More Expressway services connecting Galway with Dublin Airport, Cork, Ballina

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September 12, 2020

Galway Daily news More than 57,000 people receiving CAO offers today

The Department of Justice and Equality has made it easier for many short term foreign workers to handle the immigration process, by launching an online application system.

The Atypical Worker Scheme applies to non-EEA nationals who are working with a company in Ireland in certain key sectors, such as healthcare, or areas where there is a need for special expertise or a skills shortage.

The European Economic Area (EEA), covers the member states of the EU, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and covers free trade and movement.

Since March of this year alone, the scheme has processed over 700 applications for frontline doctors and nurses in Ireland.

It has also supported other key sectors of the economy, including pharma and biomedical manufacturing.

It is now easier than ever for people to apply to come to Ireland under the scheme, or to renew their stay, with the launch of an online application process.

“Driving the digital agenda across the Justice sector is one of my main ministerial priorities,” said Minister Helen McEntee.

In the coming months, I will publish a digital strategy for our immigration services but I am pleased that progress is already being made by the Immigration Service Delivery.

“The AWS provides a streamlined mechanism to deal with atypical, short term employment situations, including those where skill shortages have been identified or where there is a critical need to provide specialised high skills to an industry, business or academic institution.”

The AWS is administered by the Department of Justice in a joint agreement with the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.

It is a section of Ireland’s immigration services meant to deal with atypical, short term employment or certain other employment situations which are not governed by the Employment Permits Acts immigration law.

In 2019 there were 3,413 people approved to work in Ireland under the AWS, including 1,837 nurses, 142 Locum GPs, 14 Locum hospital doctors, and 227 seafarers.

A further 205 applications under the scheme were rejected by the Department.

The online application process for the AWS is available at https://inisonline.jahs.ie.

Minister McEntee said, “Ensuring that employers can be confident that such applications are processed in the most efficient and effective manner possible is crucial to maintaining our competitive advantage, especially in these challenging times.”

Plans for new apartments in unfinished Tuam buildings

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September 12, 2020

Galway Daily news Approval given to turn unfinished Tuam buildings into apartments

Planning permission is being sought to take two half-completed structures in Tuam, idle for almost 15 years, and finish building them as apartments.

Whitedrive Developments were first granted planning permission for the buildings at Parkmore, Tuam, which were originally intended to serve as commercial units, in June of 2006.

However, due to financial difficulties, all construction work came to a halt in 2007, and the structures have been left partially completed since then.

“There have been numerous attempts to sell the structures and to complete the development, but there is little commercial interest in this site,” the planning application states.

The developer is now seeking approval to complete the buildings for residential use, with a total of eight apartments planned.

When completed, the two blocks would contain four apartments each, two at the ground floor, and two on the first floor.

“Since the development is partially constructed, the site is already serviced with public water and public on site since 2006.”

“The development is an opportunity to make good a brownfield site and revert to residential use.”

“The buildings have been designed within the constraints of the existing structures, in order to make sure there is value with the existing construction.”

A decision is due on this planning application from Galway County Council by September 30.

NUI Galway and GMIT to receive an additional 275 places for students this year

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September 12, 2020

Galway Daily news ATU Languages Competition for secondary schools returns for 2nd year

There have been an additional 275 places for students created in courses at GMIT and NUI Galway this year due to the impact of calculated grades.

Thousands of students received their first round CAO offers on Friday as colleges and universities began filling places for the coming academic year.

This year, the Department of Education has provided 2,225 additional places in third level courses overall to help alleviate the impact of the calculated grades, which has resulted in record high results.

Galway Senator Aisling Dolan has said that Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has informed her that 190 of those extra places will be at NUIG, and 85 will be in GMIT.

“The Government funded these additional places to help ease the pressure on the CAO system,” Senator Dolan said.

“After so much upheaval, it is very welcome to see thousands more people will get a college place this year than last year.”

“In fact, more students will be admitted to college in the coming weeks than in any previous year”

NUI Galway has 43 additional spaces in Arts & Humanities, 53 in Business, 10 in Education, 62 in Engineering, 10 in Law, 6 in Nursing, and 6 in Medicine & Physical Health.

At the GMIT there are 32 new places in Medicine, 25 in Science, 10 in Engineering, and 18 new spots in Education.

Minister Harris said it had been an immensely difficult year for students and he hoped the additional places will alleviate some of the pressure.

“I do recognise the strong competition for places this year. I have worked with the sector to increase places to the greatest extent possible.”

“I welcome the fact that the proportion of applicants receiving an offer of one of their top three preferences is stable between years, despite this strong competition.”

For students considering their future now, Senator Dolan added that it is important to keep in mind that there are many further education options with the GRETB.

Gardaí seize €32,000 in drugs and cash in raid on city house

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September 12, 2020

Galway Daily news Gardaí seize €32,000 in drugs and cash in raid on city house

Gardaí have arrested a man in connection with the seizure of €32,000 in drugs and cash from a house in Galway City this week.

On Thursday, September 10, Gardaí searched a house on the Headford Road, Galway City, where they found a quantity of MDMA, Cannabis, and LSD.

The value of the suspected drugs, pending analysis, was €29,000.

Gardaí also seized €2,800 in cash during the search of the property.

One man in his 40s was arrested, and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Coronavirus: 211 cases and one Covid related death reported today

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September 11, 2020

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

There have been 211 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the State, while the HPSC has today been informed that one person with the virus has died.

Five of the new cases are in Galway, but the majority again are in Dublin (121).

Seventeen new cases were confirmed in Louth, ten in Limerick, eight in Cork, seven in Westmeath, seven in Wicklow, six in Laois and five in Donegal.

The remaining 24 cases are in Carlow, Clare, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Meath, Offaly, Roscommon, Tipperary, and Waterford.

Seventy-three percent are under 45 years of age while 100 are men and 108 are women

Forty-two cases have been identified as community transmission.

One person was admitted to ICU in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of COVID patients in critical care to seven.

Fifty-three people who have COVID-19 are in hospitals across the country.

Despite today’s additional death, the official number of probable, possible and confirmed COVID-19 deaths remains unchanged at 1,781.

Speaking ahead of the weekend, Dr Ronan Glynn said: “While we are seeing a continued increase in cases, particularly in Dublin, this is at least partly due to the willingness of people to heed our core messages around knowing the symptoms and coming forward promptly for testing. This together with all of the other key behaviours will help to break the chains of transmission in our communities.

“This weekend, please limit your social contacts, especially visitors to your home. Avoid crowds, keep your distance from others and wear a face covering where appropriate.”

Popular Ballinasloe shop changes its name after refurbishments

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September 11, 2020

galway daily ballinasloe — Patrick Atkinson, CEO of Chadwicks Group (left) pictured with Joe Hynes, Sales advisor, Theresa Geraghty, Administrator and Gerry Barrett, Branch Manager (right) at the relaunch of Chadwicks Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. Pic. Robbie Reynolds

Barretts of Ballinasloe has changed its name to Chadwicks today as part of a nationwide rebrand by Chadwicks Group.

The rebranding started in 2018 and the store in Ballinasloe is the 22^nd branch to have gone through a major refurbishment.

Gerry Barrett, Branch Manager, pictured with his team at the relaunch of Chadwicks, Ballinasloe.
Pic. Robbie Reynolds

Barretts, which was established by Frank Barrett in 1954, has a long and proud history in the east Galway town.

Frank’s two sons, Gerry and Mike, took over the business in 1980 which coincided with a move to its current location on Society St.

In 2004, Barretts became part of Heiton Buckley and today’s announcement sees Barretts continue its journey within the Chadwicks Group family.

Gerry Barrett, Chadwicks Branch Manager, said they are delighted to officially announce the rebrand.

“Our new branch has been upgraded with our customer in mind and visitors to the branch can expect expanded product ranges from top name brands, coupled with expert product knowledge from our talented team.

“Barretts has a long history in the town of Ballinasloe as we enter this new chapter of our history we look forward to continuing to serve the people of Ballinasloe and the wider region for many years to come.”

Visitors to the newly revamped store can expect some new and exciting additions and upgrades, including the introduction of a brand-new range of doors and floors, including the latest trend for painted doors.

But while there are changes and enhancements to the branch, the team of 17 merchanting specialists will remain the same.

Customers will also find new additions to the paint counter which now stocks an even wider collection of paint brands, varnishes, and accessories. In-branch paint mixing services are also available.

The upgraded bathroom showroom houses the latest and greatest bathroom suites and products from top name brands, reflecting current trends and innovations in the category.

As well as an expanded range of great value trade products, there’s a wide selection of power tools available and a new and improved workwear range of best-in-class professional clothing.

Weekend weather forecast: Cloudy skies but mostly dry

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September 11, 2020

Galway Daily weather Falling temperatures and weekend rain mark weather for rest of the week

The weather in Galway this weekend is expected to be mostly dry apart from a few isolated showers, with some spells of sunshine forecast amid cloudy skies.

The forecast for tonight is for cloudy skies with a light southwesterly wind, highest temperatures of 12 to 13 degrees.

Saturday will see the wind pick up throughout the day, gaining moderate strength and veering southerly headed into the evening.

There will be some sunshine to be had in the late morning and afternoon on Saturday in places, but for the most part the weather will remain overcast.

Temperatures on Saturday will reach highs of 17 to 18 degrees celcius in the early evening, Met Eireann has predicted, dropping to 15 degrees that night.

On Sunday morning some isolated showers can be expected, but for the most part it will be a dry day, with some time in the sun even expected in the mid afternoon.

Temperatures on Sunday will reach highs of 17 degrees, and there will be a light to moderate southwesterly wind throughout the day.

Headed into next week we can expect the weather to get more unsettled, with more sun, but also heavier rain forecast.

A status yellow marine warning is in force for Friday, with winds veering westerly to reach force 6 or higher this afternoon on coasts from Slyne Head to Carlingford Lough to Mizen Head.

Galway United aiming for three win streak tonight

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September 11, 2020

Galway Daily sport Galway United confirms four returning players this week

Galway United will be back on their home turf this evening when they face off against Shamrock Rovers at Eamon Deacy Park.

United are looking to continue a strong streak after winning their last two games against Athlone and UCD away from Galway, where they picked up six points.

Attentions now turn to picking up a first home win of the season, and making amends for drawing 1-1 against Rovers’ second side on the opening day of the season at Tallaght Stadium.

Aidan Price’s charges have lost three of their last four games, but all of the reversals were by only a one goal margin, and they were up against promotion hopefuls Bray Wanderers, Longford Town and Cobh Ramblers.

John Caulfield, who recently took over as the manager for Galway United, is aiming for three straight wins for his debut, but knows this will be a tricky game, and that the team will need to be at their best.

“We’re looking forward to the Shamrock Rovers game at home,” Caulfield explained.

“We’re aware of the danger, Shamrock Rovers beat Athlone Town 4-0 a few weeks ago and they’ve only suffered very narrow losses against Longford Town and Cobh Ramblers.”

“They can call on a few quality first team players like Brandon Kavanagh, Thomas Oluwa, Aaron Bolger, so we’re in for another tough night.

“We know that we must be on our game to get another win. It will require a lot of hard work.

“We will be looking to build on the wins against Athlone and UCD, and hopefully continue to create more momentum.”

Cian Murphy, Joshua Smith, Conor Melody and Micheál Schlingermann will miss out on tonight’s game due to injury.

Galway United v Shamrock Rovers will kick off at 7:45pm this evening at Eamon Deacy Park.

Information on how to live stream this game from your home can be found here.

NUI Galway to welcome 3,500 first years after exceptional year

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September 11, 2020

nui galway cao offers students 2020 university points

CAO points have risen in all four colleges at NUI Galway, as the University prepares to welcome 3,500 First Year students later this month.

The University made an extra 190 offers to CAO applicants, as demand for popular programmes intensified after the increases in CAO points.

President of NUI Galway Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, congratulated the class of 2020 who have ‘illustrated resilience’ through the challenges of the past year.

“Managing a safe return to campus and the wellbeing of our students, staff and wider community is our top priority at NUI Galway,” he said.

“We look forward to welcoming our First Year students to their university. While we know it will be a year with a difference and an unusual start to our students’ University journey, it remains an exciting journey where we will endeavour to provide a safe, meaningful on-campus experience for our students with a corresponding reliance on online provision.

“Consistent with our values and respecting the health and safety of our community, we appreciate the work being done by many colleagues and students to ensure a safe return to campus and we ask our university community to support the need for a deepened sense of responsibility for the collective good for the new academic year ahead.”

CAO points have risen across all four of NUI Galway’s Colleges and across many of its programmes.

A strong focus on public health remains a high priority with a significant surge in points for Nursing, Health Sciences, Medicine and Psychology programmes that offer future careers aimed at improving health and wellbeing. This follows a trend in recent years of increased interest in fields of study with the potential for graduates to have a powerful and positive impact on the world around them.
Similarly, demand for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) programmes grew, with NUI Galway’s strong reputation for excellence in Biomedicine once again resulting in points increases for Biomedical Science.
The traditional professions like Law, Accounting and Business all saw an increase in points as applicants opted for programmes with clearly defined career paths.
NUI Galway introduced four new programmes this year: a BSc in Geography and Geosystems; two new Law degrees: Law and Taxation and Law: Criminology and Criminal Justice; and a BSc in Genetics and Genomics, and all proved popular choices for applicants.
Arts programmes also saw points increases for Creative Arts options and in particular, Music; Film and Digital Media; and Drama, Theatre and Performance courses, reflecting Galway’s cultural and artistic reputation as the European Capital of Culture for 2020.

For incoming First Year students, an undergraduate orientation will take place in the week commencing 21 September in a safe way, adhering to Covid-19 public health guidelines.

Orientations will comprise of a mix of online and on-campus activities to help students familiarise themselves with the university, understand the structures and demands of student life, learn about the supports available to them and get to know their fellow classmates who will in time become lifelong friends.

NUI Galway is putting in place a ‘Pre-Orientation Outreach’ initiative to individually call all incoming First Year students.

The initiative involves the Chaplaincy team calling (and text to unanswered call) all incoming First Year students who accepted their place in NUI Galway, to welcome and introduce the students to the University.

Jimmy McGovern, Support Worker at NUI Galway’s Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care Centre, said: “We believe it is important to connect with our new students – to congratulate them on accepting their course, to let them know what being a student in NUI Galway will look like, and to welcome them into our University community.”

A comprehensive blended learning model of online and on-campus teaching will be provided this year to ensure a top quality educational experience – delivering on students’ expectations and learning outcomes.

NUI Galway is building on-campus learning to ensure a meaningful student experience. This will be delivered through a mix of on-campus tutorials, seminars, distanced meet-ups and/or laboratories, based on the needs of various courses. At all times capacity in rooms will conform to public health advice.

Large-scale lectures will be adapted for online delivery, as well as some smaller classes where it is not possible and safe to deliver them on-campus.

The majority of online lectures will not be timetabled in specific slots but will instead be made available in advance of any related timetabled classes such as seminars, tutorials and lab work.

Other online lectures will be provided through podcasts, other digital platforms, interactive Q&As, a mix of online real-time tutorials and lectures, and the ‘Covid and Philosophy’ project, which involves projects for assessment but also an end of year public presentation of results.

A dedicated First Year Hotline is now open to answer questions and help students, parents and guardians as they prepare for an academic year with a difference, college studies and college life at NUI Galway.

Irish companies fearing a second lockdown as business slowly resumes

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September 11, 2020

A recent report by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has revealed that 64.1% of businesses in Ireland perceive a second lockdown to be one of their top concerns going forward.

The biweekly report, which chronicles the business impact of COVID-19 on Irish businesses, was released based on a survey of 3000 organisations.

It comes on the heels of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the country. The first three weeks of August recorded over 1,800 cases.

Although the deaths have been minimal compared with other months, it still causes concern among business owners.

The rise in cases has led to a delay in moving out of the lockdown restrictions imposed by the government for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fourth phase of the lockdown easing, which was scheduled to begin on August 10, ended up being delayed, with tighter restrictions imposed instead on gatherings due to the spike in cases.

Pubs and bars which don’t serve food have continuously had their reopening time delayed, and it has only now been agreed that they should reopen on September 21.

Although the country has not fully turned the curve upwards into a second wave, there are corners that the situation might be heading in that direction.

When appearing before the special committee on a Covid-19 response, Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer, acknowledged that the situation has been deteriorating for the past couple of months, especially since the restrictions were lifted.

At the same meeting, Philip Nolan, Chairman of the Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group at the National Public Health Emergency Team, remarked that the country was at an important juncture when it came to keeping the virus controlled.

Although the Government remains confident, the current trend of cases is not encouraging for businesses.

Even if a nationwide lockdown is not reinstated, other restrictions such as work-from-home may be compelled based on the ongoing trend. Such policies may prove to be a death knell for many businesses, especially the small ones.

While most businesses have already resumed work, they are still not operating as usual; the CSO report highlighted that, on average, 59.2% of employees are still working from home.

As was shown in the survey, 62.9% of the employees at small enterprises are currently working from their offices as opposed to large enterprises, which had 51.1% of their staff working at the offices.

Micro enterprises would be most hit by any further lockdown restrictions, with only 18.1% of their staff currently working from home.

The Government has introduced a number of support schemes and grants to help businesses stay afloat during these difficult times.

There is the Business Support Call Centre helping business owners navigate through various financial supports, training and guidance to help their businesses mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

It is also worth noting that most of the initiatives available to businesses before the pandemic, such as the R&D tax credits are still there for the eligible businesses to take advantage of.

Prosecution of casino accused of selling alcohol without a licence collapses

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September 11, 2020

Galway Daily courts Prosecution collapses against casino accused of selling alcohol without a licence

A casino operator in Galway City had charges of serving alcohol without a valid liquor licence dropped by the state after the company went into liquidation.

Midnight Entertainment Ltd, as the operator of 4 Aces Casino on Dominick street, was charged in November 2015 with selling alcohol without a liquor licence.

The company denied the charges, claiming that it was a private members club and didn’t need a licence.

The matter dragged on for several years, with the company seeking, and obtaining, a High Court order to prevent Judge Mary Fahy from hearing the case in March 2019, as reported in the Irish Independent, after she refused to recuse herself.

The company sought her recusal as she had sentenced the director of the company to six months in prison in 2015 for a similar offence.

The case proceeded to hearing before Galway District Court this week before Judge Marie Keane, where the state announced that it was withdrawing the charges.

Three employees of casino who were also charged in the same incident also had their charges dismissed.

Inspector Des Beirne told Judge Keane that he had just received information from the Companies Registration Office that Midnight Entertainment Ltd went into liquidation in July of this year.

The prosecution of the company would therefore fail, he said, and the state was withdrawing the charges.

If the prosecution of the company failed, it would also fall in the case of the individual defendants, he added, and those charges were therefore also being withdrawn.

Solicitor for one of the employees Ms Valerie Corcoran asked Judge Keane to have the charges dismissed with prejudice, meaning the state could not prosecute them again for the same charges.

She said that her client has been badly affected by this for the past five years, and has been prevented from getting a passport, and that she was told as recently as the Friday prior that the case would be proceeding.

Mr John Martin, representing the other two individuals, echoed her submission.

Judge Keane agreed to strike out all the charges with prejudice, bringing the saga to a definitive close.

N17 Tuam bypass closing for two days next week

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September 11, 2020

The N17 Tuam Bypass will be closed in alternating directions for for two days next week while maintenance work is taking place.

CRJV, on behalf of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, intend to carry out works on the bypass next Monday and Tuesday.

To facilitate this, there will be lane closures in place in either direction between the roundabout with the N83 at either end.
The program for the closures is as follows:

Monday, September 14 – 08:00 to 16:00 – Northbound Closure
Tuesday, September 15 – 08:00 to 18:00 – Southbound Closure

During this time, traffic will be diverted through Tuam.

Galway County Council apologises for any inconvenience motorists experience as a result of these works.

Galway TD condemns pause in COVID-19 screening at meat plants

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September 11, 2020

Galway daily news Galway TD condemns pause in COVID-19 screening at meat plants

A Galway TD has condemned the HSE for its decision to suspend COVID-19 screening at meat plants due to capacity issues.

The Health Service Executive confirmed in a statement to Sinn Féin on Wednesday that testing at meat plants has been suspended until next week.

This is apparently due to the increased demand for testing nationwide following a recent increase in the number of cases.

Galway-Roscommon TD Denis Naughten expressed dismay at this move, saying “we must hunt Covid out of meat plants not chase it from county to county”.

The HSE has said that while the screening programme is not to resume until next week, if there is an outbreak in a plant, then mass testing will still occur.

Meat plants have proven to be a significant flashpoint of COVID-19 clusters, and increased testing at these locations was brought in last month after several factories were part of a spike in cases the led to the reintroduction of lockdown restrictions in Kildare, Offaly, and Laois.

“The risk posed within the sector arose due to the close quarters within which people work and live, the atmosphere for survival and transmission of the virus and the large number of asymptomatic positive cases.”

The Independent TD went on to accuse the people in a position of authority surrounding this issue of “circling the wagons” instead of dealing with the problem.

He said that just 10% of the screening programme was completed prior to this freeze in testing, adding that there would have been “ample capacity” if this had taken place in the summer months, potentially avoiding the need for those county lockdowns.

“While we must ensure that all those referred for a Covid test receive it in a timely manner, unless we concentrate on potential reservoirs of infection in the food industry, we will never be able to manage it,” concluded Denis Naughten.

Disruptions expected to Galway-Dublin rail travel on Saturday

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September 11, 2020

There will be a number of disruptions to rail travel between Galway and Dublin on Saturday due to line improvement works taking place throughout the day.

Irish Rail is carrying out Ballast Cleaning Works between Portarlington and Portlaoise on Saturday, September 12.

This will result in a number of altered schedules and deferments on the Galway-Heuston line, as well as single delayed train from Galway to Athlone in the evening.

The following service disruptions can be expected to Galway rail travel on Saturday:

07:30 Athlone to Galway will operate will operate as normal
07:35 Heuston to Galway will operate as normal
09:25 Heuston to Galway will call additionally at Newbridge, Kildare and Monasterevin and will operate with an altered schedule
11:25 Heuston to Galway will call additionally at Newbridge, Kildare and Monasterevin and will operate with an altered schedule
13:25 Heuston to Galway will call additionally at Newbridge, Kildare and Monasterevin and will operate with an altered schedule
15:35 Heuston to Galway will call additionally at Newbridge, Kildare and Monasterevin and will operate with an altered schedule
16:30 Heuston to Galway will call additionally at Monasterevin and Portarlington and will operate with an altered schedule
17:30 Heuston to Galway will call additionally at Kildare and Monasterevin and will operate with an altered schedule
18:30 Heuston to Galway will call additionally at Kildare and will operate with an altered schedule
19:35 Heuston to Galway will call additionally at Newbridge, Kildare and Monasterevin and will operate with an altered schedule
06:25 Galway to Heuston will operate as normal
07:30 Galway to Heuston will call additionally at Monasterevin, Kildare and Newbridge and will operate with an altered schedule
09:30 Galway to Heuston will call additionally at Monasterevin, Kildare and Newbridge and will operate with an altered schedule
11:00 Galway to Heuston is deferred to 11:10, will call additionally at Monasterevin, Kildare and Newbridge and will operate with an altered schedule
13:05 Galway to Heuston is deferred to 13:10, will call additionally at Monasterevin, Kildare and Newbridge and will operate with an altered schedule
15:05 Galway to Heuston will call additionally at Monasterevin and will operate with an altered schedule
17:20 Galway to Heuston will call additionally at Monasterevin and will operate with an altered schedule
18:10 Galway to Athlone is deferred to 18:15 and will operate with an altered schedule
19:20 Galway to Heuston will call additionally at Monasterevin, Kildare and Newbridge and will operate with an altered schedule

Baboró 2020 announces full programme details

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September 10, 2020

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children has announced its full programme details for the 24th annual festival, taking place from Monday 5 until Sunday 18 October.

Galway-based Baboró is Ireland’s international arts festival devoted exclusively to young audiences, their families and schools – and this year’s innovative programme won’t disappoint.

It will feature live performances, visual art installations and interactive digital experiences to children, their friends and families over an extended two week period.

Festival highlights include live performances of Birdboy by United Fall, Paul Noonan’s The Electric Kazoo, The Dig by Paul Curley and Bewley’s Café Theatre’s Wilde Garden Adventures.

An emphasis has been placed on live performances for children with additional needs with two of the country’s most celebrated artists working in this area, Phillida Eves and Anna Newell, adapting shows to safely meet this important audience in outdoor spaces.

Local artist Jojo Hynes has created a stunning body of work inspired by the myth and mystery of once-revered female water deities from across the world.

Artists across Ireland and the world have innovated to create interactive online performances to be enjoyed in your living room or classroom, including Cahoots NI who have created an entirely new way of presenting theatre in The University of Wonder and Imagination.

Children and young people will be celebrated as artists in their own right as Symphonic Waves and The Barceló Brothers bring two unique concerts to stages across Galway. So, no matter your taste, there’s plenty to choose from at Baboró this year.

Speaking about this year’s programme, Aislinn Ó hEocha, Executive Artistic Director, said: “This year’s festival acknowledges the bravery of our incredible children who have journeyed with us through this bizarre time.

“Together with our generous partners, supporters and artistic community, we have worked to create a programme that recognises how vital our young people are to our communities, how healing the arts can be and how creativity can help us all to make some sense of this world.

Baboró will be an opportunity for families to celebrate together, to find creative expression for the upheaval of the past few months and most importantly, to have fun!”

MUSIC

Paul Noonan Presents: The Electric Kazoo is a live event from the acclaimed frontman of Bell X1, premiering this autumn.

Audiences are invited to bring their best teddy and favourite grown-ups along to this mini-concert for both big and little ears to hear tunes made with the help of children, treasured stories made into songs, as well as experiencing all the hits.

In A Piece of You, award-winning Scottish composer and cellist Greg Sinclair will be offering private concerts for families, creating and performing music inspired by the audience members’ own thoughts and feelings.

This live, intimate and interactive experience will offer a unique opportunity to co-create a bespoke piece of music, all about you.

In Symphonic Waves – Meet the Strings! 14 members of the string section of Symphonic Waves Youth Orchestra will offer a veritable feast of some of the greatest music for string orchestra in an interactive, informative and fun concert specially designed for children and their families.

The Barceló Brothers is a vibrant band that dives into the explosive and electric sounds of Zydeco Music, Rhythm & Blues, Soul & Funk, and brings them back to their home at the banks of Lough Corrib.

Comprising of two young brothers and their father, they will be singing their own heartful songs infused with instrumental virtuosity, impromptu dance moves and a contagious ‘joie de vivre’.

THEATRE

Paul Curley performs The Dig, a heart-warming tale about archaeologist Mac and his Grandmother, with live shows for children aged 6+ at the Mick Lally Theatre.

Performer and writer Paul Curley is amongst Ireland’s most experienced theatre artists for young audiences.

The Dig is his second collaboration with designer Ger Clancy, and follows their first co-creation Bake! which played all across Ireland as well as in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Bewley’s Café Theatre has been delighting families in gardens around the country since May with Wilde Garden Adventures, a presentation of two of Oscar Wilde’s best loved stories – Michael James Ford’s acclaimed version of The Happy Prince alongside a new production of The Selfish Giant co-starring actress Bairbre Ni Chaoimh and three charming puppet children.

Both shows are accompanied by the music of Prokofiev and Saint-Saëns performed by violinist, Philip Dodd.

Mountain Goat Mountain from Australian theatre company Threshold is an invitation to a magical place, a chance to explore tunnels, lava pits and underwater caves without ever leaving your home.

Mountain Goat Mountain is an audio-led theatre experience for families to enjoy together, with guided activities that help families set up and step into their own shared imaginative world.

Mountain Goat Mountain has been made specifically for this time, created during ‘lockdown’ with artists collaborating entirely over Zoom, and designed to build a framework to empower families to build their own theatrical world.

The University of Wonder & Imagination will be broadcast live into homes and schools from Cahoots NI’s purpose-built set in Belfast.

The mysterious Professor Bamberg will send participants on a self-navigated quest where nothing is quite as it seems, to interact with the liveliest of lecturers, enter themed rooms and encounter all kinds of problems and puzzles, unlocking their magical powers as they go.

This brand new type of event will be directed by its audience, with their choices shaping their unique experiences, and is presented by Cahoots NI, who are at the forefront of Northern Irish theatre and the leading professional theatre company producing work for children in NI.

DANCE

Birdboy from United Fall and choreographer Emma Martin is one the festival’s highlight live events.

Full of fun and sorrow, this kaleidoscopic show tells the story of a boy who wished he was a bird, so he could fly away and be free of all his worries. Celebrating the power of imagination, Birdboy offers a vision of hope and connection from this award-winning dance theatre company.

Emma Martin will be familiar to Galway audiences from her opera directing debut, in a co-production with Irish National Opera, of Orfeo ed Euridice (Galway International Arts Festival 2018) and her work in Arlington (Galway International Arts Festival 2016.)

VISUAL ART

Jojo Hynes’ exhibition She Crashes In and Fizzles Out at Galway Arts Centre will explore the myth and mystery of once-revered female water deities from across the world.

Film, sound, painting and drawing will offer the opportunity to be immersed in the magic and mysteries beneath the surfaces of rivers and seas. Exhibiting also are young artists who took part in virtual workshops facilitated by Jojo during Cruinniú na nÓg Galway.

They have invented their own new myths about their locality and from these have manifested artworks surrounding these stories. Jojo will also lead live workshops at Galway Arts Centre.

These Local Legends Laboratories will take inspiration from local stories and waterways to devise new myths and legends, using physical theatre and improvised storytelling activities to create fantastic new fables to share with family and friends.

Look out for colourful art installations made by families in parks around Galway City as part of Colour My Life: Brighten Your Day.

You’re invited to join Toodlelou art activities at home, online, throughout Galway City or wherever you are in the world.

They will be making a colourful rock garden full of painted rocks; hanging messages in a wishing tree; and creating art in the park with materials found in nature.

Toodlelou encourages children to make art at home and then put it on display for their whole community to enjoy, using colour and encouraging messages to brighten people’s days, both around the city and around the world though online channels.

FOR CHILDREN WITH ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Sing Me to the Sea is an intimate magical watery adventure for children with Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulties and their families.

This interactive theatre experience is from theatre director Anna Newell, whose work together has been seen on 6 continents in collaboration, with composer David Goodall.

Sing Me to the Sea was originally made for hydropools but the dryland version has toured successfully to driveways and doorsteps around the country in recent months.

In Galway it will play for families and school children in the beautiful gardens of The Ardilaun Hotel.

In Brigit’s Garden, Phillida Eves invites families with young children with additional educational needs to Go Wild with Art in a multi-sensory art experience taking inspiration from the beautiful gardens.

For children on the autistic spectrum, with learning disabilities or with sensory needs Phillida will present Hear Our Voice!, an intimate, interactive theatrical experience with live music and multi-sensory fun that re-creates the experience of camping under the stars.

BOOKS

Scéalta ó Baboró is a series of readings for young children by Irish authors broadcast on TG4.

The readings will be filmed at iconic spots around Galway in a collaboration between Baboró and TG4, bringing a sense of the festival into homes around the country. Scéalta ó Baboró will be broadcast the week of the 12^th of October on Cúla4 Ar Scoil.

Children’s Books Ireland will host a series of their incredibly popular Book Clinic sessions online.

This is a chance for young readers who are looking for a new series to delve into to have a consultation with an expert “Book Doctor” over Zoom and get a prescription for their next book to take to their local bookshop or library.

SNEAK PEEKS: WORKS IN PROGRESS

Bombinate Theatre, the award-winning creators of Half Light and Susie and the Story Shredder, will present a joyful new work Goodnight Egg, which is in the final stages of its development. Live performances in the Mick Lally Theatre will offer audiences aged 3-6 an early chance to see this new production, all about how hard it can be to get to sleep.

Meet Luke is a hilarious, moving and interactive piece from infamous man about town Luke, Mairéad Folan’s mobility aid.

Sick of being uncredited as a supporting actor, and not seeing members of his community as lead characters, this production tells the stories of Luke’s journey through life, from surviving the Irish educational system to the perils of dating. It also questions how we perceive ourselves and others.

Baboró’s mission is to inspire children to engage with the world through their experience of the creative arts, and the festival is grateful for the support of its family of funders, sponsors, donors and partners who, more than ever, have made it possible to deliver on this mission.

This year’s festival is supported by Medtronic, TG4, The Ombudsman for Children’s Office, and the businesses and venues of Galway City. Baboró is funded by The Arts Council of Ireland and Galway City and County Councils.

FURTHER INFORMATION & TICKETS

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children 2020 will take place from 5^th-18^th October.

Full Programme details will be live on baboro.ie from 10am Thursday 10th September.

Tickets on sale at 10 am Monday the 14^th September via www.baboro.ie

Coronavirus: No further deaths, 196 new cases reported today

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September 10, 2020

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

The number of COVID-19 cases in the Republic has risen by 196 today, NPHET has confirmed – but no further deaths have been reported.

Again, over half of the new cases are in Dublin (107), while there are 12 new cases Waterford, 11 in Limerick, eight in Wicklow, seven in Meath, seven in Kildare, six in Laois and six in Westmeath.

The remaining 32 cases are located in Galway, Cavan, Clare, Donegal, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Tipperary and Wexford.

Sixty-one percent are under 45 years of age, 103 are men and 91 are women.

The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 is 48, while the number of people with the disease in ICU is six.

71,772 tests have been carried out over the past week.

Speaking this evening, Dr Ronan Glynn said: “Today we have at least 37 cases linked with community transmission.

“27 of today’s cases are over the age of 65 years.

“By limiting our contacts, we limit the opportunity COVID-19 has to spread through the community and ultimately we protect our families, our communities and those who are most vulnerable to the severest impacts of the disease.”

Ireland suffers second largest fall in employment growth in EU

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September 10, 2020

Unemployment figures released by the European Commission this week have been described as ‘shocking’ by a Galway West TD.

The figures show that Ireland suffered the second largest decrease in employment growth in the EU in Quarter 2 of this yea compared to the previous quarter.

The largest decreases in employment growth were recorded in Spain (-7.5%), Ireland (-6.1%), Hungary (-5.3%) and Estonia (-5.1%).

Mairéad Farrell TD said that the figures published by the Commission are ‘an indictment of this Government’s performance’ in managing the economy through the course of the pandemic.

“Ireland suffered the second highest job losses in Quarter 2 of this year; second only to Spain, which has suffered among the worst outbreaks of the virus,” said the Sinn Féin TD.

“With more than twice the European average for jobs lost, this Government has failed by the most important measure; jobs.

“This does not even take into account those now on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.”

Figures published by the CSO showed an unemployment rate of 23.1% for Quarter 2, with the rate of youth unemployment rising to 16.6%.

“The total number in receipt of unemployment payments in August stood at more than 430,000.

“By any standards, and by objective European comparisons, this Government is failing on jobs and failing on the economy,” added Deputy Farrell.

Galway researcher is first Irish recipient of prestigious international award

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September 10, 2020

galway daily nui galway researcher hannah durand award psychology

A researcher at NUI Galway has received a prestigious international award for an outstanding PhD in the field of health psychology.

Dr Hannah Durand, a researcher in the University’s School of Psychology, became the first Irish person to win the the Herman Schaalma Award of the European Health Psychology Society (EHPS).

Her research looked at the reasons people who have hard-to-control blood pressure do or do not take their medications as prescribed.

Dr Durand’s research was supervised by Dr Gerry Molloy of the School of Psychology and Professor Andrew Murphy of the Discipline of General Practice at NUI Galway.

Professor Evangelos Karademas, President of the EHPS, said: “The Herman Schaalma Award aims to highlight excellence in PhD level research and to reinforce early career researchers to address key challenges in health psychology and adopt novel and rigorous theory and methodology.

“I offer my sincere congratulations to Dr Durand on her well-deserved success.”

Galway native, Dr Durand is one of several researchers at NUI Galway leveraging their expertise to address aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With funding from the Health Research Board and Irish Research Council, researchers from the School of Psychology are working with the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) to understand why people do or do not adhere to physical distancing guidelines.

A protocol for this research is freely available from the Health Research Board.

Dr Hannah Durand said: “We are using insights from health psychology to understand what motivates individuals’ behavioural responses to the pandemic. Our aim is to utilise our research findings to inform and refine future government communications about physical distancing.”

The first aspect of this research, an online survey conducted in collaboration with researchers at the Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre, is currently accepting responses.

The Herman Schaalma Award ceremony, which was due to take place at the European Health Psychology Society annual conference in Bratislava, Slovakia, was recently held online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Cemetery Sunday service in Rahoon closed to the public

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September 10, 2020