Jobseeker payments to return to post offices

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January 26, 2022

Galway daily news Pandemic Unemployment claims in Galway fall by 1,800 people

Workers need a substantial pay rise in 2022 as food, heating, lighting and driving are set to increase by €2,000.

That’s according to People Before Profit Galway representative Adrian Curran who said that the government has refused to impose maximum price orders to stop these rising prices.

“Workers need to put in pay claims to defend their living standards. That means calling a workplace meeting and voting to get a union to demand extra wages,” said Mr Curran.

“Some have claimed that we should not worry because the price hikes are ‘transitory;. Yet there is no sign that inflation is declining and instead price hikes have hit a 20 year high.”

Mr Curran said that workers should not accept the argument that a wage rise will lead to an ‘inflationary spiral’.

“Inflation did not arise because workers were pressing for more wages. Instead of constantly looking for wage moderation, maybe it is time we had some ‘profit moderation’ to help curb rising prices.

“We need at least a 6% increase – not just a few euros.”

New Rural Voices seminar series launched by NUIG

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January 26, 2022

galway daily news seminar series nui galway

Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys has today announced Rural Voices, a new seminar series hosted by NUI Galway.

The monthly sessions are being held to bring a renewed focus on rural issues at a national level.

The seminars are planned as part of NUI Galway’s participation in the Higher Education and Research Network for Rural Development and they ar the first of their kind in Ireland.

The events will feature research, projects and initiatives from academics and key rural stakeholders engaged in rural studies, including those in the Research Network for Rural Development.

The first seminar takes place at 3pm on Wednesday 26 January 2022.

It is open to the public, policymakers and key rural stakeholders, both nationally and internationally and can be accessed here.

Launching the series, Minister Humphreys said the wonderful initiative provides a unique platform for Irish academics and rural stakeholders to put forward their projects and ideas as we work collectively to improve Rural Ireland.

“It is critically important that we all work together – government, academia and society – to address the major challenges and to seize the many opportunities ahead of us,” she said.

“Rural Voices series is an exciting new opportunity for us to do just that.

“Initiatives like these very much reflect and compliment the objectives of ‘Our Rural Future’ – the Government’s ambitious five year strategy which aims to transform Rural Ireland and provide more opportunities for our rural communities.

“’Our Rural Future’ is already having a big impact the length and breadth of the country. Its objectives can only be further realised by initiatives like these.”

New date set for Galway Chamber Business Awards

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January 26, 2022

galway daily news chamber business awards

The Galway Chamber has announced that the 2021 Business Awards will take place in-person in the Salthill Hotel on Thursday 31 March.

The annual awards were scheduled for December of last year, but the Chamber postponed the event due to the reintroduction of Covid restrictions.

Following the lifting of those measures at the weekend, Chamber CEO Kenny Deery said that the easing of restrictions is a hugely positive step forward and provides much-needed hope for the hospitality industry.

“The theme for this year’s Awards is ‘Building for a New Future – Ag Tógáil do Thodhchaí Nua’ which celebrates the outstanding and innovating work done by Galway businesses throughout 2021.”

A total of ten awards will be presented on the night, including the new categories of Best Employer sponsored by Noel Group as well as the Accessibility, Diversity & Inclusion Award sponsored by Galway City Council.

The finalists for each category

The ‘Accessibility, Diversity & Inclusion’ Award
ByoWave
Connect4Work
Wave Makers Galway 2020

The ‘Best Small to Medium Enterprise’ Award
MKO
App Design
Irish Socksciety

The ‘Best Customer Service’ Award
Cantec
Diligent
Pale Blue Dot Recruitment

The Dr. Chris Coughlan Award for ‘Best Emerging Enterprise’
Ronspot
Grá Chocolates
Perfici Intelligence Ltd.

The ‘Excellence in Innovation’ Award
Aran Island Ferries
Diligent
gTeic An Spidéal

The ‘Best Employer’ Award
Galway Bay Hotel
Medtronic
VHA

The ‘Sustainability Initiative’ Award
Bus Éireann
Clayton Hotel
Kylemore Abbey

The ‘Marketing Excellence’ Award
Irish Socksciety
Glenlo Abbey
Aran Island Ferries

Two additional awards will also be presented on the night. The prestigious President’s Award will be awarded to an individual who has contributed in an outstanding way to the business life of Galway, while the overall 2021 Galway Chamber Business of the Year, sponsored by Shannon Group plc, will be awarded to one of the category winners.

Three Galway students awarded scholarships in Women in STEM2D programme

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January 26, 2022

Galway daily news stem2d scholarship students nui galway — From left: Anushree Dwivedi, Johnson & Johnson lead for WiSTEM Galway; Karen Gillooly; NUI Galway President Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh; Luka Anna Mac Lochlainn; Thalyra Costa; Michael Gilvarry, General Manager, Cerenovus, J&J.

Ten students at NUI Galway have been awarded scholarships at a virtual ceremony as part of the Johnson & Johnson Ireland Women in STEM²D (WiSTEM²D) Award Programme.

WiSTEM²D refers to Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Manufacturing and Design.

Three Galway students were among those who received a scholarship: Karen Gillooly (Williamstown), Luka Anna Mac Lochlainn (Moycullen), and Thalyra Costa (Gort).

The scholarship recipients will receive industry mentoring and leadership training to help prepare them to pursue a career in STEM.

Anna Rafferty, Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D University Lead and Director of Strategy, Johnson & Johnson Campus Ireland, said that since 2016, Johnson & Johnson has supported nearly 300 female students across Ireland through the WiSTEM²D programme.

“We were delighted to extend our programme to include NUI Galway for this academic year, as we continue to work at building a diverse WiSTEM²D science community and developing a talent pipeline by nurturing and mentoring our future female STEM leaders,” said Anna Rafferty.

“Over the last two years, we have worked very hard to ensure that the recipients of this award have not missed out on any opportunities despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.”

Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, President of NUI Galway, said the students are changemakers, making history and shaping the future of the university.

“We are very proud of our 10 Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM²D scholarship students in the College of Science and Engineering,” said Professor Ó hÓgartaigh.

“By openly embracing and respecting all the talents in our society, we embrace and respect excellence.

“We are confident that the Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM²D programme will empower our scholarship students to impact positively for the public good, for our society, our people and our planet.”

There are currently around 118,000 people across Ireland working in jobs that require STEM skills. However, the CSO reports that just 25% of these roles are performed by women, with just 5% in leadership roles.

Online meeting hears frustration about cost of living crisis in West

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January 26, 2022

galway daily news Cost of Living protest planned for Galway City

An online public meeting earlier has heard that many people in the West are struggling with rising costs.

The meeting was organised by Sinn Féin and attended by local party representatives including Mairéad Farrell TD, Louis O’Hara and Chris MacManus MEP.

Louis O’Hara said that it was clear from the meeting that the cost of living crisis in this state is having ‘a real impact on the quality of life for workers and families across the west’.

“Rents have risen on average by 8.3% in the past 12 months while CSO figures show that since October 2020 house prices have increased by 13.5% across the state, with the median new build house price for first time buyers now at €343,000,” said Mr O’Hara.

“We also know that inflation is rising at record levels and the CSO’s Consumer Price Index late last year has shown that energy prices are up by 25%, while the cost of home heating oil has soared by a staggering 71%.”

O’Hara said that these realities were reflected in the Cost of Living survey results published by Claire Kerrane TD in November, which were outlined at the meeting.

“Over 14,500 people responded to the survey with the majority of them working full time (55%) and struggling to cover basic essentials,” he said.

“Many households have also seen their income drop due to Covid-19 while outgoings remained the same.”

The meeting included a number of contributions from people struggling with rising costs and frustrated with the lack of action to address it.

Issues such as housing, energy costs and insurance were highlighted as putting enormous financial pressure on people.

O’Hara said that his party has put forward a number of fully costed solutions to address the cost of living crisis, for example stopping the ineffective carbon tax increases, introducing a living wage, building social and affordable housing to cut rents and house prices, progressively abolishing third level fees and many others.

“These measures would ease the financial burden on people and need to be acted upon by Government,” he said.

Broken pipe causing traffic disruptions in Galway City

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January 25, 2022

Traffic in the west side of Galway City is being disrupted this evening due to a burst water mains.

Traffic management is currently in place on the Western Distributor Road, where repairs to the burst pipe are underway.

Galway City Council said that this will require “city-bound vehicles on the Western Distributor Road, approaching the roundabout at Bothar Stiofán, to divert around by Gateway Retail Park before coming back onto the Western Distributor Rd.”

This is also causing water outages to homes and businesses on the Western Distributor Road, Gateway Retail Park, and Sliabh Ard estate.

Repair work are currently scheduled to continue until 10pm tonight.

COVID-19: 4,006 PCR cases and 5,212 positive antigen tests

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January 25, 2022

Galway Daily news 25 percent drop in COVID cases in Galway hospitals

There have been a further 9,218 total cases of COVID-19 reported by health officials today, between pcr and antigen test results.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has notified 4,006 PCR confirmed cases today.

There have also been another 5,212 positive antigen test results registered through the HSE portal.

As of this morning there were 824 people in the country hospitalised with COVID, of whom 79 are in the ICU.

The COVID-19 data hub provides detailed information about the disease in the community, including the rollout of the booster campaign.

In the past week 127,422 lab test have been processed in the country, with 30.5% returning positive results.

A total of 2,657,959 booster vaccine doses have been administered as of Monday, with 4,002 given yesterday alone.

Helping to safeguard Galway’s rivers

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January 25, 2022

Galway Daily news Helping to safeguard Galway's rivers

Galway City has often been described as a city defined by its waterways, and an online public meeting this week will give city residents an opportunity to have their say about the future of Galway’s canals and rivers.

Galway City Community Network and Local Authority Waters Programme are hosting a zoom meeting to discuss the draft River Basin Management Plan for Ireland 2022-2027, and its implications for Galway.

This plan is currently in the later stages of being prepared, with objectives such as environmental improvements, water quality, and programme of measures to be delivered during a river basin planning cycle.

The meeting will take place this Thursday, January 27 via Zoom at 6pm, for which people can register online here.

Jacinta Fay, GCCN Co-Ordinator said “We welcome the opportunity to co-host this meeting and hear from the community in Galway City on the issue of water quality in our rivers, lakes, estuaries and seas.”

“It is a concern that the water quality in almost half of water courses is poor and action is needed to restore and protect our ecosystems.”

“It is important for as many diverse voices to come together in our aim to help protect Ireland’s drinking water sources, environment and communities”.

The meeting will involve the LAWPRO providing information on the national draft Plan, and the public consultation process currently in place for this, including a short online survey.

The public consultation period for the draft River Basin Management Plan closes on March 31 this year.

At the end of this consultation period, the LAWPRO will collect all submissions to produce a report for the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage.

Conor Ruane, Community Water Officer with LAWPRO said that Galway is a city which is shaped by water, and that urgent action is needed to arrest a decline in water quality in Ireland in recent years, and repair the damage done so far.

“Achieving this will deliver multiple benefits for water, climate, biodiversity, jobs, and communities. There will be a questions and answers session and time for discussion on local issues.”

“This is your chance to have your say and to put forward your views on what needs to get done to help the waterbodies in Galway City and nationally”.

Gardaí appeal for witnesses to assault on two men walking home

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January 25, 2022

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

Gardaí are appealing for witnesses after two men were injured in alleged assault which occurred by the Headford Road last week.

On the night of Thursday, January 20, a group of four were walking home through the Dyke Road car park off the Headford Road around 10:10pm.

It is alleged that an altercation took place, and two of the men received injuries after being assaulted.

There were vehicles parked in the car park at the time of the alleged assault and Garda are anxious to speak with anyone that was in the Dyke Road car park at around 10pm on Thursday evening.

Anyone who may have witnessed the assault taking place or anyone that may have captured the incident on camera and/or dash cam is asked to make contact with investigating Gardaí.

Anyone with any information is asked is asked to contact Galway Garda Station on 091-538000 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

Pubs rush to secure late trading hours as restrictions removed

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January 25, 2022

galway daily news Expansion plans for popular city centre pub

Pubs in Galway City are rushing to secure special exemptions orders that will allow them to stay open late now that restrictions have been removed.

At Monday’s sitting of Galway District Court there were three special exemption orders granted for hospitality companies, with far more applications expected at Wednesday’s court sitting.

Ireland’s licencing laws set trading hours as ending at 12:30am, and if pubs and late bars wish to stay open later than this, a special exemption order is needed.

It was only on Friday evening that the government formally announced that the 8pm closing time for pubs and restaurants was being removed.

EJ King Bar Limited secured an order allowing Busker Browne’s, Kirby’s, and The Slatehouse to trade until 2am for the remainder of the month.

Murty Rabbitt’s also secured an special exemption order allowing them to trade up to 2am on Saturday & Sunday, January 29-30.

And Roisin Dubh Pub Limited was granted an order for the popular venue to operate up to 2am until the end of the month.

As part of the relaxation of restrictions, the government also announced that the fees for getting a special exemption order have been waived until the summer.

It usually costs a fee of €300 and excise duty of €110 per court application for an order, but these have been waived until the end of April.

Employers encouraged to consider advantages of Connected Hubs

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January 25, 2022

galway daily news laptop working from home remote working sun freedom

Minister Heather Humphreys has encouraged employers to consider the advantages that ConnectedHubs.ie offers staff returning to work over the next few months.

Speaking about the opportunities offered by the network, the Minister said now that restrictions are being eased, many employers are keen to offer a ‘blended working’ opportunity to staff.

She said that many people don’t want to work from their kitchen table or bedroom forever and that there needs to be clear lines between where ‘work life’ ends and ‘home life’ begins.

“Equally we know that people don’t want to go back to the days of the long commute and spending hours sitting in their car when they could be spending that time with their family,” said Minister Humphreys.

“Working from a hub in your local town or village is the optimum solution to both of these issues – it means there are clear demarcation lines between work and family life while at the same time removing the requirement for the long commute. It will also increase footfall in our rural town and villages.”

Minister Humphreys said that there is nationwide coverage with over 177 hubs already using the ConnectedHubs.ie platform and she expects this figure to increase to 400 by the end of 2022.

“My Department has invested millions of euro in funding the establishment of new remote working hub facilities and also in upgrading existing hub facilities. This has ensured that remote working hubs offer a modern, safe and convenient environment for workers all across the country.

“I welcome the legislation which the Tánaiste has brought forward today and I would encourage employers to look at utilising these hubs as a means to allow their staff to continue to work remotely into the future.

“The National Connected Hubs network, ConnectedHubs.ie, currently has 177 hubs using the platform. A further 280 hubs have already been mapped and will be invited to join the network over the coming months.”

Large scale two-school development approved for Tuam

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January 25, 2022

Galway daily news Three Galway schools join Creative Clusters collaboration

A large-scale two school development has been approved for the Dublin Road in Tuam.

It will include a 41-classroom investment for Trinity Primary School, with five special education rooms through the delivery of a new multi-story building.

Also being provided are eight classrooms for Tuam Educate Together primary school, with 2-classbase SEN rooms.

Minister Anne Rabbitte welcomed the approval, saying that this is very welcome news for parents and families in the area.

“This will give both Trinity Primary School and Tuam Educate Together a more concrete future and allow the schools plan for the years ahead,” said the East Galway TD.

“Not only are we seeing almost 50 classrooms being added into the mix but 7 of these will be for supporting special educational needs.

“There is a great need for such additional supports and it’s good to see this included in the plans here.”

Over 600 Galway students to take part in Bar of Ireland’s annual TY programme

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January 25, 2022

More than 600 Transition Year students from 19 schools across Galway have registered for the Bar of Ireland’s ‘Look into Law’ programme for 2022.

The annual law programme for Transition Year students was a roaring success in 2021, and it promises to reach even greater numbers of TY students across Ireland this year.

The programme gives TY students a comprehensive insight into the role of the legal system, courts and the work of barristers.

It is open to all schools and is relevant to all students – not only those interested in pursuing a career in law.

In Galway, three of the 19 schools with students taking part are DEIS schools. When the Programme first started seven years ago, just 100 students participated.

Contributors on this year’s programme include the newly appointed Chief Justice, the Court Presidents, Chair of the Bar and numerous barristers, solicitors and legal correspondents.

Launching the Programme, Chair of the Council of The Bar of Ireland, Maura McNally SC, said: “One of the silver linings of the pandemic has been the ability to take our TY programme online and affording even more students the opportunity to gain an extensive insight into the different areas of law, the various legal professions and general knowledge about that law that govern our society.

“Last year saw record participation with 10,000 students, so to have a 60 percent increase with 16,000 students from every county in Ireland signed up is really exciting.

“The Bar of Ireland is looking forward to welcoming students from Galway and giving many their first taste of a life in law.”

New €5m training facility purchased for Galway Roscommon ETB

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January 25, 2022

Galway Daily news GRETB gets approval for expansion of Mervue Training Centre

A major new training facility costing over €5 million has been purchased for Galway Roscommon ETB (GRETB).

The Cambridge Building, in Mervue Business Park in Galway City extends to a gross external area of over 36,700 sq ft, and will almost double the number of spaces available for apprentices in training workshops and classrooms.

The building is adjacent to the current GRETB Training Centre and FET Headquarters in the city and the facility will provide new craft workshops for Electrical, Plumbing, Carpentry and Joinery, Metal Fabrication and Pipefitting.

There will also be associated classrooms and flexibility to deliver more FET fulltime/part-time programs in the future and the apprenticeship workshops can be converted into other trades as required.

This will lead to an increase in training capacity from the current level of 216 apprentices per year to over 400 apprentices per year, with potential to increase to over 600 apprentices per year.

David Leahy, Chief Executive of Galway and Roscommon ETB, said that the acquisition of this additional space is an important strategic development for GRETB in Galway City in particular.

“It allows us to respond to the growing demand for further education and training, including apprenticeships, in the region,” he said.

“We can continue to develop important synergies with our existing FET centres in the city, creating opportunities for learners to progress their further education and training journey with GRETB across our full-time and part-time services.

“Access to a FET College of the Future in the Galway and Roscommon region is central to the strategic vision for the FET department in GRETB. This brings us another step closer to realising that vision.”

Sheep and goat census postal returns deadline extended

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January 25, 2022

Galway daily news sheep killed in serious animal attacks

The deadline for postal returns of sheep and goat census forms has been extended to 14th February – the same date for online submissions.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue extended the deadline due to some herd keepers experiencing delays with receiving their census forms.

While the deadline for postal returns has been extended to compensate for delays, the Minister said that farmers could always submit their forms online via agfood.ie where they would get real time confirmation of successful submission.

The Minister reminded all registered sheep and goat herd keepers that it is a legal requirement to complete their census forms.

A failure to return a completed form on time could impact on eligibility for certain DAFM schemes.

He also thanked sheep and goat keepers for their ongoing engagement with the census process, where response rates of some 90% are generally achieved.

“Forestry Industry is in a mess” – Galway TD

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January 24, 2022

Galway daily news Minister faces no confidence motion over forestry licencing backlog Canney says

Galway East TD Seán Canney has said that the Forestry Industry is in a “mess” as the number of licences fall far short of the Department of Agriculture own targets for 2021.

He said that this is happening despite an investment in additional resources 4,035 forestry licences were issued by the department of Agriculture Food and the Marine in 2021.

Deputy Canney said that it well-short of the Department’s own soft target of 4,500 for the year, and far below the of 7,000 licences the industry requires.

Of the 4,035 licences issued for 2021, the department issued just 512 (12.5%) for afforestation – permission to plant trees.

“Long delays in granting afforestation licences will see many approved licences fail to convert in to planting as landowners are forced to look at other incomes on their land during the process,” said Deputy Canney.

“I have cases where landowners made a decision to plant their land and have seen no progress or income for more than two years.

“The Government need to grasp this serious issue as a matter of urgency as the supply of native timber is collapsing and farmers are turning away from tree growing due the inordinate delays in granting licences.

“It is my view that the licence system needs to be overhauled and we need to have one licence application to deal with the planting, thinning and felling of trees in order to give certainty to farmers, sawmills and the construction industry.”

Councillor encourages women to highlight city areas that feel unsafe

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January 24, 2022

Galway City Councillor Owen Hanley has encouraged women to highlight areas of Galway City that feel unsafe while they are out walking or running.

Cllr Hanley said that over the past few weeks, women have sent him details of parts of their daily walks that they feel are not safe enough.

Among the issues highlighted were hedges that were too high, blindspots, or lights that should have been fixed.

He said that he will bring these areas to the attention of the council.

COVID-19: 3,692 cases reported today

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January 24, 2022

galway daily news Just one COVID patient in the ICU at University Hospital Galway

Health officials have reported 3,692 further PCR confirmed cases of COVID-19 today.

In addition, on Sunday 23 January, 4,347 people registered a positive antigen test through the HSE portal.

As of 8am today, 885 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of whom 76 are in ICU.

€2.5m announced for building works at 31 Galway schools

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January 24, 2022