A busy junction on the Dublin Road in Tuam close by multiple schools is due to get much needed safety upgrades.
Galway County Council plans to carry out improvements to the junction of the Dublin Road and Frank Stockwell road in the coming months.
Galway TD Seán Canney said that this area is very busy, with both cars and pedestrians, during school drop-off and pick-up times.
“This junction can be very congested at school times and any improvements to the junction are to be welcomed.”
“There are a number of national schools’ access points at this location, and it is imperative that safety is a priority especially young children trying to access the schools”.
Deputy Canney said that the upgrade works will make the area safer for all through improvements to footpaths and railings.
A Book of Condolences in memory of Ashling Murphy has been opened by the Mayor of Galway City.
Mayor of the City of Galway, Councillor Colette Connolly, opened the online Book and it will be available to the public for the entry of messages of sympathy.
Cllr Connolly expressed her own sympathies to the Murphy family, who are laying their daughter to rest today.
“Ar mo shon féin agus ar son Chathair na Gaillimhe déanaimid comhbhrón le clann Murphy.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dilís agus sólas dá muintir.”
“My Deepest Sympathies to the Murphy family on the tragic, terrible loss of their daughter Ashling and also to her extended family and friends.
Wishing you strength and comfort at this difficult time.”
Ashling Murphy was killed while out running by the Grand Canal in Tullamore last Wednesday.
Her funeral is taking place this morning at St. Brigid’s Church, Mountbolus at 11am.
The funeral of Ashling Murphy will take place later this morning, and will be live streamed for the public to view, as her family requests privacy.
The funeral will take place at St. Brigid’s Church, Mountbolus at 11am, followed by her burial in Lowertown Cemetery.
The family of Ashling Murphy have requested privacy at her family home on Tuesday, where she has been reposing since Sunday, and family flowers only at the funeral.
The 23-year-old teacher was murdered last week while out for a run along the Grand Canal in Tullamore.
The Department of Health has reported 6,329 PCR confirmed cases of COVID-19 this afternoon. On Sunday, 4,810 people also registered a positive antigen test through the HSE portal.
As of 8am today, 1,006 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised nationally, of whom 97 are in ICU.
Dr Tony Holohan said: “Masks can play a key role in reducing transmission of COVID-19 if made correctly, well fitted and worn properly – that is, they cover the nose, mouth and chin.”
The Chief Medical Officer said that the best way to protect yourself against the most severe impacts of COVID-19 is to get your booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
“The evidence shows that people who have received a booster are less susceptible to infection and, if infected, are less infectious to others,” he said.
“According to our Amárach research, 68% of those aged under 35 years, who have received a full primary course of COVID-19 vaccination but are not yet boosted, said that they would receive a booster dose if they were offered it next week.
“It is important to remember that you don’t need to wait for the HSE to contact you about your booster appointment. You can book an appointment online on www.hse.ie, drop into your local pharmacy or contact your GP.”
An Garda Síochána have said that ‘significant progress’ is being made in their investigation into the murder of Ashling Murphy.
Gardaí have appealed for any information on a man dressed in a black tracksuit top with no hood, black tracksuit bottoms with a large white stripe or white writing on the side, and black runners.
Gardaí are eager to speak to anyone who noticed this man loitering at any location or involved in any activity which drew their attention.
Anyone who gave a lift to this man, or saw him walking in the Tullamore area, is asked to make contact with Gardaí.
Gardaí are continuing to appeal to any person in the general Tullamore area on the 12 January 2022 with any form of video footage to contact them.
Gardaí are still waiting to interview a man in connection with the murder.
An Garda Síochána also said that they are aware and concerned about the activity of people sharing information on social media, and in particular private messaging apps.
They appealed to everyone to stop sharing these messages.
“Not only are they misinformed, inaccurate and dangerous, they are unhelpful to the criminal investigation,” they said.
“If you have information, which is relevant to this criminal investigation you should contact the investigation team at Tullamore Garda Station with this information.”
The investigation team at Tullamore Garda Station can be contacted on 9357060, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
A lucky lotto player scooped the largest Irish jackpot ever on Saturday night, but seven Galway players also woke up with a smile on their faces on Sunday morning after winning €36,687 each.
A total of 149 players from across the country shared a prize fund of almost €5.5 million after matching five numbers plus the bonus in the Saturday’s mega draw.
The National Lottery has urged players to check their tickets carefully and for the 149 winners to sign the back of their tickets and keep them safe.
The lucky winners should make contact with the prize claims team on 1800 666 222 or email claims@lottery.ie and arrangements will be made for them to claim their prizes.
Where the winning tickets were sold in Galway
Galway
Amarillo Stores, Dublin Rd, Tuam, Co Galway
Galway
Duggan Supermarkets Ltd, Post Office, Renmore Rd, Galway, Co Galway
Galway
XL Newsagents, Unit 112, Eyre Square Shopping Centre, Eyre Square, Galway
Galway
McCanns Centra, Mountain Rd, An Fuaran, Moycullen, Co Galway
Galway
Murphy’s Centra, Dublin Rd, Tuam, Co Galway
Galway
Supervalu TA McInerneys, Loughrea Shopping Centre, Athenry Road, Loughrea, Co. Galway
Galway
Dunnes Stores, Galway Retail Centre, Galway West Business Park WTRN Distributor Road, Knocknacarra, Galway
Submissions are now being accepted for the Cúirt New Writing Prize 2022, with a €500 cash prize being offered to the winner of two categories: poetry and short fiction.
The winner in each category will also be given the opportunity to read at the 37th annual Cúirt International Festival of Literature which will take place in Galway between Wednesday 6 and Sunday 10 April 2022.
Poet Gail McConnell will judge the poetry prize and author Lisa McInerney will judge the short Fiction.
The closing date for submissions is Monday 31 January 2022 at 5pm.
Cúirt New Writing Prize Guidelines for Entry
Poetry entries must consist of up to three poems under 50 lines each.
Short stories should be no longer than 2,000 words.
Entry costs €10 in total which covers one story or up to three poems.
Entries are welcome in English and Irish. An Irish language adviser will be approached to assess entries in the Irish language.
Writers submitting work should not have had a full collection or work published in the category in which they enter (novel or short collection for fiction, poetry collection for poetry); this does not include the publication of single poems, stories or chapbooks. If you have had single poems or stories published, you are still eligible to submit.
The story or poems submitted should not have been accepted for publication elsewhere.
There is no restriction on theme or style.
The judges’ verdict is final.
Stories cannot be altered or substituted once they have been entered.
Judging is anonymous. Name and contact details must not appear on the stories or poems.
Entries should be submitted as follows
In a single document
In .doc or .docx format
Double spaced, in 12 pt font
The title of the document should be the title of the piece or pieces.
Entries in the body of an email will not be accepted.
International writers can enter the competition, but we are unable to provide travel expenses to attend the 2022 festival, should they be successful.
Entries submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.
Entry fees will not be returned if stories are withdrawn after entering.
Entry is taken as acceptance of these rules.
Submitting Your Entry
Submissions will be accepted through Google Forms only this year. You can submit your work and details through the link here.
Fees
The entry fee for each separate submission is €10. This can be paid through the Stripe link here.
It is important to us that the prize is accessible to as many writers as possible from all backgrounds around the world. Because of this, we are offering a limited number of subsidised entries. There is capacity for 35 subsidised entries for the 2022 prize. If you would like to avail of subsidised entry, please contact info@cuirt.ie. Subsidised entries should be accompanied by an explanation of the entrant’s need for subsidised entry (up to 200 words).
Rachel Goode from Ballinasloe and Brendan Murray from Tuam are among those who will compete to represent Ireland at this year’s Eurovision in Turin, Italy.
They will perform their songs, which both premiered this morning, on a special Late Late Show on February 4.
Six songs will battle it out on the night, and the winner will be chosen by a combination of national jury, international jury and public vote.
Rachel Goode will sing I’m Loving Me, composed by Joakim Övrenius, Thomas Karlsson, Johan Mauritzson, Anna Engh, while Brendan Murray will perform Real Love, written byBrendan Murray and Darrell Coyle.
Rachel was classically trained and has a strong voice that can uniquely cross through various genres.
She has a bachelor Music degree from DIT and a Master’s in Opera Performance from Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Rachel also has a keen love for fashion and has a certification in Personal Shopping and Fashion styling.
Since her beginnings Rachel has had a love for all genres of music but is most well known for her singing of Irish folk, country and opera.
Rachel is no stranger to the stage and has performed in most of the major venues throughout Ireland including the National Concert Hall and the Bord Gais Energy Theatre.
A member of Irish boy band Hometown from 2014 until 2016, Tuam native Brendan Murray represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017, performing to almost 200 million people.
The owners of popular Galway restaurants Cava Bodega, Tartare, and Aniar are seeking planning permission for a new restaurant and guesthouse in the city.
Cava Restaurant Ltd, owned by JP McMahon and Drigin Gaffey, have submitted plans for renovations to 54 Dominick Street Lower, a vacant former bookstore.
They are seeking approval for internal alterations and a change of use from a bookstore on ground floor, and commercial use of the upper floors, to a restaurant on the ground and part of the first floor.
The remainder of the first floor, and the second floor of the building, will be converted to guest accommodation.
The development also includes plans to demolish and replace existing single and two storey extensions to the building.
Timber sliding sash windows on the upper floors are to be reinstated, and repair and upgrade works will be needed on the roof and rainwater goods.
The planning application states that finding an “economically viable function” for the protected structure will result in its “long-term maintenance and survival” instead of being left vacant.
“The reintroduction of timber sliding sash windows at the first floor level will enhance the appearance of the building both internally and from the street and will be more in keeping with the original character.”
A Conservation Report has been prepared for this application due to the fact that the building is a protected structure.
Galway City Council is due to make a decision on this planning application by February 19.
The number of jobs in the Galway Gaeltacht at companies supported by Údarás na Gaeltachta reached its highest ever level in 2021.
As of the end of last year there 3,180 full-time jobs at Údarás client companies in Galway, a net increase of 225 positions.
This resulted from the creation of 335 new jobs at client companies according to Údarás’ end of year statement, the highest ever figure for the second year running.
A big part of the growth in Galway has been in the medtech sector, with major announcement from multiple companies.
Biomaterials manufacturer Aran Biomedical announced 150 new high quality jobs, and Cambus Medical announced over 40 jobs as part of a €1.9 million expansion.
Along with these, ÉireComposites announced plans to create 40 new jobs after signing a multi-million Euro contract with Spirit AeroSystems.
Chief Executive of Údarás Mícheál Ó hÉanaigh said that gaeltacht communities and companies deserve “huge recognition” for how they have persevered during the pandemic.
“The challenges placed on Gaeltacht businesses and communities by this pandemic and Brexit are yet to be overcome,” Mícheál Ó hÉanaigh said.
“But it is a source of considerable encouragement to see greenshoots of recovery by companies including the surge in the medical device sector in the Gaeltacht.”
“Some of these indigenous companies are a real source of inspiration to others, those businesses that started out with just one or two employees and are now among the largest employers in the Gaeltacht.”
2021 also looked to the future of the Galway Gaeltacht, with the Ros a Mhíl Harbour Report declaring that development of the harbour could result in 900 jobs in the renewable energy sector.
Nationwide there were 825 new jobs created at Gaeltacht companies last year, a net increase of 446 full-time jobs.
This brought the total number of jobs supported by Údarás na Gaeltachta to 7,809 as of year’s end.
Chair of Údarás Anna Ní Ghallachair said that the board takes “significant encouragement” from these figures, and the progress made in sectors providing high-quality jobs to gaeltacht residents.
“A significant milestone has been reached in terms of language planning thanks to the diligence of the Gaeltacht communities in preparing the plans.”
“For the first time, language plans will be implemented at a community level in every Gaeltacht community in 2022 supported by direct investment in those language communities.”
Outside of jobs creation, Irish Language Plans were approved for nine areas in Galway last year, with six of them already being implemented.
At the community level in the Galway Gaeltacht, a total of €1,002,340 in funding was provided to 12 organisations under the Community Development Programme in 2021.
The co-operatives and community-based organisations provide important local services, co-ordinate community development activities and provide an advisory service to the voluntary sector in their area.
Last September also saw the launch of the An Cheathrú Rua 2022-2027 Action Plan, which seeks to progress development in the area.
Pieta, Ireland’s national suicide prevention charity, has launched its ‘SIGNS of Suicide’ campaign together with Galway born signer-songwriter Aaron J Hart.
‘Signs of Suicide’ is a public awareness resource created to help family or friends support someone who may be at risk of self-harm or suicide.
The campaign encourages people to ‘swap the small talk for the big talk’ as over half of Pieta’s clients are under 25 years old.
Speaking about the campaign, Leigh Kenny, Regional Manager and Therapist with Pieta, said that January can be a particularly difficult time of year for people struggling with their mental health, though these issues are far from limited to one month.
“However, it is a great opportunity to highlight that it’s ok not to feel ok sometimes and the best thing you can do is talk about your feelings, whether that be with your family, friends or even your barber.”
“If you think someone you know is struggling then follow the three simple steps of A.P.R – Ask, Persuade and Refer. At Pieta we have trained professionals waiting to help.”
Pieta is urging everyone to be aware of the ‘Signs of Suicide’, so that you can help a loved one feeling blocked in by their own consuming thoughts and look towards feelings of hope.
Aaron J Hart, who is supporting the campaign as it seeks to reach a younger male audience, said that it can help people to spot if someone they know is struggling, so they can reach out in support.
“Anyone who knows my music will know that I’ve been through my own struggles, I know how difficult it is and how taking that first step is the hardest.”
“It can be very difficult to speak to your family or friends about your struggles but that’s exactly what we need to do, we need to talk more and be open about our feelings and the hard times.”
“Nobody can read minds, but Pieta’s SIGNS of Suicide really does help you to identify whether your friends may be struggling.”
“If you suspect they are struggling reach out, make the first move – you never know, you could save a life.”
SIGNS to look out for include:
Sleep disturbance
Isolation
Giving way possessions
No interest in anything
Speaking of no future
The campaign is also a partnership with Sam’s Barbers, as many young men have great relationships with their barbers and consider this a safe space to open-up and talk freely.
Sam Donnelly, Owner of Sam’s Barber’s said “We have young lads come in here and they really do open-up and talk to us, sometimes they talk to us more than they talk to their friends or the girlfriends. It’s almost like the chair is a safe space.”
“It is really important that people understand that there are signs of suicide and to know what to do if recognise these in a loved one. Pieta is a fantastic organisation and I fully support the work that they do.”
Pieta therapists found that most people who talk about suicide do not want to die. They simply want to stop the pain they feel.
Knowing some of the signs to listen and watch out for is the first step in helping someone.
Visit www.pieta.ie for more information about the campaign, and how you can be there for someone close to you.
If you or someone you know is struggling, contact Pieta’s 24/7 freephone helpline on 1800 247 2474 or Text HELP to 51444.
Correction: A previous version of this article included an image which does not represent Option 1 or Option 2 in this public consultation.
Public submissions can be made on the city council’s proposal for a temporary Salthill cycleway until the end of this month.
Galway City Council has given official notice of its intention to create a temporary cycleway along the entire length of the promenade and beyond in Salthill.
It is intended that this will be in place for a trial period of six months from March 2022, until September.
The plans are for the following:
The provision of a temporary 2-way (Contraflow) cycle lane on the seaboard side, from the R336 Seapoint Promenade/ L-5138 Grattan Road Junction to the Blackrock Tower
The provision of a temporary 1-way (Outbound) cycle lane on the seaboard side, from the Blackrock Tower to the R336 Knocknacarra Road/ R336 Barna Road/ R337 Kingston Road Junction
Associated temporary traffic management to provide for the proposed temporary cycle lane provisions.
Associated temporary traffic management to provide for the proposed temporary cycle lane provisions.
Drawings of the proposed cycleway will be available for viewing at city hall until January 28, by appointment only.
One lucky Lotto player in Mayo has woken up today as Ireland’s largest ever Lotto jackpot winner after scooping the €19 million jackpot in last night’s draw.
They won the largest Irish lottery prize ever after matching six numbers on a Quick Pick ticket, and players are being urged to carefully check their tickets.
The ‘Will be Won’ draw was not needed on Saturday night after the new multimillionaire matched all six numbers.
The winning numbers for Saturday 15th January 2022 were: 02, 09, 16, 30, 37, 40 and the bonus was 23.
As the Lotto jackpot was capped at €19.06 million, the funds that would usually go to the jackpot flowed down to the next highest tier at which there was a winner.
The monumental ;Will be Won’ event saw 149 winners at the Match 5 + Bonus tier who shared almost €5.5 million and they will now claim €36,687 each.
Meanwhile, last night’s draw also saw the first Lotto Plus 2 top prize win of the year. A player in Kilkenny scooped the €250,000 prize after purchasing their winning Quick Pick ticket on Friday 14th January in Kittys Cabin on Rose Inn Street in the heart of Kilkenny City.
The winning numbers for last night’s Lotto Plus 2 draw were: 06, 11, 19, 23, 26, 44 and the bonus was 16.
A National Lottery spokesperson said: “Last night’s Lotto draw was truly monumental in the history of the National Lottery. After rolling for an astonishing seven months, the largest Lotto jackpot ever seen in the history of the game has officially been won.
“The €19.06 million was won in the natural way as the winning ticket holder matched all six numbers which meant that the ‘Will be Won’ mechanism was not needed.
“If no player had matched all six numbers in last night’s draw, the entire jackpot prize fund would have flowed down to the next winning tier instead.
“We are urging all of our Lotto players in Mayo to carefully check their tickets today as one player now has a ticket worth a truly life-altering amount.”
They said that Saturday night’s draw also saw 150 other large winners from all over the country.
“A Kilkenny player became the first Lotto Plus 2 winner of 2022 after winning the top prize of €250,000 while 149 other players matched five numbers and the bonus in the main draw to share almost €5.5 million.
“The Match 5+Bonus tier winners benefited from the prize roll down from the jackpot and will all now go on the claim €36,687 each.”
A Galway People Before Profit representative has reiterated his call for the public to be granted access to Galway City Council meetings.
Adrian Curran reminded councillors of Section 45 of the Local Government Act, 2014, which states that “members of the public and representatives of the media are entitled to be present at a meeting of a local authority.”
He said that since Galway City Council switched to online meetings in 2020, the public has been denied this right.
Councillors agreed at their last meeting to continue holding hybrid council meetings where councillors can attend remotely.
“When the meetings are being filmed and streamed anyway, it would be easy and cost free to allow members of the public to watch the stream,” said Mr Curran.
“Given the current high levels of infection, it is perfectly understandable for the council to continue with hybrid meetings.
“It is unacceptable however for councillors to use this as an excuse to avoid scrutiny from the people who elect them.”
Front row: Wei Yang Lim, Brianna Reilly, Caoileann McDhonncha, Adithi Gowda and Rebekah Sartini.
Back row: Róisín Thornton, Dr Rosemary Geoghegan, Director of the NUI Galway Undergraduate Medicine programme, Thomas Butler, Professor Lawrence Egan, Head of the School of Medicine, and Dominic Butler. Photo: Aengus McMahon.
More than 40 students and academics at NUI Galway have been honoured at the annual National University of Ireland awards.
Twenty-eight of the awardees came from NUI Galway’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, including students honoured with the Dr Henry Hutchinson Stewart Medical Scholarships.
President of NUI Galway Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh said that this ‘clearly highlights the high calibre of students’ studying at NUI Galway.
“I congratulate everyone on their achievements and I would also like to pay tribute to the teachers and educators and other support staff for their work with our students and in helping them to achieve such high standards,” he said.
Dr Patrick O’Leary, former Head of Chemistry at NUI Galway and began his term as Registrar of NUI this month, said: “The NUI Awards reward exceptional achievement in academic endeavour but also seek to resource some of our brightest minds to continue their academic careers.
“Today we make awards in a wide variety of areas and the work spans studies of the early medieval era to the NUI Dr H H Stewart Medical Scholarships and Prizes, highlighting the importance of medicine and healthcare during Covid-19. Congratulations to all the awardees.”
Among those awarded First Prize were
Recipient
Award
Martin O’Donoghue
Publication Prize in Irish History, joint award
Monika Jurkiewicz
NUI Travelling Doctoral Studentship in Latin American Literature
Tammy Strickland
NUI Travelling Doctoral Studentship in Neuroscience
Ciara Shortiss
NUI Travelling Doctoral Studentship Prize in Spinal Cord Injury Regeneration
Jenny Dixon
NUI Scholarship and Prize in Education, joint award
Lauren McMahon
Pierce Malone Scholarship in Engineering
Colm Ó Flathúin
Scoláireacht Chiste Theach an Ardmhéara sa Ghaeilge
Adam Mac Donnacha
Duais Chiste Theach an Ardmhéara sa Ghaeilge
Keith Dowling
French Government Medal and NUI Prize for Proficiency in French
First prize awardees from the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, included:
Dr Evan White
Anaesthesia
Rebekah Sartini
General Practice
Brianna Reilly
Medical Microbiology
Róisín Thornton
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Dr Sinead McKenna
Ophthalmology
Rosie Waldron
Paediatrics
Adithi Gowda
Physiology
Thomas Butler
Psychiatry
Ellen Casey
Public Health
Dr Emma Callaghan
Surgery
Anu Mohandes Nair
General Nursing
Joseph Doherty
Podiatric Medicine
Elise Byrne
Speech and Language Therapy
Professor Niall Ó Dochartaigh and Dr Eugene Costello both received Commendations in the Irish History category.
NUI Galway was also successful in a number of Dr H H Stewart Literary Scholarships including Chloe Bright in English and Bláithín Breathnach in French, with Bláithín also receiving a Commendation in Italian. Chloe Kennedy was awarded 2nd prize in Spanish, and Amy Kennedy 3rd prize in German.
In the Irish categories Muireann Ní Cheannabháin was presented with 2nd prize in the Duaiseanna an Dr T K Whitaker sa Ghaeilge, and Amy Cox was awarded 2nd prize in Scoláireacht Liteartha an Dr H H Stewart sa Ghaeilge
Awardees from NUI Galway’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences also included second prize winners: Shania Coutinho, Anatomy; Anmol Mahesh, Biochemistry, Dr Aoife Fitzpatrick, Clinical Radiology, Cian Buckley O’Sullivan, General Practice; Zachary Hanrasi, Pathology; Emily Grehan, Midwifery; and Heather Gallen, Podiatric Medicine.
There were also third prize winners from the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences: Caoileann Nic Dhonncha, Anatomy; Dr Sarah Eustace, Clinical Radiology; Dr Rionagh Lynch, Medicine; Dominic Butler, Paediatrics; Wei Yang Lim, Pathology; Amy Marian Collins, General Nursing; and Muibat Cole, Children’s Nursing.
Sinn Féin’s East Galway representative Louis O’Hara has said that the health service is failing children by failing to provide them with their statutory entitlement of routine dental screening in primary schools.
O’Hara said that almost 100,000 children nationally, including 5,635 in schools in County Galway, are waiting for routine dental examinations.
The figures were revealed in a response to a parliamentary question put forward by O’Hara’s party colleague Mark Ward TD.
“Eligibility for dental services is a statutory entitlement under the Health Acts. Almost one million children aged up to and including 15 years are eligible for HSE Dental services,” said Louis O’Hara.
“All of the HSE Dental Services are provided free of charge.”
He said that prior to COVID, we saw reports from The Irish Dental Association that stated an increasing number of children are only being offered examination and dental care for the first time at sixth class – instead of at first, second, fourth and sixth classes.
“This situation has been exacerbated by the impact of Covid. The bar was already set low for dental screening in primary schools and figures released to Sinn Féin by the HSE show over 5000 children are waiting on routine dental examinations in County Galway.”
O’Hara says that this follows on from a 63% decrease in dental screening in primary schools nationally in 2020.
“This situation is not unique to Galway, but it is replicated right across the State, where there are currently almost 100,000 children waiting on an appointment. Some areas offer appointments to 6th classes only and emergency services to other children under 16.”
The Athenry native said that there are strong links between good oral health and good physical health, and it is “vital that the HSE develop a contingency plan so children can receive this vital service.”
Liam Ó Maonlai, Ronan Ó Snodaigh agus Myles Ó Reilly
A new ten-part radio series presented by Liam Ó Maonlaí will be broadcast on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta every Thursday.
Cuan an Cheoil, which begins on 20 January at 7pm on RnaG, is the first radio series produced by An Spidéal arts venue and production company Stiúideo Cuan.
The series will feature ten of the country’s best-known musicians, who will join Liam Ó Maonlaí each week to play and to chat with him about various aspects of music and life.
Liam describes the programmes as ‘a musical conversation’ between himself and his guests.
They were recorded in Stiúideo Cuan in An Spidéal in a relaxed and open atmosphere, an attempt to recreate the informality of a group of musicians playing together at home, as opposed to a concert setting.
The series’ goal is to allow the musicians the space to be creative, to improvise and to compose on the spot, and the musicians who took part in the series got great satisfaction and enjoyment out of the process.
Síle Denvir and Barry Kerr will join Liam for the first programme of the series on 20 January.
Síle, from Conamara, is a member of the group Líadan, and has also performed with the Chieftains. Barry Kerr, a musician, composer and painter, is originally from Armagh but is now living in Conamara.
Barry Kerr, Liam Ó Maonlaí & Síle Denvir
Other musicians taking part in the series include Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh & Nia Byrne, Peadar Ó Riada & Mick O’Brien, Mary Bergin & Conor Connolly, Johnny Óg Connolly & Liam O’Connor, Róisín Chambers & Maitiú Ó Casaide, Méabh Ní Bheaglaoich & Niamh Varian-Barry, Rónán Ó Snodaigh & Myles O’Reilly, and Caoimhe & Séamus Ó Flatharta.
A visual stream for this programme will also be available online every week.
Stiúideo Cuan is a new creative arts and music centre based beside Ceardlann an Spidéil craft village in An Spidéal.
Founded by composer, fiddle-player and pianist Charlie Lennon and his daughter, fiddle-player Éilís Lennon, the studio has recently been redeveloped, enhancing the facilities which now include a performance venue, with rehearsal and production space, as well as recording and audio-visual post-production facilities.
