Four bedroom city house has great renovation potential

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February 22, 2021

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

There have been just one death related to COVID-19 reported by health officials today, but 686 new confirmed cases have also been notified.

Galway has just 21 new cases today. The 14 day incidence rate here is now 328.6 per 100,000. There have been 848 cases reported in Galway in the past two weeks.

As of 8am today, 726 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised in Ireland, of whom 156 are in ICU. There have been 33 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

“We continue to see really high levels of compliance amongst the population and this is having a positive impact on the levels of disease in our communities,” said Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer.

“It is also having a positive impact on our hospitals – while last week there were 269 cases in healthcare workers and 4 outbreaks in our hospitals these represent a very significant reduction compared with the 839 cases and 15 outbreaks in the week to the 7th of February.”

“In time, vaccination will be our most powerful tool against COVID-19 and over the coming weeks those who are highest risk in our families and communities will get vaccinated.”

“For now, each of us has a range of tried and trusted tools at our disposal – by keeping our distance, washing our hands, wearing face masks and staying at home we will continue to drive down transmission of this disease.”

“Our collective efforts move us closer to the continued re-opening of our schools and the resumption of non-COVID healthcare services.”

There have now been a total of 215,743 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland, and 4,137 deaths related to the disease.

Of the cases notified today:

325 are men and 354 are women
66% are under 45 years of age
the median age is 34 years old
278 in Dublin, 49 in Limerick, 37 in Kildare, 32 in Louth, 31 in Donegal and the remaining 259 cases are spread across all remaining counties

The COVID-19 Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the key indicators of the disease in the community.

Six out of Ten Galwegians staying within 10km of home

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February 22, 2021

Galway Daily news Six out of Ten Galwegians staying within 10km of home

More than 60 percent of people in Galway stayed local, that is to say within 10km of their home, in the week ending on February 12.

Data from the Central Statistics Office’s Staying Local Indicator showed that 60.9% of Galwegians stayed within 19km of their home the week before last.

This is 1.9% lower than the level seen in Galway the week prior, ending February 5, and also below the national average of 66.7%.

However, all counties reported a week on week drop in the level of people staying close to home, with levels varying between the more urbanised and rural counties.

The Staying Local Indicator from the CSO makes use of anonymised and aggregated mobile phone data to estimate the movement of county populations, and which people have stayed close to home.

The CSO states that data from Three Ireland is collated from anonymised data sets at a macro scale, aggregated at the level of the electoral division, and given to the Department of Health.

This partnership between Three and the Department was struck in order to inform the government’s response to COVID-19, and is limited to the scope of the pandemic the CSO says.

Only aggregate data is provided, with no personal data or individual movements provided to the Department of Health or CSO.

The latest figures show that Dublin has the highest level of people staying within 10km of their home at 79.7%, followed by Wicklow (68.4%), Cork (66.2), Waterford (65.9%), and Meath (64.8%).

The lowest levels of people staying within that 10km area were in counties Roscommon (51.7%), Mayo (53.2%), Carlow (54.1%), and Tipperary (54.8%).

The highest level of people staying near their homes were either in the Greater Dublin Area, or in counties with major urban centres and other large towns, which makes it easier to access services without travelling far.

While Galway does has the city, and several substantial towns, it also has large amounts of rural areas with few services nearby, being the second largest county in the state.

Galway City Mayor’s Awards to recognise exceptional year of volunteering

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February 22, 2021

galway daily news mayors awards cllr mike cubbard

The outstanding contributions that local volunteers, community groups and voluntary organisations have made in Galway city during the past year will be formally recognised in this year’s Mayor’s Awards.

Throughout 2020, many people across the city gave up their time to support their communities in a range of different ways and many had to make adjustments to their volunteer work in a safe and responsible way.

Galway City Council said that everyone who volunteers should know that their contribution is appreciated and valued.

Mayor of Galway City, Cllr Mike Cubbard, is asking residents to nominate their community heroes for an award.

“COVID-19 continues to present a significant challenge to us all,” said the Mayor.

“There are many people in Galway City who have needed additional help and support during these difficult times and I have been humbled by those who have come forward to help in countless different ways.

“I would like to know more about the kindness and support so many have given, and may still give, and to say thank you to you all.”

He noted that “as a city we have always depended on the great cohort of volunteers that give so generously of their time and energy year in year out.”

“Back in March, as the crisis was emerging, we called on people to help meet the significant needs at community level and the response has been magnificent”.

Nominations are invited for individuals or groups who are involved in voluntary activity which takes place in the city in a number of categories.

The award categories are: Arts, Culture, Heritage & Cúrsaí Gaeilge, Residents & Local Areas, Community Service & Social Inclusion, Older Person Volunteer of the Year, Sports Volunteer of the Year, Children and Youth Support, Young Volunteer of the Year and an Environmental Sustainability.

People who want to nominate a person, community group or voluntary organisation for any of the awards, you can complete a straightforward nomination form on the council website at www.galwaycity.ie/MayorsAwardsNomination.

The closing date for on line nominations is Friday, 16th April 2021 at 5pm.

Each of the award winners will receive a specially commissioned trophy and a payment of €500 and all nominees will receive an individually designed Mayoral Certificate by post.

Burst mains causing water outages in Cornamona

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February 22, 2021

Galway Daily news Water main replacement

Residents of the Cornamona area of North Galway are experiencing water outages today due a burst mains.

Repairs to a burst mains may disrupt the water supply to Cornamona, Maum and surrounding areas of the county today.

These repair works are currently expected to be completed by 4pm today Irish Water has said.

A traffic management plan will be in place for the duration of these works.

People affected by these are advised that it may take 2 – 3 hours after work is completed for their full water supply to be restored.

Updates on this situation can be found on Irish Water’s Supply and Service website page, or by contacting Irish Water’s twitter account @IWCare.

NUIG and GMIT urge students to take part in national survey

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February 22, 2021

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

NUIG and GMIT have issued a joint call for their students to take part in the National Student Survey 2021 to give feedback that can help improve the colleges.

The survey, now in its ninth year, is open to all first year and final year undergraduate students, as well as students on taught and research postgraduate programmes.

Questions relate to students’ experiences of higher education, including their academic, personal, and social development, as well as focusing on student engagement such as the learning experience, interaction with faculty and support services and activities.

Some of the changes which have been introduced as a result of past surveys include the Student Information Hub and Graduate Mentor scheme in GMIT, and the CÉIM academic peer support programme at NUIG.

Aedín Ó hEocha, Assistant Registrar at GMIT, said “In previous surveys, GMIT students have consistently rated the quality of their interactions with staff and the effectiveness of teaching highly.

Feedback from students is especially important given the changes that COVID has brought to Higher Education over the last 12 months.

“It is more important now than ever before that students let us know what we are doing well, and where we could improve.”

Last year, 44,707 students in 26 higher education institutions took part in the survey and almost 40% of eligible students in GMIT and NUI Galway participated.

The education landscape is very different this year, as both NUI Galway and GMIT have been operating almost entirely remotely due to COVID-19, which has necessitated drastic changes to teaching methods.

It has also had a very large impact on the student experience outside of the lecture hall or classroom, as students have not been able to experience much of the campus life that is so integral to college life.

Professor Michelle Millar, Dean of Students at NUIG, said that in last year’s survey they had the highest level of student engagement of any university in Ireland.

“It is testament to the value that our University community places on high standards and of giving people a voice, particularly our students.

“We want to maintain these high levels of engagement and satisfaction and learn from our students’ experiences, particularly the impact of Covid-19 and digital learning on student life and education.”

Students can take part online by going to studentsurvey.ie from today Monday 22 February until Sunday 14 March.

Deity Creation: The story of Christ viewed through a sci-fi lens

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February 22, 2021

Galway Daily books Deity Creation: The story of Christ viewed through a sci-fi lens — Deity Creation front cover

What if is one of the most attractive questions in writing historical or science fiction. It’s a powerful framing device that opens up events of the past, future, or both together to be examined or twisted in different directions as a narrative experiment.

Deity Creation by first time Galway author Paul Mee is a mix of sci-fi and historical fiction, one that looks at the history of Christianity/Judaism and the story of Jesus Christ, and asks: What if one of the world’s largest religions was a social engineering experiment by an alien race?

This potentially grim take on human society is offset by the fact that Mee takes a fairly light-hearted tone with the narrative, offering a grounded take on sceptical ordinary people faced with seemingly miraculous happenings.

In fact Deity Creation has an almost sitcom-like quality as it moves through a succession of little moments in the life of Christ. And while a text like the Bible must present those with the reverence the subject and presenter demands, Mee prefers to show what it must be like for the long suffering Joseph and Mary with a child who’s a real handful.

As below, so above. For a people engaged in a scheme that starts with a single human lifetime, but will ultimately take generations to unfold, there’s little grandiose posturing among the Deusi team orchestrating this, and more humdrum office reality of a team forced to work together on the dreaded group project.

It’s a bold choice of topic for a writer to take, especially for a first work. And while it could easily be viewed as someone simply trying to be edgy or attention grabbing, Mee’s writing never descends to the realm of mocking faith, or the people who have it.

Deity Creation would have failed if the writing ever became mean spirited. But instead, even when telling a story centred around religion on Earth, specifically Judeo Christianity, being a work of fiction, it still contends that the principles which underpin them are worthwhile and humane.

Deity Creation spends most of its time on earth, which certainly fits the purpose of the story. But it does leave the alien side of the narrative somewhat underdeveloped. We learn little about the Deusi or Santu, the other alien race in this tale.

Mee has said that he has potentially looked at this as the start of a series, so fleshing out who these races are could be the focus of a follow-up book.

It can be difficult for an author to fully divorce themselves and their views from their writing, and that’s as true of Paul Mee as any other. Many science fiction works set up conflicts between civilizations based on a desire for conquest, create strange needs meant to highlight just how alien alien-life can be, or just leave the antagonist utterly inscrutable.

But Mee, who in his day job is a chartered accountant, has instead chosen the economic models of two space faring civilisations, and the philosophies which underpin them, as the reason for war.

This might seem like a step down from the grand scope science fiction often embraces (I’ll throw in the overused ‘space opera’ descriptor for good measure), but what could come across as trivial instead fits with the, forgive me, down-to-earth approach taken with the other half of the tale. It’s certainly far from ridiculous considering that half of the 20th century was consumed with that exact conflict here on earth.

It took Paul four years to write Deity Creation, and as someone who had never written fiction before, a while longer before he had the courage to approach local publisher Tribes Press to bring it to our shelves. It is available through the publisher, or can be bought directly from his own website paulmee.ie.

Weather warning: Heavy winds bringing risk of coastal flooding

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February 22, 2021

Galway Daily weather Rough weekend forecast as weather warning issued by Met Eireann

Heavy winds will bring a risk of coastal flooding in the west and south of Ireland tonight, where a status yellow weather warning has been issued.

Met Eireann is forecasting southerly winds reaching sustained speeds of 50-65km/hr, and gusts reaching up to 110km/hr, possibly even higher on exposed coasts.

Where winds are onshore there is an accompanying risk of coastal flooding.

The alert has been issued for Galway and counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Munster, Donegal, Mayo, and Sligo.

It will come into effect at 9pm tonight and last until 6am on Tuesday morning.

Monday night is forecast to be particularly horrible in Galway, as this leads right into a second weather warning for heavy rain throughout all of Tuesday.

From midnight, 30mm to 50mm of rainfall is expected to accumulate, possibly even more in mountainous areas.

Some river and localised surface flooding is also possible due to the rain

Aaron Connolly Could Become Galway’s Best Known Soccer Star

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Angela Mc Bride

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February 22, 2021

Galway Daily United have a must win game against Limerick

Back in October 2020, The Galway Daily website published an article about three Galway soccer players to keep an eye on in the English Championship during the 2020/2021 season. There was no mention of the English Premier League, or Aaron Connolly, the Republic of Ireland player who plays for Brighton Hove Albion, so we are putting that right now.

The now 21-year-old was born in Oranmore, Galway, in the year 2000. His first taste of football was when at the age of five he played for Maree Oranmore FC in 2005. When he was 11, he joined the youth team of Mervue United. During the summer of 2016, he was spotted by Brighton and Hove Albion and offered a trial. It resulted in him being given a two-year scholarship with their U18s.

It wasn’t long before he was fast-tracked through to the U23s. His first appearance was as a substitute in the EFL cup game against Barnet in August 2017. They won 1-0. In January 2019, Connolly was offered a three-and-a-half-year contract that he duly signed and is now a regular first-team player.

Albion had a shaky start to the season and, until recently, languished around the bottom three in the Premier League table. But their fortunes began to change earlier this year when they beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0, rapidly followed by beating Liverpool at Anfield 1-0 at the beginning of February.

Brighton and Hove nearly made it through the quarter-finals of the 2020/2021 FA Cup. Had they done so, it would certainly have registered as a big upset given that they had to play Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, Sadly they lost 1-0. But at least they can now concentrate on making sure they stay in the EPL, and that is where young Connolly can hopefully show his true worth.

Connolly had a dream debut in his first Premier League in October 2019. He scored twice against Tottenham at the Amex Stadium. His first goal came in the 30th minute, and his second in the 65th minute. He put on an excellent display, torturing Tottenham’s backline throughout the match and earning himself the man of the match award.

On the same day that he scored twice against Tottenham, he also received his first call- up to the Republic of Ireland senior side for the qualifying matches for Euro 2020. He got his first cap on the 12thof October 2019, coming on as a substitute in the 79th minute for James Collins.

He would have received more international caps, but injuries have dogged him and prevented him from joining the Republic of Ireland squad on two occasions. They have also meant that he hasn’t been available for Brighton – his latest injury being to a hamstring.

So far this season, and because of those injuries, Connolly has only scored twice but manager Graham Potter nonetheless remains convinced of the youngster’s potential.

He brought him on as a substitute in the recent games against Spurs and Liverpool and gave him a start against Burnley. If he can remain injury-free, he is sure to start scoring goals again.

Hopefully, he can begin to realise his potential to become one of Galway’s best-ever footballing talents. He can be instrumental in helping Brighton and Hove Albion to cement their place in next season’s Premiership, and when called-up, add firepower to the ROI senior men’s team.

COVID-19: One death reported and 48 new Galway cases

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February 21, 2021

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

The Department of Health has reported 679 new cases of COVID-19 and one further death related to the disease.

Of the cases reported by health officials this evening, 48 are in Galway, taking the 14-day incidence rate here to 330.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, with 854 cases confirmed in the past two weeks.

There has now been a total of 4,136 COVID-19 related deaths in the Republic and 215,057 confirmed cases.

As of 8am today, 744 COVID patients are hospitalised, of which 148 are in ICU.

Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said that while the level of disease in our communities remains very high, we are still making progress.

“We have reported less than 1,000 cases each day this week and our 7 day average has fallen from 1,022 two weeks ago, to 862 last week, to 792 today,” he said.

“The number of people in hospital has fallen from over 1,200 two weeks ago, to 744 today.

“Do not underestimate the power of your actions as we seek to protect the gains we have made and further reduce transmission.

“This week, please continue to work from home unless essential and do not visit other households unless for essential reasons or as part of a support bubble.”

Letter | LDA Bill is a Trojan horse for the pillaging of the public land bank

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February 21, 2021

galway daily news letter people before profit adrian curran

– Adrian Curran
People Before Profit Galway local area representative

The passing of the Land Development Agency (LDA) Bill would herald the wholesale pillaging of the public land banks by profit hungry developers and investors.

The Bill will allow for the new agency to take over public land from local authorities and all other public bodies in the state – land that should be used wholly for social and genuinely affordable housing, and instead develop 50% or more of each site for private housing, with no minimum percentage requirement for affordable housing or social housing.

Hundreds of previously publicly owned sites will all be parceled up as Designated Activity Companies (DAC’s), allowed to enter into arrangements with ‘investment vehicles’ and ‘third parties’.

The DAC’s will not be subject to any democratic oversight, will not be subject to Freedom of Information and will be insulated from detailed scrutiny by ‘commercial sensitivity’ provisions.

This is likely to affect public lands in Galway, such as those around Sandy Road, Dyke Road, Ceannt Station and Nuns Island.

These lands must be used to provide social and genuinely affordable housing in recognition of the housing emergency we face in Galway.

The Bill explicitly links the undefined proportion of ‘affordable’ housing on each site to market prices and conditions, guaranteeing that the housing will remain completely unaffordable for those on low and middle incomes in many parts of the country, particularly those areas where the housing crisis is most severe like Galway.

The Bill allows the LDA to dispose of lands without any democratic input and to take over the currently democratic local authority function of drafting planning schemes.

The Bill barely mentions social housing, there is no minimum social housing requirement and social housing provision is not mentioned at all in the ‘Functions of the Agency’ section of the Bill.

The Bill instead refers to ‘cost rental’ provision but again states explicitly that rents, alongside house prices on the sites, will be linked to market conditions with ‘different prices … relating to different geographical or administrative areas’.

The only hope of social housing offered in the Bill on LDA on sites will be through Part V (10% obligation) which currently applies to private developments, but even this obligation can be avoided by the developer paying a sum to the council in lieu.

This Bill is the state effectively abandoning traditional council housing and washing its hands of any responsibility for the delivery of housing that is accessible and affordable both to those on the housing list and those that cannot afford their own home at market prices.

This legislation will actively facilitate a heist of huge swathes of the public land bank – another NAMA just waiting to happen. It is quite clearly the government giving carte blanche to developers and property investors to pillage the state’s land banks while pretending to facilitate the provision of housing for the public good.

The promise of affordable housing is a joke. The Bill defines affordable as ‘below market price’ but gives no guarantee as to how much below these unaffordable prices this will be and states clearly that market prices and rents will be the starting point, rather than income and ability to pay, as is the case with traditional public housing.

It is clear that these prices will not be affordable as current market prices and rents are running at utterly extortionate levels, far out of the reach of those on low and middle incomes.

A small and undefined reduction on market prices will be meaningless for the vast majority of working people.

People Before Profit will fight tooth and nail to oppose this rotten Bill and for the provision of social and genuinely affordable housing on public land in Galway and around the country.

Tributes paid following death of Galway musician Joe Burke

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February 21, 2021

Galway Daily news Woman (80s) dies following car crash two weeks ago

Tributes have poured in from across Galway and further afield following the passing of local musician Joe Burke.

The master accordion player passed away peacefully on Saturday surrounded by his family at Galway Hospice.

A native of east Galway, Burke was a master accordion player who inspired generations of younger musicians.

He was born in 1939 in Kilnadeema south of Loughrea and began playing at the age of four.

Burke won the All-Ireland Senior Accordion Championship in Thurles in 1959 and again in 1960 in Boyle.

He performed and recorded music for over 50 years and was acclaimed by audiences worldwide for his style and technique.

Weather warning for heavy rain in Galway next week

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February 21, 2021

Galway Daily weather Weather warning for heavy rain in Galway tonight

The sun is shining in Galway right now, but Met Eireann is forecasting a rougher time next week, with a weather warning issued for heavy rain on Tuesday.

A Status Yellow weather warning has been issued for all of Connacht and Munster, along with counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford.

Accumulations of up to 50mm of rain are expected over the day, possibly even higher in mountainous areas.

Some localised and river flooding is possible due to the heavy rain forecast for the day Met Eireann has warned.

The warning covers all of Tuesday, coming into force at midnight and remaining in place for the next 24 hours.

Threshold responds to over 5,000 webchat queries in six months

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February 21, 2021

The national housing charity Threshold has dealt with more than 5,000 webchat queries since it first introduced that service six months ago.

During the COVID-19 pandemic the housing charity has been dealing with an average of 41 webchat queries per day.

Commenting on the figures, Western Regional Services Manager at Threshold, Karina Timothy said: “Since we had to close our doors to face-to-face consultations last March, we have been faced with many challenges in terms of how we deliver our service safely.

“We have made sure to diversify our service offering in response to the environment that we find ourselves in, so that we can continue to maintain the quality service that renters the length and breadth of the country are accustomed to.”

“Whilst our offices remain closed and face-to-face consultations are currently not possible, the development of our webchat service has proven to be very successful as we deal with an average of 41 queries a day.”

More than a quarter of queries to Threshold via this service have been to do with eviction notices, while another 26% related to leases.

Another 14% of calls related to deposits, 11% were concerned with standards and repairs in housing, and 6% were about rent reviews.

“While the protections introduced in 2020 have provided relief to many, it is clear to see that they have not made renters’ problems disappear altogether,” Karina Timothy said.

“We would appeal to any renter in distress to avail of Threshold’s webchat service or freephone helpline.”

Threshold’s webchat operates Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 5pm via threshold.ie.

Threshold’s freephone helpline remains available Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm at 1800 454 454, and via its website at https://www.threshold.ie/advice/help for any renter in need of advice or support.

Home care for older travellers and older homeless adults is a fundamental right, study finds

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February 21, 2021

A study carried out by the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology has found that home support services for older Travellers and older homeless adults must be considered as a fundamental right.

It found that supports must be promoted as a viable and accessible support for these groups, regardless of their housing circumstances and where they live.

The study aimed to capture older Travellers’ and older homeless adults’ views and preferences for home care.

Highlighting a range of barriers in accessing home support services, it shows the potential for these groups to fall through the cracks in Ireland’s long-term and community care system.

Barriers can include communication and cultural issues, eligibility criteria, willingness to accept care, the suitability of environments for receiving care, and discrimination and stigma.

Speaking at the launch of the findings on Thursday, Professor Kieran Walsh, Director of the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology and lead investigator said, “There are a number of critical gaps evident in the care for older Travellers and older homeless adults, and in part, these stem from the structural disadvantages that both groups encounter in our communities, and society.

“While the gaps are reinforced by our failure to properly account for the needs of these populations in care provision, they impact not only individual older people, but also put significant pressure on families, charity organisations and primary and community care providers working with the groups.”

Dr Bridin Carroll, a member of the research team, added that the findings show that without the significant cross-sector efforts, particularly at grass-roots level, and the resilience of many older Traveller and older homeless individuals themselves, the welfare of these populations would be even more at risk.

“But this situation is really not sustainable. The research highlights that home care for these groups requires sensitivity to people’s individual circumstances, and the sorts of social exclusions they have faced,” said Dr Carroll.

“To secure better health outcomes for these populations, the research calls for home supports that are flexible, well-communicated, free of stigmatisation and discrimination, and that target both the instrumental provision of care and the enablement of individuals.”

Putting forward 20 recommendations for policy and practice on home care, the research calls for public, private and voluntary long-term care providers to develop care and support protocols targeting marginalised and diverse older populations, including older Travellers and older people who have experienced homelessness.

The research which was carried out by NUI Galway’s Irish Centre for Social Gerontology in conjunction with co-investigators from NUI Galway, Queen’s University Belfast, Newcastle University and University of Limerick.

Tuam Mother and Baby Home survivor tells his story in TG4 documentary

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February 21, 2021

A TG4 documentary will feature Galwegian Peter Mulryan who was sent to the Tuam Mother and Baby Home just after being born.

Peter was born in the Regional Hospital in Galway in 1944, and six days later he was sent to the Mother and Baby Home.

When he was due to marry, he became curious about his birth mother and his curiosity led him on a journey from the Home in Tuam to the Magdalene laundries in Galway.

Peter found his mother to be hopelessly institutionalised there, but he managed to form a relationship with her before she died. It wasn’t until he met the local historian Catherine Corless in Tuam that he discovered that he may have a sister who was born in the Home in Tuam.

Filmed over 12 months by Galway’s Tua Films and presented by RTÉ’s courts correspondent, Orla O’Donnell, Finné shines a light into the darkest corners of Irish society.

Through riveting first person testimony, the jaw-dropping documentary series recounts intimate stories of triumphs and traumas, of Davids and Goliaths, of dogged resilience and human frailties.

This documentary was first broadcast in 2018 and will be on TG4 on Wednesday at 9.30pm.

COVID-19: 26 deaths and 68 Galway cases today

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February 20, 2021

There have been a further 26 deaths related to COVID-19 reported by the Department of Health today, along with 988 new cases.

Galway is reporting 68 new cases today, once again the second highest level in the country behind Dublin.

There have been 860 cases reported here in the past two weeks, and the 14 day incidence rate now stands at 333.3 per 100,000 people.

The deaths reported today were in people aged from 58 to 98 years old.

There were 719 people in hospital with COVID-19 in Ireland as of Saturday afternoon, of whom 148 were in the ICU.

Galway RNLI lifeboat rescues swimmer in trouble off Salthill

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February 20, 2021

Galway Daily news Lough Derg RNLI rescue two people after boat strikes rocks

The Galway City RNLI lifeboat came to the rescue of a swimmer who was in trouble in the waters off Blackrock in Salthill this afternoon.

A pedestrian raised that alarm after seeing a woman struggling in the water between Blackrock and Ladies Beach at 12:25pm on Saturday.

The Coast Guard was alerted and called for the assistance of the Galway RNLI lifeboat, which launched from the docks shortly after.

When the lifeboat arrived in the area they directed towards the woman a few hundred metres offshore opposite the Galway Bay Hotel.

The woman was taken aboard the lifeboat and brought to an ambulance waiting on the shore. She was assessed by paramedics and allowed to return home shortly afterwards.

Shane Folan, Deputy Launch Authority said “We would advise anyone thinking of going swimming to let someone else know.”

“Today, for example, there were very challenging weather conditions with high winds and breaking surf”.

The lifeboat volunteer crew on the call-out were helmsman David Badger, Martin Oliver, Ross Forde and James Rhattigan.

Boil Water Notice issued for over 900 Connemara households

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February 20, 2021

Galway Daily news Boil Water Notice issued for over 900 Connemara households

A Boil Water Notice has been issued for more than 900 household in the Lettermore area of Connemara by Irish Water today.

The Boil Water Notice has been issued for households on the Teeranea/Lettermore Pubic Water Supply due to mechanical issues at the water treatment plant.

Irish Water has said that “ongoing operational and mechanical issues” at the treatment plant have resulted in the water treatment process being compromised.

People affected by the notice must boil their water before drinking and preparing food with it, as well as when brushing your teeth.

But the water is safe for all other applications including personal hygiene, bathing and flushing of toilets Irish Water states.

Tim O’Connor of Irish Water said “Public health is Irish Water’s number one priority and we would like to assure customers that no non-compliant water has entered the network.”

“We are aware of the impact that this notice will have on the area affected and thank our customers in advance for their patience and cooperation while we work as safely and as efficiently as possible under the current COVID-19 restrictions to improve the operations at the plant.”

Irish Water will monitor the plant with Galway County Council and the HSE, and lift the notice when it is deemed safe.

Business customers will receive a 40 per cent rebate on the cost of the supply of water to their businesses for the duration of the Boil Water Notice.

Weather warning for Galway now in effect

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February 20, 2021