come in, literally, into the home, to give them relief and we are very proud to walk this care journey with them.”
Register today for just €18 per person at JackandJill.ie, which will support one hour of specialist in-home nursing care for a local Jack and Jill family. Your pack will include a colourful, eco-friendly, Up the Hill banner
Choose your Hill. There’s a local hill around the corner to suit your fitness level and ability, and whether you go high or go low, it’s the taking part that keeps Jack and Jill on the go!
Grab some friends, family, neighbours or colleagues, pick a date that suits and make it a day out to remember. Bring a picnic to celebrate when you get to the top and remember to take a photo with your Up the Hill banner and tag Jack and Jill on social media with #UptheHill22 so everyone can see you!
For more information on Up the Hill for Jack and Jill 2022, visit www.jackandjill.ie or telephone Jack and Jill at 045 894538.
Connacht Rugby will be partnering with FREE NOW as its Official Mobility App Partner until 2025.
The new partnership will bring Connacht Rugby and the popular mobility app together for the 2022-23 season and over the next three years.
As part of the partnership, fans attending the upcoming matches will be able to participate in competitions for a chance to win FREE NOW vouchers.
Welcoming the news, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Connacht Rugby Philip Patterson said they are thrilled to be partnering with FREE NOW for the next three years.
“It is clear that both organisations share the same values and ethos, and this agreement will help both FREE NOW and Connacht Rugby continue to grow, as well as offering more transport solutions for our supporters and players,” he said.
The partnership builds on the mobility app’s commitment to support local communities and organisations across the country by giving people sustainable transport solutions.
Since launching its sustainable ECO booking (EV/hybrid) option on the app last year for passengers in Galway, the uptake of green journeys on the FREE NOW app has grown by 262% with 18% of the fleet in Galway being ECO.
Speaking at the launch of the partnership Regional Development Manager for FREE NOW, Denis Fogarty said: “We are delighted to announce our new partnership with Connacht Rugby for the next three years and as a former professional player for over 12 years, I am really excited about this new sponsorship and to see FREE NOW supporting sport in the Connacht region.
“FREE NOW has been providing public transport solutions for passengers here in Connacht for almost 10 years now and we look forward to expanding our offering further in the coming years, helping more people get from A to B thanks to our fleet of driver partners across the county.”
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