Galway’s first Tinder night for college students to take place next week

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November 12, 2021

Galway Daily news Report into death of Claddagh fisherman cites rough weather and no lifejacket

Not wearing a lifejacket, dangerous weather, and using a mobile phone to raise the alarm were highlighted in a Marine Casualty Investigation Board report into the death of a Claddagh fisherman last year.

Tom Oliver was out with his father aboard the FV Myia on the afternoon of November 2, 2020, when he was tragically drowned after being pulled overboard.

The two were resetting a train of shrimp pots near Blackrock around 1:30pm, when Mr Oliver got his leg tangled in their rope, and was pulled overboard.

During the timeframe of this incident, westerly winds neared gale force 7, with gusts of up to 50 knots.

Rescue services were called at 1:43pm using a mobile phone, and the Galway RNLI lifeboat arrived at 1:58, when he was still tangled in the ropes and unconscious.

After being recovered from the water the lifeboat crew performed CPR on the way to a waiting ambulance, but Oliver was pronounced dead on arriving at University Hospital Galway.

The MCIB report said that weather conditions had “deteriorated” after the Myia left port, and would have been seriously challenging for a vessel of its size, which may have contributed to violent movements that dragged the unfortunate victim overboard.

It noted that there are no manufacturers recommendations on the operational limitations of this type of vessel, and the manufacturing company is no longer in existence.

“In either case it would appear the vessel was undertaking an inherently dangerous task in conditions beyond the safe limit to do so.”

The report highlighted that Mr Oliver was not wearing a personal floatation device, which would have “greatly improved” his chances of survival.

A mobile phone was used for the distress call, rather than a Digital Select Calling (DSC) or Mayday call on VHF radio, which “added some delay” to the distress call.

The call was first made to a relative, who passed the warning on. But a Mayday call over the VHF radio would have been “picked up immediately” by the Valentia Coastguard.

COVID-19: 5,483 more cases reported today

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November 12, 2021

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

Health officials have reported 5,483 new cases of COVID-19 today in the Republic.

As of 8am this morning, 549 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised nationally, of whom 96 are in intensive care units.

Dr Tony Holohan said that today they are reporting one of the highest ever daily figures of confirmed cases of COVID-19.

“This is another indication of the very significant increase in the incidence of disease in almost all age-groups across the population,” said the Chief Medical Officer.

“As we look ahead to the weekend, we need to continue to make every effort we can to drive down incidence of disease and break the chains of transmission.

“Before you leave the house, think about the number of people you are going to meet, and the risk associated with the activities you have planned.”

The Department of Health has said that the daily case numbers may change due to future data validation.

Two new school building projects announced for Galway

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November 12, 2021

Galway Daily news Two new school building projects announced for Galway

Two schools in Galway will benefit from permanent new building announced today.

St Teresa’s Special School in Ballinasloe, and both the junior and senior schools at Scoil Chaitríona in Renmore had new campuses announced by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister for Education Norma Foley during a visit to Galway today.

Scoil Chaitríona Junior School caters for boys and girls from Junior Infants to Second Class while Scoil Chaitríona Senior School caters for boys and girls from Third Class to Sixth Class.

The two schools have a total of 760 pupils between the junior and senior cycles.

The proposed development for Scoil Chaitríona on the school site will include construction of two 24 classroom schools in addition to special classes.

City Councillor Alan Cheevers said that this is a welcome development for Scoil Chaitríona, which people have been working towards for several years.

“The school Principals and the board of management of Scoil Cathriona have put in huge work over the last few years in highlighting the need for a new school build for the site.”

“Today is a good announcement not only for them, but the community of Renmore and surrounding area.”

St Teresa’s Special School in Ballinasloe will get a new eight classroom building for pupils with learning difficulties aged 4 to 18.

A new site for St. Teresa’s, which is currently accommodated at Ballinasloe Enterprise Centre, was secured back in July.

The project for St Teresa’s Special School will be delivered under the department’s ADAPT programme (Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning & Tendering).

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that these are “significant projects” for Galway, which will meet the needs of their students.

“”Each of these projects place a focus on providing for children with special educational needs which is a crucial element of the government’s focus on education.

“These state-of-the-art facilities will support every student to reach their full potential.”

Galway villages clean up at Tidy Towns awards

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November 12, 2021

Galway Daily news Galway villages clean up at Tidy Towns awards

Monivea & Milltown villages were among the winners at the 2021 Supervalu Tidy Towns awards announced this morning, back after a year off from COVID.

Monivea Tidy Towns were chosen as the overall winner of the Gum Litter Taskforce Village and Small Town award announced today.

The GLT provides a total of €5,000 in prize money each year which is distributed amongst the winners of the Large Town and Urban Centre and Village and Small Town subcategories, with a €1,000 bonus being awarded to the overall winner.

Speaking about the awards Paul Kelly, Chairman of the GLT, said “The TidyTowns competition acknowledges on a national stage the diligent and persistent efforts of local community-based groups in tackling the issue of litter in their localities.”

“I am delighted to see Monivea TidyTowns’ hard work rewarded with the Village and Small Town award as well as being crowned overall winners of the GLT award.”

“I hope that their work will inspire others to get involved in anti-litter initiatives within their own communities going forward.”

Monivea’s efforts to tackle gum litter in their village included erecting litter awareness signs at places such as the playground and forest walks, as well as running competitions in local schools.

The local tidy towns group thanked everyone involved for their efforts such that, despite “limited numbers” and difficulties from COVID, as well as “the destruction of the CE scheme”, they achieved this victory.

Also in Galway, Milltown Tidy Towns received a gold medal award for area with an population of 200 – 1,000 people.

Abbey and Galway City Centre were both awarded silver medals in the respective population categories.

Milltown was also chosen as the overall county winner for Galway, receiving a €1,000 prize, and Abbey was “highly commended”.

The Endeavor Award, going to the area in each county with the greatest improvement in its score, went to Tuam in Galway, which saw a 5.94% increase on its 2019 score.

Among the other special awards, Oranmore Tidy Towns is the joint winner of the €5,000 Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland award, and Kinvara won the €1,000 Leave No Trace prize.

Ennis, Co. Clare was announced as the overall winner of the 2021 Supervalu Tidy Towns Awards

Four Galway cheesemakers honoured at Irish Cheese Awards

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November 12, 2021

galway daily news cheese awards galway — Killeen Farmhouse Cheese from Drimna West

Four farmhouse cheese producers from Galway have been presented with awards at the Irish Cheese Awards 2021 at a ceremony this week.

Organised by Cáis, the Association of Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers, the bi-annual event celebrates the thriving farmhouse cheese sector in Ireland.

The all-island event received entries from over 50 companies which entered a total of 220 cheeses – the largest number of entries in the awards’ nine year history.

Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine Charlie McConalogue gave the keynote address at the ceremony on Tuesday night, saying that the awards showcase ‘all that is great and good’ in the sector.

Award winning cheeses

From Galway, a total of eight awards were presented to Irish Farmhouse Cheese producers, recognising their stellar contributions to the sector.

Aran Islands Goats Cheese from Inis Mór received the Bronze ‘Fresh/ Soft Cheese: Goat Milk’ award for its Aran Island Soft Goats Pearls and the Bronze ‘Soft Cheese Flavour Added’ award for its Aran Island Dillisk Goat’s Pearls.

Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese from Kylemore received the Silver ‘Hard/ Semi Hard Cheese Under 6 Months: Cow Milk’ award for its Kylemore Claddagh Cheese.

galway daily news kylemore cheese awards — Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese

Killeen Farmhouse Cheese from Drimna West received the Gold and Silver awards in the ‘Hard/ Semi Hard Cheese Under 6 Months: Goat, Sheep, Buffalo’ category for its Killeen Goat Mature and Killeen Goat and Gold and Silver awards in the ‘Retailer Class: Semi-hard/ Hard’ category for its collaboration with Dunnes Stores Simply Better range.

Galway Cheese from Dunmore received the Silver ‘New Cheese: All Types’ for its Galway Sinan.

The cheeses entered were judged by a team of 15 experts with products assessed under the following criteria: aroma, flavour, body and texture, and overall appearance.

Judging for the competition is ‘blind’ with all packaging and labelling removed allowing each cheese to speak for itself.

Minister Charlie McConalogue offered his congratulations to all those who were nominated as well as those who received awards.

“An astonishing 220 cheeses, from mature to mild, which have been entered by 50 cheesemakers, have been judged which shows just the depth and breadth of talent in the sector,” said the Minister.

“The wide range of cheese that is produced in Ireland is incredibly important in terms of increasing added value to our cheese sector.”

He said that the quality of Irish milk produced from sustainable grass-based production system contributes enormously to the success of the Irish cheese industry.

“I again congratulate the winners as well as those who were nominated. Their hard work and dedication to the craft of cheese mongering is one of the main reasons Ireland has such an impressively successful cheese sector.” 

Tom Dinneen of Bo Rua and Chair of Cáis said: “For Irish farmhouse cheesemakers the Irish Cheese Awards is an important date in our calendar, as we come together as a community to celebrate our achievements.

“This year the judges had the particularly difficult task of putting the eclectic variety of 220 cheeses entered to the taste test to identify their chosen worthy award-winners. 

“While the Irish Cheese Awards recognise individual excellence, every farmhouse cheesemaker can take an equal share of the credit for the outstanding contribution that the sector continues to make to Irish food culture, our rural communities and the dairy industry.”

An Bord Pleanála overrules council to approve city centre casino

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November 12, 2021

Galway Daily news An Bord Pleanála approves casino at Fairgreen road

An Bord Pleanála has approved plans for a casino on the Fairgreen Road in Galway City, overturning the city council’s rejection.

Cwc Fairgreen Ltd appealed to An Bord Pleanála after Galway City Council refused planning permission back in July of this year.

The development will consist of converting the vacant ground floor of the five storey Fairgreen House to retail to gaming use.

An indicative layout in the plans first submitted to the city council showed 29 pairs of seats facing slots/gaming machines, so up to 58 machines.

The city council gave two reasons for rejecting the proposal, saying that it would result in over 20-25m of dead street frontage each on Fairgreen Road and Bothar ar an Aonaigh.

This is due to the fact that the windows would be required to be screened.

The council also said that without restrictions on the hours of operation, the development would likely to result in noise and disturbance for nearby apartments and student accommodation.

The developer said in their application to the city council that a casino or private members club “is not proposed” and that the premises would “operate wholly within the regulatory environment of the Gaming and Lotteries Act”.

In response to a request for clarity from the council, Cwc said that the machines would consist of video games, quiz, or skill type challenges for adults only, with other areas to watch live sports.

The appeal against the council’s decision by Cwc said that the use is permitted by the site’s zoning, and that it is away from the retail core of the city, in a unit which has been vacant for some time.

It also argues that many businesses along the street already use extensive window screening, and that they intend to create a vibrant facade for the building.

In overturning the city council’s decision, the Bord said the development would comply with zoning objectives, and would not injure nearby residential amenity, with certain conditions attached.

In relation to noise concerns, the developer said that the area has established nigh-time economy, and that this would not generate more noise than retail outlets or bars. But the developer said that

Among those it was stipulated that the premises may not be sued to sell or consume alcohol, and that all external shopfronts and signage must be agreed on with the council.

It is also a condition that, in order to address noise concerns, all doors and windows must be tightly fitting, and double glazed in the windows case, and that noise attenuators shall be fitted to any ventilation openings.

A floor plan of the casino outlining all gaming machines for customer use must also be submitted to the council before work begins.

In total, An Bord Pleanála attached ten conditions to the grant of planning permission.

Podiatry vacancy filled at Athenry Primary Care Centre

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November 12, 2021

Galway Daily news Podiatry vacancy filled at Athenry Primary Care Centre

Podiatry services are set to begin at Athenry Primary Care Centre from December with a vacant post filled.

Galway East TD Seán Canney said that the HSE has confirmed that a senior podiatrist has been appointed for the Primary Care Centre.

Podiatry services are now set to get underway at the centre from next month.

“I have been contacted by many people in the Athenry area and I have been highlighting the lack of Podiatry services,” Seán Canney said.

“I acknowledge the efforts of the Community Health Care West in securing the Podiatrist and ensuring the services is available locally in Athenry.”

“It is important that these types of services are available in the community as many people are elderly and a local service is vital for them.”

Public consultation events on next Ballinasloe Local Area Plan

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November 12, 2021

Galway Daily news Public consultation open on next Ballinasloe local area plan

A series of live and online public consultation events on the draft Ballinasloe Local Area Plan will take place next week.

Galway County Council is currently seeking feedback on the contents of the Draft Ballinasloe Local Area Plan 2022 – 2028.

Two in-person events will take place at the Shearwater Hotel in Ballinasloe on Monday and Tuesday, November 15-16.

Tuesday 16th November 2021 10.00 am – 1.00 pm
Thursday 18th November 2021 2.00pm – 4.30 pm

Places for these two events must be booked by calling the Forward Planning Policy Section on 091 509 396.

This will be followed by an an webinar on November 17 from 6pm – 7pm, for which you can register online.

The details of the draft LAP for the next five years of development in Ballinasloe can be found online at consult.galway.ie.

The deadline for public submission on the draft plan is Friday, December 3 at 4pm.

Garda appeal for missing Galway man

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November 11, 2021

Galway Daily news Searches continue for missing Galway man

Gardaí are appealing for helping locating a man in his 30s missing from Galway City since the start of the month.

Stephen Cunningham (32) has been missing from the Ballybrit area since Tuesday, November 2.

Stephen is described as being approximately 6′ 2″ in height with a thin build, sandy/blond hair and may have a beard and blue eyes.

He was last seen at approximately 11am on November 2 in Galway City. It is unknown what he was wearing at the time.

Gardaí say that it is believed that Stephen may be in the Maam Cross/Clifden area of Galway.

Gardaí and Stephen’s family are concerned for his welfare.

Anyone with information on Stephen’s whereabouts are asked to contact Galway Garda Station on 091 538000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.

COVID-19: 3,680 more cases confirmed today

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November 11, 2021

A further 3,680 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported by the Department of Health this afternoon.

As of 8am today, 543 people with COVID-19 are hospitalised, of whom 97 are in intensive care units.

Health officials have said that the daily case numbers may change due to future data validation.

Connacht Eagles team named for Munster fixture

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November 11, 2021

Galway Daily sport Connacht Eagles team named for Munster fixture — Photo Credit: Connacht Rugby/INPHO

The Connacht Eagles have named their side for the upcoming game against Munster in Limerick tomorrow.

Connacht and Munster ‘A’ side will met at University of Limerick at 2pm on Friday.

The Connacht side will be captained by Eoin Masterson at number 4.

The full Eagles Squad for tomorrow’s game is:

15. Oran McNulty
14. Alex Wootton
13. Shayne Bolton
12. Peter Robb
11. Ben O’Donnell
10. Conor Fitzgerald
9. Colm Reilly
1. Jordan Duggan
2. Jonny Murphy
3. Greg McGrath
4. Eoghan Masterson (C)
5. Ciaran Booth
6. Sean Masterson
7. Oisin McCormack
8. Abraham Papali’i

16. Dylan Tierney-Martin
17. Bart Vermeulen
18. Sam Illo
19. Declan Adamson
20. Donnacha Byrne
21. Hubert Gilvarry
22. Cathal Forde
23. Josh O’Connor

€551k shot-in-the-arm for Galway community groups hit by COVID-19

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November 11, 2021

Galway Daily news €551k shot-in-the-arm for Galway community groups hit by COVID-19

Community groups in Galway will receive over half a million euro in support to make up for the impact of COVID-19.

Galway County will receive €286,802 under the Community Activities Fund, with a further €264,910 allocated for groups in the city.

The money, which has been awarded by the Department of Rural and Community Development, can be used by groups to cover running costs such as utility or insurance bills, as well as with improvements to their facilities and equipment.

Galway East TD Anne Rabbitte said that this money will be a welcome boost to “community organisations, clubs, men’s and women’s sheds, youth centres and parish halls across Galway, many of whom have continued to serve their community during COVID-19.

“These grants may be small in nature, but they mean a lot to these groups. This is about giving a helping hand to our local groups and clubs across Galway.”

The funding is administered by Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) for each area, and organisations are being encouraged to apply for support.

In total, Minister Heather Humphreys announced a once-off package of €9 million for the Community Activities Fund this week.

In order to allow flexibility, the Department is not setting a national closing date, but will allow each LCDC to set its own, to best suit its area, but no later than February 28, 2022.

Clarity needed over deaths of hares at Loughrea Coursing Club meeting

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November 11, 2021

Galway Daily news Call for Galway TDs to back proposed ban on hare coursing — Male Irish Mountain Hare. Credit: AlanWolfe, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The Campaign for the Abolition of Cruel Sports (CACS) has called for clarity over the alleged deaths of hares at a Loughrea Coursing Club meeting in October.

The club has had its license to net hares for coursing suspended ‘indefinitely’ according to the Heritage Minister and an investigation is ‘ongoing’.

Responding to a parliamentary question from Paul Murphy TD, the Minister said that the action was taken against the club following its annual fixture in October at which at which a number of hares died.

The written answer revealed that Department officials were present at the event and that three hares died during the course of the first day of the meeting.

Post mortems were carried out on the hares but the results of these have not been made public.

CACS and other animal protection groups are concerned about what happened in this instance.

“Apart from our objection to coursing on animal welfare grounds, there is also a serious threat to the Irish Hare as species from the RHDV2 virus that has been present in the Irish countryside since autumn of 2019,” said CACS in a statement.

“The disease is fatal to hares and rabbits, is highly contagious, and can be spread by coursing activities, including the use of nets to capture hares and the holding of the animals in captivity for up to seven weeks prior to coursing.”

CACS is now calling for the results of the post mortems on the Loughrea hares to be made public.

They said that if it emerges that the animals had the RHDV virus, the entire coursing season should be immediately called off on conservationist and disease control grounds.

Weather warning: Windy evening and night in store for Galway

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November 11, 2021

Galway daily weather Met Eireann weather warning in force for Galway today

Met Éireann has issued a status yellow wind warning for Galway and Mayo this afternoon (Thursday) which will come into effect at 4pm.

A separate status yellow gale warning is also in effect for waters around Ireland today.

South to southwest winds, veering west to southwest, will occasionally reach mean speeds of 45 to 65 Km/hr with gusts of 90 to 110 km/hr this evening and overnight.

The warning affects just Galway and Mayo and is expected to be lifted at 8am on Friday morning.

It will continue windy for much of the day on Friday and it will be mostly cloudy with outbreaks of rain – persistent for a time in places.

Met Éireann says it may become drier through the afternoon and evening though, with some bright spells possible.

Connacht Hospitality Group expands partnership with Connacht Rugby

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November 11, 2021

Connacht Hospitality Group expands partnership with Connacht Rugby

Connacht Rugby have renewed and expanded their partnership with the entire Connacht Hospitality Group.

The province was already partners with the Group’s flagship business, The Connacht Hotel, but this has now been expanded to the many other stylish bars and hotels in the group.

Philip Patterson, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Connacht Rugby said that it was a “no-brainer” to renew the partnership.

“It was a no-brainer to renew our agreement with Connacht Hospitality Group. They have been a huge supporter of ours down the years and provide wonderful services and facilities to both people living in Galway and visitors to the city. We look forward to continue to grow our relationship in the years ahead. “

The Connacht Hospitality Group operate three hotels in Galway City: The Residence Hotel, The Forster Court Hotel, and namesake property The Connacht Hotel.

They also operate a 24-hour Active Fitness Leisure Club as well as three leading licence premises including An Pucan,1520 Bar, HYDE Bar & Gin Parlour.

Most recently the group expanded to take over operations of Galway Bay Golf Resort, with future plans to build a luxury 4-star hotel & spa on the resort.

Wayne Neilon, Group General Manager of the CHG, said that the partnership has always been a “natural fit”, and that they are pleased to expand it to the whole of the Group.

“The last 18 months have been challenging for both Connacht Rugby and our own teams but our shared values of hard work, resilience and team work have carried us through and we are very hopeful for our partnership into the future.”

Sponsored by the Connacht Hospitality Group

Changes to Rent Supplement for survivors of domestic violence welcomed

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November 11, 2021

galway daily news claire kerrane at dáil child maintenance

Roscommon-Galway TD Claire Kerrane has welcomed news that Rent Supplement will be made permanently available to survivors of domestic violence.

Deputy Kerrane says she has been raising the issue with Minister Heather Humphreys since May and that that the Minister agreed it was an important support.

The Sinn Féin TD was concerned that access to Rent Supplement has previously placed unnecessary demands on domestic violence survivors and this risked unfairly excluding people who needed support.

“It is very welcome that the Minister has now listened to these concerns and has acted,” said Deputy Kerrane this morning.

“In 2020 a total of 46 survivors of domestic violence availed of Rent Supplement support at a cost of just €73,000. This is a very small cost to the Department of Social Protection, given its Budget allocation.”

She said that that access to housing and housing costs can be a huge worry when a person is contemplating leaving a domestic situation.

“There is also an obvious difficulty given the limited spaces in refuges and the fact that nine Counties have no domestic violence refuge accommodation at all,” added Deputy Kerrane.

“This makes Rent Supplement supports even more important.”

Unmanned submersible tested in Galway Bay

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November 11, 2021

Galway Daily news Unmanned submersible tested in Galway Bay

Galway’s high-tech SmartBay Observatory in Galway Bay was recently used as the testing ground for some advanced submersible technology.

The French company SEABER, demonstrated their YUCO micro-AUV, a micro Autonomous Underwater Vehicle at the state-of-the-art marine testing ground.

This is an unmanned, untethered vehicle that collects oceanographic data in coastal environments. This data is important for monitoring our marine environment and changing ocean climate.

The SmartBay Observatory in Galway Bay is one of Ireland’s national marine scientific research facilities, providing national and international researchers with the infrastructure to validate new marine sensors and instruments in real sea conditions.

Michael Gillooly, Interim CEO at the Marine Institute said, “By facilitating advanced ocean monitoring technologies, the SmartBay Observatory helps to take concepts and prototypes from laboratories into the sea.”

“New marine monitoring technologies and sensors generate more data than we have ever had before, improving our ocean observation capabilities and increasing our ocean knowledge.”

Over the coming months, the SmartBay Observatory will facilitate a further four international science projects at this unique testing ground.

Alan Berry of the Marine Institute said “New marine sensor technologies increase the accessibility and availability of data for organisations monitoring our oceans and in turn contributes globally to our deeper understanding of the oceans.”

Status Yellow Gale Warning in effect for western coastal waters

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November 11, 2021

Galway Daily weather Weather warning for heavy winds to hit Galway this weekend

A marine weather warning is in effect for coastal waters in the west and around all of Ireland today.

Met Eireann has issued status yellow Gale Warning for all coasts and the Irish Sea for today.

Southerly winds will reach gale force 8 throughout the day according to the marine warning, which will be in effect until midnight.

In Galway today the weather is expected to be mainly overcast, with rain becoming more persistent later in the day, turning heavy at times.

Together with the marine warning, strong southerly winds are forecast in Galway today, reaching gale strength in coastal areas.

Highest temperatures today of 13 degrees celcius.

Friday will also start off rainy and overcast, with outbreaks of rain, persistent at times, during the morning.

It will become drier headed into the afternoon, with some sunny spells in places.

Winds will start of strong on Friday, reaching gale levels in some coastal areas, but will gradually weaken and veer westerly as the day progresses.

Average temperatures forecast for Friday are 12-13 degrees.

Gardaí attend scene of three vehicle motorway crash

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November 11, 2021