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Permission refused for Phase 1 of ‘Urban Village’ in Kingston

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Galway Daily news Permission refused for Phase 1 of 'Urban Village' in Kingston

Planning permission has been refused for a large scale commercial development in the Kingston area of Galway city, which was meant as the first phase of a new ‘urban village’.

Plans were submitted by 1 Kingston Land Limited for Phase One of a proposed urban village on the south side of the Western Distributor Road, across from the Gateway Retail Park.

The first phase of the proposed ‘Kingston Cross’ development would have consisted of a licenced supermarket with 258 spaces of undercroft car-parking. A total of  148 bicycle spaces were also included in this application.

Also in this application was a retail warehouse with 136 spaces of surface car-parking, nine retail units, two medical or community use units, and a café/restaurants.

Other works in the project would have involved landscaping works, including the creation of a civic space with play and exercise areas, a covered sports courts, and a new access route off the Western Distributor Road.

The council said that as the area which is the subject of this application is part of the designated District Centre in Rahoon and Knocknacarra, granting approval for development would be premature until an overall layout of the area is agreed on.

The report by the planning department said that the layout of the site in the application is identical to the one show at a pre-planning meeting, where a number of concerns were expressed and the developer was asked to further liaise with the council.

The proposed design and layout of the development was also criticised by the council, which said that it had “poor urban form”, lacked proper linkages between the two phases, and didn’t have the appropriate mix of uses required for the District Centre.

A lack of proper public open space was also raised, with the proposed communal spaces at the north of the site described as “incidental”, while the civic square would be limited in size and “entirely dominated” by the adjacent commercial units.

Including the play area and covered sports area with the proposed civic square was also unacceptable the city council said.

The other concerns raised by the council were that the project could interfere with future bus corridors, and that the developer hadn’t shown that they had “consent and sufficient legal interest” in lands overlapping with the neighbouring  An Logan estate, which appear to form part of the planning application.

Phase 2 of this development was to focus on delivering the residential element of the urban village, focused along the south end of the site, along with additional open spaces.

Fixer-upper country house with massive grounds

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galway daily news property for auction in loughrea portumna

This spacious rural house between Loughrea and Portumna is an ideal redevelopment opportunity for a family looking to create their own home and garden.

The five bedroom dormer bungalow at Reaghan, Tynagh, Loughrea comes with a site of more than an acre, offering plenty of space to both renovate, and expand this property.

O’Donnellan & Joyce Auctioneers are offering this property for sale at their next nationwide live stream auction on July 23.

Though in need of complete refurbishment and modernisation throughout, there is incredible potential within the house.

The ground floor layout currently consists of a living room and sitting room, where one feature a homeowner might want to hang onto is the large solid fuel stove.

Also located on the ground floor are one of the five bedrooms, a study room, the main bathroom, fitted for a shower and bath, as well as a kitchen, and a utility room.

Upstairs there are the other four bedrooms of the house, a second bathroom, also containing a bath, and an upstairs kitchen.

Though those are the current listings of the rooms, this house is a blank slate waiting for an owner to give it a complete do-over in their desired image.

Along with parking out the front of the house, the property also comes with a very substantial detached garage.

This could be used for additional parking and storage space, or it could be redeveloped into another use, subject to the proper planning permission.

Perhaps the most striking feature of the property, considering the advised starting price, is the size of the grounds that come with it.

There is a very large garden to the side and rear of the house, currently in a wild state, that is a perfect blank canvas for creating your own garden, and also offers an abundance of space for extending the house in the future.

Despite its leafy country setting, the house is far from isolated, being 20 minutes drive from Loughrea, and just 10 away from Portumna.

This puts a wide range of family amenities within easy reach, including local schools, the restaurants and bars of Loughrea, and beautiful sites to visit in Portumna such as Lough Derg and Portumna Castle & Gardens.

To see more of this country home, and the potential for what it could be, see: https://property.odonnjoyce.com/residential/brochure/reaghan-tynagh-loughrea-co-galway/4511085.

This house and grounds will go under the hammer with an Advised Minimum Value of just €75,000.

Live Stream Auction

The next O’Donnellan & Joyce nationwide Live Stream Auction will take place on Friday, July 23 at 12 midday.

Almost 30 homes, businesses, and plots across the west of Ireland have been listed so far.

There are some unique properties up for grabs next month, including two former Garda Stations in Mayo, and a wealth of rural fixer-uppers, for buyers looking to undertake a project in the country.

In order to take part in the auction, bidders must register online, and pay a booking deposit, by Wednesday, July 21.

Only remote bidding will be allowed on the day due to COVID-19 restrictions. You may register to bid via internet, telephone or proxy bid. Further details on the auction process can be obtained by contacting the auction team on 091 564 212 or by emailing info@odj.ie

COVID-19: 600 further cases reported today

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Galway Daily news Galway hospitals see COVID cases double in recent weeks

Another 600 cases of COVID-19 have been reported by the Department of Health today.

As of this morning there were 64 people in Ireland hospitalised with COVID-19, of whom 16 are in the Intensive care unit.

“Tomorrow marks 500 days since the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Ireland,” Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer.

“We have come a long way together on this difficult journey and sacrificed much in our collective effort to limit the transmission of this disease.”

“As we approach our 5 millionth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, we have great hope for our future.”

He added that the levels of protection provided by the vaccination programme in the community is increasing daily.

People who are fully vaccinated should take advantage of the ability to increase their social contacts, while still make sensible health choices.

However, Dr Holohan said that the highly transmissible Delta variant is still of great concern, particularly among that cohort who are unvaccinated, or have only gotten on jab.

“We are currently experiencing a worrying increase in incidence in daily case numbers, particularly in the 16-29 age group.”

“If you are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, you need to maintain a high degree of caution in your activities this summer.”

“It is essential for you to avoid crowds, carefully manage your contacts, wear your mask, keep a safe distance from others and take the vaccine when it is offered.”

Three TG4 features to premiere at Galway Film Fleadh

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galway daily news galway film fleadh The Queen v Patrick O’Donnell
The Queen v Patrick O’Donnell

Three features commissioned by TG4 are set to receive their premieres at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh, including the latest Cine4 feature Foscadh.

Produced by Magamedia and based on the book The Thing About December by Dónal Ryan, Foscadh will screen outdoors on Friday 23 July.

It will be the third film presented by Cine4, following on from Finky (2019) and Arracht (2020).

The feature docu-drama The Queen v Patrick O’Donnell will premier online on Thursday 22 July.

Produced by Rosg, it reveals on screen for the first time the true story behind one of the most compelling murder plots in Irish history, a thrilling tale of violence, courtroom drama, romance and political intrigue.

Containing evidence from British Home Office files kept secret for 100 years, it reveals shocking new information about the fate of the quietly-spoken Donegal man who killed the infamous informer James Carey on a ship near South Africa in 1883.

Doineann, a TG4 / Northern Ireland Screen funded film will then premier online on July 25. The Film Fleadh children’s programme will screen Irish language animation Sol, a little boy’s journey through grief.

For the second year, TG4 will sponsor the Short Film awards at the Fleadh, a category which showcases and promotes new emerging talent.

Speaking about this year’s Galway Film Fleadh, TG4’s Commissioning Editor Deirbhile Ní Churraighín said: “TG4 is delighted to premier three films at this year’s Film Fleadh, including the third Cine4 release, which is a partnership between TG4, Screen Ireland and the BAI, to develop original feature films in the Irish language and to bring Irish language drama to Cinema audiences in Ireland and worldwide.

“TG4 is also proud to sponsor the Short Film Awards category which recognises up and coming talent in film.”

All screenings can be booked via Galway Film Fleadh booking office:  https://galwayfilmfleadh.eventive.org/films

Galway mum’s trip to Mexico turns into nightmare after cancer diagnosis

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galway daily news julia mcandrews

A holiday has turned into an ordeal for a woman from Oranmore after she fell ill in Mexico last Christmas.

Julia McAndrew travelled to Mexico with her daughter Eliska at Christmas to spend time with her son Patrick, who had relocated to work in the country.

But her health began to decline rapidly upon arriving in central America, and a wheelchair was needed for Julia to disembark from the plane.

Over the past six months, her health has declined to where she is now too ill to travel back to Ireland.

Julia was initially diagnosed with anaemia and kidney failure and underwent various treatments, including blood transfusions that appeared to be working.

Four weeks ago, however, medics discovered that she had Stage 4 breast cancer. Julia had been diagnosed with cancer a decade ago, but overcame it to become cancer free.

Julia’s medical treatment has had to be sourced privately as medical insurance does not cover the cost of any treatment, and she is facing bills of €34,000 per month.

Over the last six months Julia has lost 24lbs and is very weak. While it is difficult to be so far from home she currently has access to great treatment facilities in Mexico – but she needs help to meet her medical expenses.

The cost of the treatment is $40,000 (€33,000) per month. Her family are hoping to build up her strength enough to endure the long flight home to Ireland but they also need help to build funds to keep treating Julia.

They have launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise €280,000 which will help pay for her treatment, which at the time of writing stands at €60,000 but much more is needed.

To help Julia you can make a donation on her gofundme page at: www.gofundme.com/f/support-julias-stage-4-cancer-treatment             

Galway Camogie star joins RNLI summer water safety campaign

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Galway camogie player Shauna Healy has joined a host of well-known GAA people who have given their backing to the RNLI’s summer water safety campaign.

Healy is one of a number of players from around the country who have created their own home video messages with important water safety advice, in partnership with the RNLI.

Shauna filmed her video on Traught beach in Kinvara near where she lives and where she takes recovery sessions after training or goes for a swim.

Her video message tells people take care when walking near the coast and to stay back from the edges and watch your footing.

Always carry a means of calling for help and know how to raise the alarm if you see someone in trouble, by calling 999 or 112 and asking for the Coast Guard.

“Living in Galway I know how lucky we are to have such a beautiful coastline and the opportunities we have to enjoy the water in a variety of activities,” Shauna said.

“This year many of us will be holidaying close to home and it’s important that we look out for each other. Having some basic water safety advice could save a life.”

“The RNLI/GAA partnership is looking to raise water safety awareness within our communities and to give everyone simple water safety advice.”

“By sharing the videos and hearing the messages we can keep people safe on the water and protect our communities.”

 

The Ardrahan player is joined by former Kilkenny hurler Jackie Tyrrell, Cork footballer Brian Hurley, Dublin footballer Lyndsey Davey, Antrim hurler Neil McManus and former Kerry footballer Killian Young, as well as GAA commentator Marty Morrissey.

Each video features a water safety message and includes the charity’s ‘Float to Live’ message, how to raise the alarm if you see someone in trouble, carrying a means of calling for help, leaving inflatables at home and always telling someone where you are going.

RNLI Head of Water Safety Gareth Morrison said, “In working with well-known people from the GAA we have been able to share life-saving advice with the people we know need to hear it the most.”

“Through this partnership RNLI volunteers have been working with GAA communities locally to share water safety advice.”

“Sharing this advice and information during a busy summer could save a life. We are grateful to our ambassadors who made these videos for us and while we haven’t been able to come together, we have still been able to work together to help save lives.”

Gardai seize €70,000 worth of cannabis in Galway City

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galway daily news Further arrests made in connection with car park brawl

Gardaí seized €70,000 worth of suspected cannabis during the search of a house in Galway City over the weekend.

Shortly after 4pm on Saturday, Gardaí from the Divisional Drugs Unit searched a house in the Doughiska area.

During the course of the search, they found suspected cannabis with a value of €70,000, subject to analysis.

No arrests were made during the search, and Gardaí say that investigations are ongoing.

This search was part of Operation Tara, targeting drug dealing in towns and villages across the  country, which launched at the start of the month.

The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks, at all levels – international, national, local – involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale and supply of controlled drugs.

Burren driving route coming to South Galway in September

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Galway Daily burren trail

The Burren Discovery Trail, a new driving route encouraging visitors to visit the region, is expected to be completed this September, creating a welcome amenity for tourists and locals in South Galway.

Galway East TD Seán Canney said that Fáilte Ireland has confirmed to him that the route is scheduled to be completed this September.

“The potential benefit of this is enormous and will bring additional tourism to South Galway,” Seán Canney said, adding “It is important the unique nature of this tourist attraction is marketed internationally”.

The project involves a €350,000 investment by Fáilte Ireland in a trail which includes 12 locations of interest along its route.

Visitors to the Burren will find information panels at these locations, with stories that match the trail’s themes of ‘Mythology’ and ‘Folklore’.

Fáilte Ireland has been working closely with Galway and Clare county councils on the delivery of this new amenity.

“A promotional map has been developed and will be distributed to hotels and key attractions on the route in Galway and Clare,” Seán Canney said.

Once the trail has been completed it will be promoted on the Discover Ireland website.

Man hospitalised with serious injuries after Tuam assault

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Galway Daily news missing teen found safe

A man has been hospitalised with serious injuries after an assault which occurred in Tuam in the very early hours of the morning on Sunday.

The man, aged in his 40s, was assaulted at approximately 12.05am at Foster Place in Tuam, receiving a number of injuries.

He was taken to Beamont Hospital in Dublin, where he is currently being treated for serious injuries.

No arrests have been made at this time. Gardaí have said that investigations are ongoing.

Gardaí at Tuam are appealing for any witnesses to this assault to come forward to them.

Gardaí are also appealing to any road users who may have camera footage that were travelling in the Tuam town and Foster Place area between the hours of 11.50pm on Saturday, July10 and 12:15am on Sunday, July 11, to make this footage available to Gardaí.

COVID-19: 576 new cases reported today

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Galway Daily news Galway hospitals see COVID cases double in recent weeks

A further 576 cases of COVID-19 have been notified by the Department of Health today.

As of this morning there were 58 people in Ireland hospitalised due to coronavirus, with 16 of them in the intensive care unit.

These figures may change following data review and validation.

7 Best Freelance Writing Tips

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businesses online galway daily scheme website

How often do you hear about the benefits of freelance? The opportunity to work at any time and in a convenient place, high income, etc., looks attractive, doesn’t it? But at the same time, you can often find negative feedback about remote work: high competition on the freelance markets, dishonest customers, and predatory pricing. All this can frighten and even force them to abandon the idea of self-employment. And the fear that you can not force yourself to work and will only procrastinate, lying on the sofa, makes you wonder if the freelance is suitable for you. It’s worth remembering that a copywriter and a writer’s remote work is not just a project in a coursework writing service where you can find where to write my papers for cheap, you can write articles for blogs, posts on social media, email campaigns, content for websites, etc. Today we have prepared tips for you that will make your life easier as a freelance writer. 

Define your niche

First of all, you should find out which direction of copywriting you are most attracted to. Which topics of texts are close to you? It is easier for some people to write about business processes; others write texts on medical issues in simple and accessible language; others do not imagine their life without scientific research, etc.

Try to be a little sleepy while writing

It sounds crazy, but a slightly sleepy state helps reveal creativity. It is not necessary to get out of bed at once to sit down for the big project. You can write an article plan, thesis, headline, and then go back to the procedures that help you wake up.

If you are an owl, try to work in the morning. If you are a lark, you can explore your writing skills at night.

Plan of activities

According to the British Journal of Health Psychology research, people who sign up for training in the gym a week in advance, in 91% of cases, did not refuse to visit. The decisive factor is the fact that the task is set, and we have to accomplish it.

This principle also works with writing. Every night, take the time to make a little plan for tomorrow. Determine the project you will be working on, choose a theme, secondary tasks. You can prescribe all the tasks that you have to accomplish in a day. Then the brain will be looking for a way to optimize actions to accomplish everything planned right from the night. 

Set a timer

Determine the approximate amount of time that it takes to write an article, provided that you do only that — not surfing Facebook or Twitter.

Now, each time you sit down for an article, set a timer for the right amount of time. This way, you will know that time is running out, and you need to finish. In addition, the visualization of time will show how much you spend on social networks.

You should also set a goal for yourself to stop writing after the timer has expired. But what should you do if you have immersed in the topic and you want to continue? If you are working on a series of articles on a single topic, stopping at the timer and ending the article will allow you to leave your thoughts for the next publication.

Cut the writing process

You don’t have to do everything at once. Start by defining the parts of the content. If it’s a blog post, the text will consist of a headline, multiple subtitles, an introduction, the main part, and a final part.

An online shop article is an important offer (action, benefit), a headline, subtitle, tagged list, and a Q&A block (sometimes).

The process of writing is always the same: idea, research, presentation, writing a useless first draft, revision, editing. After that, you can count on a good result.

All these moments can go faster if you initially think not about the whole article, which you want to get, but about each piece of it. Accomplishing short goals will help reduce writing time and keep your thoughts clear and fresh.

Develop your writing ritual

It was noticed two centuries ago: it is easier for a person to do some work if the same action always precedes it. You need to get into the working mood. If you start every day at a different time, interrupt for other things; writing an article will take a long time and will not bring any effect.

Think at what time it is comfortable for you to start. For example, you will be able to work in the morning and daytime:

  1. Turn on your computer;
  2. Make some tea or coffee;
  3. Set the timer;
  4. Start writing, even if you can’t write something decent at first.

But do not perform a ritual that is too complicated. It should not take too long.

Do a 90% workload

You don’t have to squeeze the last drops out of yourself trying to write as much as possible, faster. It’s not going to bring the desired result. Geniuses are born in measured work. Keep thinking about what’s written.

Ironically, not trying to reach a 100%-result, you begin to work better.

NUIG leading international trial on new heart disease treatment

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Galway Daily news NUIG leading international trial on new heart disease treatment

Galway researchers are sponsoring an international effort to break new ground in treating patients with heart disease.

The  PIONEER-IV trial aims to study how the use of a newly patented Healing-Targeted Supreme Stent can improve patients’ quality of life.

This research is a collaboration between NUIG’s CORRIB Research Centre for Advanced Imaging and Core Laboratory, and international medical device company SINOMED.

It will make use of SINOMED’s novel, drug-eluting Healing-Targeted Supreme Stent, which is designed to encourage rapid healing of the treated blood vessel, thereby potentially reducing reliance on some long-term medications such as blood thinners.

Professor Faisal Sharif, head of the trial in Ireland, said “We are delighted to translate novel devices such as HT Supreme stents for Irish patients.”

“The trial will also allow us to perform assessment on blood vessel narrowing with new and safer software that establishes the absolute necessity to treat that coronary artery stenosis.”

“New devices and technologies, like offered in this trial, allow us to constantly improve the standard of care for our patients by making interventions safer with better clinical outcomes.”

Patients will be considered for the trial if they suffer any type of coronary heart disease, including acute heart attack, chronic complaints or blood vessel narrowing.

Deputy chairman of the trial, Professor Yoshi Onuma said “The hope is that this trial will simplify the treatment for patients undergoing stent implantation of diseased blood vessels.”

He added that it could also offer other benefits to patients when coupled with the shorter duration of time they will have to take blood thinners.

Dr Jianhua Sun, Chief Executive of SINOMED said “We are honoured to be working with the prestigious thought leaders at NUI Galway in searching for a better and safer strategy for treating patients.”

“We believe that our HT Supreme, coupled with an optimal treatment strategy can make a big impact in bringing a greater benefit to patients.”

Seaweed baths a remedy for post-lockdown stress

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Galway Daily seaweed baths
Photo Credit: Andrew Downes, xpsoure

A unique take on the spa treatment in Connemara is making good use of the resources of the west coast of Ireland, with soothing seaweed baths.

The community-led Co-op Comhar Chuigéal Teo is opening new beautiful new, intimate bathing facility at the Seaweed Centre in Lettermullen this month.

Daily hand harvested seaweed from the local island of Crappach will form part of a menu of bath treatments which will detoxify and soothe, body, mind and soul and will be available weekly, Thursday to Monday, throughout July and August.

Fashion Blogger, Stylist, Make up Artist and School Teacher Caroline Seoighe was quick to rush home to her native Connemara to try out the stunning new health and wellbeing facility.

This new addition to the centre follows an investment in the project by BIM’s Fisheries Local Action Group of €86,328, and locally sourced finance of €107,000 from Comhar Creidmheasa Cholmcille.

The project also benefited from extensive investment of time by the local community led co-op of Comhar Chuigéál Teo and Údarás na Gaeltachta supports.

“The core ethos of  the offering is the natural surroundings of the Wild Atlantic Way coastline, rugged coastal landscape, fresh clean air, the cleanest ocean waters in Europe and an abundance of healthy seaweed”, says, Pádraic Mac Diarmada, Manager of the Seaweed Centre.

He’s the one who is overseeing the phased development of the facility, and leading a young, talented team who are involved in all aspects of showcasing the uniqueness of the facility.

“From daily harvesting of seaweed, welcoming guests, the journey and story of the scientific benefits of the locally sourced seaweed to the professional treatments is part of each person’s remit.”

Throughout July and August, the Centre will feature single and double bath treatment rooms, steam room and massage therapy room combined with talented, skilled and knowledgeable therapists.

The Centre also carries a full range of seaweed based body products from Connemara Seaweed Products, Rí na Mara and Voya Brands.

Is it Easy to Optimize Open Cart Stores for SEO?

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galway daily news online shopping

There’s more to running a successful online store than having a fantastic checkout experience and plenty of products for customers to choose from. Today’s business leaders need to think carefully about how they can boost their chances of being found and chosen by customers, in a sea of competing brands. A strong website design and some social media and paid advertising campaigns can give you a good head start. 

However, in the long-term, you’ll find a huge portion of your potential leads will likely come from searches with Google. Most of today’s consumers start their search for products by typing a few keywords into Google. So, when you’re building a website with Open Cart, how easy is it to make sure that you’re capturing the attention of both the search engines and your buyers?

Can You Optimize an Open Cart Store?

The good news for today’s site owners is that it’s usually possible to optimize any online store. All you really need is the right strategy, and a little bit of guidance. For instance, the basics of SEO, like using the keywords that your customers search for most often in blog content, will apply to your store too. You can also rest assured that Open Cart is a great tool for maintaining a fast, high performance store, so your bounce rate should be pretty low. 

Additionally, because Open Cart is quite well-known among today’s ecommerce brands, there’s also plenty of guidance available online to help you. Guides can even show you how to master the best SEO strategies for beginners and improve the visibility of your OpenCart shop. Some of the basic strategies might include:

  • Optimizing headers and title tags: OpenCart gives you the option to control and configure header and title tags, provided that you have the SEO Backpack integration. You’ll need to download this integration before building your pages.
  • Upgrading URLs: Every page you make on OpenCart, including the pages for your individual products, should be optimized for the search engines. This includes making sure keywords appear in your links when necessary. 
  • Internal linking: Creating an internal map of connected products within your store, such as items linked to a specific category, should improve your chances of appealing to search engines like Google. 
  • Product image optimization: Optimizing product pages with alt text (So people know what your pictures include even when they can’t see it), the right file name, and a strong quality level will help you appeal to the search engines too.

Improving your Store’s Ranking

To thrive in today’s digital world, you need a way to stand out from the competition, and connect with your target audience. Knowing how to optimize your website is absolutely essential if you want to reach the right customers. However, you’ll need to be willing to keep working on your campaign and enhancing your efforts as the search engine algorithms change. Remember, as the online world evolves, your SEO strategy will need to change with it, no matter which site builder you use.

COVID-19: 581 cases reported today

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

There have been a further 581 cases of COVID-19 reported by the Department of Health today

As of this morning there were 52 people in Ireland hospitalised with COVID-19, of whom 16 are in the ICU.

There is no county breakdown of the daily cases available.

These case numbers may change in the future following review and validation of this data.

Public asked to contribute to Galway Barn Owl survey

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galway daily news barn owl survey in galway

People in Galway are being asked to help with a survey on Barn Owls in the county which is being carried out this summer.

BirdWatch Ireland is asking the public and landowners to report information on Barn Owls in an online survey aiming to examine how the birds are currently faring here.

The findings of the survey will be used to make sure nest sites are protected and help conservation efforts which will include providing nest boxes.

Barn Owls were once a common sight in Galway, but over recent decades, their populations have suffered extensive declines and they are now a Red-listed Bird of Conservation Concern in Ireland.

As a top predator and sentinel species for the health of our countryside, BirdWatch Ireland says that the declines in Barn Owl populations are extremely worrying.

The changing agricultural landscape has resulted in the loss of suitable habitats, including a reduction of prey-rich foraging habitat and nesting sites.

Alongside these land use changes and the loss of habitat, the increased use and increased toxicity of anti-coagulant rodenticides, as well as the expansion of major road networks, are likely to be the main factors which have influenced the declines in the Barn Owl populations.

But despite Barn Owl populations declining in recent decades, there seems to be early indications that they may be recovering in Galway.

In recent years, Barn Owl pairs have re-established in old ruins which have not held Barn Owls for many years.

One of the reasons for this recovery may be due to the range expansion of non-native small mammal species, the Greater White-toothed Shrew and the Bank Vole, both of which are recent arrivals to Galway and are taken as prey by Barn Owls and other predators.

John Lusby of BirdWatch Ireland said that it is a “very special experience to glimpse the ghostly form of the Barn Owl floating silently over their hunting grounds in the dead of night, or to hear their eerie screeches and strange snoring calls.”

“Everybody who has been lucky enough to see this remembers such an encounter, and we are asking people to report this information to us, which will greatly help our survey efforts to locate nest sites and to determine the health of the population,” said Mr Lusby.

He added that they are also looking for information on Barn Owl nest boxes in the county, and many different groups and individuals have gone to great effort to help Barn Owls in Galway by installing purpose-built nest boxes.

“We hope to get a better idea of how many nest boxes are in place and the proportion that are being used by Barn Owl, and we would ask that anyone that has put up a nest box to let us know,” he said.

You can help the survey and conservation efforts by reporting any information that you have on Barn Owls in the county by visiting here or visit the BirdWatch Ireland website.

BirdWatch Ireland has also stressed that Barn Owls are a protected species and can be very sensitive to disturbance, and that potential nest sites should never be approached or interfered with in any way.

The Barn Owl Survey in Galway is supported by the Heritage Office, Galway Co Council through the National Biodiversity Action Plan Fund, and the NPWS.

No time added to sentence for habitual burglar’s office break-in

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Galway Daily courts Man charged in connection

A man already serving almost four years in prison was sentenced to no additional jail time for burglary at the offices of Failte Ireland in Galway City.

Chris Easywood (44) pleaded guilty to breaking into the offices of Failte Ireland on the Tuam Road on the evening of February 24 this year, and stealing three desktop computers.

Galway District Court heard evidence that at 5:45pm on the evening in question, Easywood forced his way into the offices, and once inside he placed the computers into a box and exited.

Gardaí said that he then left the scene in a taxi. The computers, which contained sensitive customer information, were never recovered.

Easywood, who formerly had an address at Ballindooley, Headford Road, had 80 previous convictions, including 48 for burglary.

Mr. Easywood’s solicitor Sean Acton told the court that he is already serving a total of three years and nine months in prison.

Part of this is a nine month sentence also imposed by Judge Keane at Galway District Court on May 7.

The judge decided not to extend his prison sentence, taking the offence into consideration in conjunction with the sentence already imposed.

Galway City Central has highest COVID incidence rate in county

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galway daily news 14-day incidence rate of COVID-19 in county galway

The two-week incidence rate of COVID-19 in the Galway City Central electoral area is the highest in the county with 119.8 cases per 100,000 people.

But all of the other Local Electoral Areas in Co. Galway had incidence rates below the national average which was 117.7 when the data was taken this week.

Galway City West has the second highest rate in the county at 114 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days, while the rate in both Galway City East and Athenry-Oranmore stands at 94.

Ballinasloe has the lowest rate in the county, with 18 cases per 100,000 people. Just five cases were reported there in the two weeks to 5 July.

Conamara North’s rate now stands at 64 and Conamara South’s rate is 47.

The rate in Gort-Kinvara is 60 cases per 100,000 people, and Tuam’s incidence rate is 48 as of 5 July.

NUI Galway to host annual Theatre Studies Conference next week

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Galway Daily news Galway universities awarded over €2 million for new research equipment

The annual conference of the International Federation for Theatre Research will be held online by NUI Galway from Monday 12 July.

With 800 speakers from more than 40 countries around the world, the five-day conference will discuss the theme of ‘Theatre Ecologies’, exploring topics related to the environment, ecology, the impact of Covid-19 on theatre, and more.

In a first for the International Federation for Theatre Research, the conference will be held virtually, allowing international delegates to experience a Galway academic event from their own homes.

It is also the first time that the conference has been hosted by an Irish university.

Speaking ahead of the opening of conference, Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies at NUI Galway, Patrick Lonergan said that the event is a major moment for Drama and Theatre Studies at NUI Galway.

“The University launched its BA in Drama in 2011, and it is particularly fitting that, a decade later, we have the opportunity to welcome the world’s theatre scholars to this Galway event,” said Professor Lonergan.

“This gives us an opportunity to showcase the excellence of theatre-making and theatre research in Galway, to celebrate our partnerships with local arts organisations, and to create new international relationships and networks.”

The move online has produced unexpected benefits, according to Professor Lonergan, who said that while the postponement of last year’s conference was disappointing, the development of an online conference has shown that there are new ways to stage academic events.

“Given that our conference explores the theme of theatre ecologies, it seems particularly fitting that the 2021 conference will have a very limited carbon footprint,” he said.

“We’ve also benefitted enormously from the specialised help and advice of the NUI Galway conference office, and our conference secretariat Abbey Conference and Events.”

€2.6m refurbishment of old Tuam Library to be completed this year

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Galway Daily news €2.6m refurbishment of old Tuam Library to be completed this year

Work on the €2.6 million redevelopment of the old library in Tuam is expected to be completed by October of this year.

Construction work is currently underway on refurbishing the former library for use as an Intreo Centre.

Galway East TD Seán Canney said that “I expect that works which are ongoing will be complete by October this year.”

The building is owned by Galway County Council, which has leased it to the Department of Social Protection for its new purpose.

The refurbishments involve extensive work on the interior of the building to make it into a modern office space, along with restoration of its historic fabric.

On the outside facade conservation works are be done on the wrought iron gate and historic window.

The existing cement fascia panels are being removed to reveal the original sandstone and brickwork design which will be restored.

Other external works include the replacement of multiple non-historic windows and skylights, the removal of a chimney, and the infill of a rear emergency escape.

Inside the library, the work being done includes demolishing the stairs to make way for modern public areas, offices and other facilities.

The works are being managed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) and the main contractor is Finnia Construction.

“The investment of €2.6 million is a major boost for Tuam and North Galway. It also will bring back in use a public building in the centre of the town,” Seán Canney said.

“It will also bring together social welfare services under one roof,” The Independent TD added.

The old building has been closed since the library service relocated to its current home in the council offices back in 2009.

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