NUIG Professor Siobhán Mullally has been appointed as a UN Special Rapporteur on human trafficking, with her post having a particular focus on the trafficking of women and children.
Prof Mullally, who is Director of the he Irish Centre for Human Rights at NUIG, was chosen for the post by the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Her new job will focus on the human rights of victims of trafficking in persons, and on situations in which there has been a failure to protect their human rights and to take effective preventive action.
This work will involve visits to countries of interest in order to study their situations first hand, and come up with recommendations on how to fight trafficking on those countries, and support victims.
Prof Mullally will also submit annual reports to the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly, and brief the Security Council on the links between human trafficking and armed conflict.
“Human Trafficking is a serious violation of human rights, often targeting people living in poverty, victims of discrimination, and people fleeing situations of armed conflict or persecution,” Professor Mullaly said.
The COVID-19 crisis has only made this situation worse, she added, by limiting victims’ access to support services, and moving resources away from crucial preventative measures.
Closing off borders and access to safe migration, along with an increase in poverty brought on by the worldwide shutdown in this pandemic increase the risk of all forms of exploitation including labour and sexual exploitation Prof Mullaly says.
“Children who are increasingly in online environments and not attending school regularly, are particularly at risk of trafficking.”
“It is critical now that effective protection measures are taken to vindicate the human rights of victims of trafficking, and that Governments and the international community take seriously their obligations to prevent human trafficking.”
image credit: Irish Centre for Human Rights via Facebook
There will be road closure in Craughwell at the railway crossing throughout Tuesday, followed by nightly closures for the rest of the week while works are taking place.
Galway County Council has ordered the closure of a stretch of the R446 to allow Irish Water to lay new water mains
The section of road to be closed stretches from its junction with the Athenry road, and on for roughly 500m down past the railway crossing towards Craughwell village.
The road closure will first be in place from 10am on Tuesday until 8am on Wednesday.
This will be followed by nightly closures from 8pm until 5am the next morning from Wednesday night to Saturday morning.
Diversions will be in place for the duration of the works.
Galway City Museum is reopening this morning after months of closure, with two brand new exhibits to welcome visitors back.
The city museum is reopening to the public as of 10am on Tuesday morning. Admission remains free, but visitors will now have to book a ticket online ahead of time.
In the first phase of reopening the museum, visitors will only have access to the ground floor, but they’ll get to enjoy two brand new exhibitions: MONUMENT with Galway 2020, and the captivating display on The Corrib: Myth, Legend & Folklore.
Visitor numbers and social distancing requirements will be strictly monitored, and to visitors will be required to present their ticket at the entrance, either printed off or on their mobile.
MONUMENT
This major new exhibition is a collaboration between Galway 2020 and Galway City Museum as part of the cultural programme for the European Capital of Culture.
Focusing on the stone forts of Aran, and Dún Aonghasa in particular, this exhibition investigates and showcases some of Europe’s most impressive stone monuments located on some of Europe’s smallest islands.
MONUMENT is a multidisciplinary exhibition platform, that brings together different people and disciplines working across archaeology, architecture, craft and design, cultural landscapes, and heritage.
Assisted by the National Museum the exhibition will feature never seen before material from the 1990s archaeological excavations at Dún Aonghasa, along with specially commissioned craft pieces by some of Ireland’s most respected makers.
Curated by Eithne Verling, Director of the Galway City Museum and Sybil Curley, the project has been inspired by the three themes of the ECOC Galway2020 programme – Landscape, Language and Migration.
“Our vision for the exhibition blends digital, physical and tactile experiences to tell this story in a manner that we hope will entertain, inform and delight audiences of all ages,” Eithne Verling said.
The Corrib: Myth, Legend and Folklore
Lough Corrib is one of the largest lakes in Ireland, connected to the ocean by the short, but power, Corrib River which runs through Galway City.
Featuring specially-commissioned artwork by Sadie Cramer, this exhibition explores some of the old myths and stories about the lake, river and bay and sets them in a broader context.
This exhibition can also be enjoyed as a walking tour and visitors are encouraged to take the specially designed Myth, Legend and Folklore Tour brochure with them as they leave the exhibition so they can visit each site associated with the stories presented.
“The sound of the River Corrib as it rushes towards Galway Bay is, and always has been, the soundtrack to life in Galway,” said Brendan McGowan, curator of the exhibit.
“This beautifully-illustrated exhibition, and accompanying walking trail, explores some of the myth, legend and folklore that the river and bay have inspired over the centuries. After visiting, you will never look at them the same again.”
There were six cases of COVID-19 reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team on Monday, but no new deaths related to the coronavirus.
There have been 1,753 deaths related to the coronavirus in the Republic of Ireland, and a total of 25,766 confirmed COVID-19 cases in this pandemic.
“We are now seeing outbreaks of the virus in a range of work settings, including in construction, in fast food outlets and in supermarkets,” said Dr. Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer.
“We can’t underestimate how quickly clusters develop. We have come so far together, but we need to stay vigilant to prevent a resurgence across the whole country in the coming weeks.”
“With the increase in outbreaks in our communities, I would urge everyone to wear face coverings in healthcare settings and when shopping, including in the supermarket and other indoor retail services.”
The Department of Health’s Covid-19 Dashboard has up-to-date information on the key indicators of the disease in the community.
A green list of countries which the government considers safe to travel to is due to be published this week.
However there has been some concern that the existence of the green list conflicts with the ongoing public health advice from NPHET that people should avoid overseas travel except in essential circumstances.
In the past 14 days there have been 270 confirmed cases notified to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre. Of those:
males 43% / females 57%
median age is 34 years old; 69% of these cases were under 45 years of age
20 counties reported new cases; Dublin 55%, Kildare 10%, Cork 6%. All other counties were 5% or less
Rachel Kenna, Chief Nursing Officer said that healthcare workers have been on the front lines since March, and “deserve our best efforts” to minimise the spread of the coronavirus.
“The impact of any increase in cases will be hard on healthcare workers, who have already given so much to keep us safe this year.”
The annual Frances Thornton Memorial Galway Bay Swim in aid of Cancer Care West will be reimagined this year to help support this vital charity in such a challenging time.
Now in its 15th year, this annual swim usually sees over 150 people swim 13km across Galway Bay each July.
Setting off from Aughinish in Co. Clare and finishing at Blackrock Diving Tower in Salthill, this is one of the longest single day swims in Ireland.
This year, even though the traditional event can’t go ahead, Cancer Care West is inviting people to swim 13km in August to help raise vital funds for their services supporting people with cancer and their families.
“The swim is much more than a fundraiser; it’s the swimming highlight for so many swimmers across Ireland,” said Brian Thornton, Director of Cancer Care West.
“We needed to somehow still come together this year so we have decided that a 13km registered swim could still bring this swim into people’s lives this year.”
“The swimming community in Ireland is a very tight knit one, we have all felt a little displaced through this pandemic, so coming together through the strokes gives us all a sense of place and purpose again.”
Nearly 750 people have taken part in the swim in the past 14 years, going to show how much it has grown in popularity and participation year on year.
In 2019 alone, the event raised over €100,000 for Cancer Care West, making it an extremely crucial fundraiser for the charity, now more than ever.
Cancer Care West has seen a drop in their fundraising this year of 50-60% Brian says, with all face to face fundraisers unable to go ahead due to COVID-19.
“So we are banking on this swim to try and ensure services for 2020.The monies raised will help fund support services for cancer patients and their families through our support centres.”
All year round swimmer Paddy McNamara says the changes to the swim this year “gives a unique opportunity to swimmers of all abilities to do something special for Cancer Care West.”
“This challenge can be completed anywhere in the world so it would be great to see a local and international element to the event”
The Frances Thornton Memorial Galway Bay Swim will take place throughout August. People are invited to swim 13km, which can be broken up throughout the whole month.
Swimmers are asked to raise €100 each for Cancer Care West this year and will receive a personalised Frances Thornton Memorial Galway Bay Swim Technical Tee.
There are 1,800 fewer people in receipt of Pandemic Unemployment payments in Galway this week as the number of people claiming the emergency benefit continues to fall.
Payments will be made to 17,000 people in Galway under the scheme on Tuesday according to the latest figures from the Department of Social Protection and Employment Affairs.
That’s down from 18,800 last week, and almost half of what was recorded here at the peak of demand on May when 32,300 were receiving the COVID-19 payments.
Nationally there are 313,800 people in receipt of the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment payments this week, valued at €97m.
This is a drop of 31,800 on last week, a represents a decline of almost 100,000 in the past fortnight.
A further 1,300 people in Galway have closed their account with the Department of Social Protection to claim the benefit this week.
Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said that it is good to see people returning to work, but cautioned that it is “absolutely critical” that people continue to follow the advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team.
“Now is not the time to become complacent and we must continue to follow the advice of NPHET.”
Details of the July stimulus package are expected to be announced by the government this week, which Minister Humphreys says will include supports to help people who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 get back into employment.
It’s expected that the Pandemic Unemployment payment will continue until Spring 2021, but that the amount paid under the upper band scheme will be gradually cut from Autumn onwards.
This weeks figures also show that there are now over 67,700 employers who have registered with the Revenue Commissioners for the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS), which is supporting an estimated 415,000 employees.
The above payments are in addition to the 220,900 people who were reported on the Live Register as of the end of June.
Homes and businesses in the area of Kiltullagh, Athenry and parts of Westside in Galway City are experiencing water outages today due to burst mains pipes.
A burst main in Kiltullagh in causing water outages as well as traffic disruptions to the area this morning.
The broken pipe was first reported by Irish Water shortly after 10am this morning, and repairs are expected to continue until 5pm this evening.
The area by this affected is from Duane’s Cross to Carnakelly Cross the county council has said, and there will also be reduced water pressure in the Carrabane area.
Repairs to a burst main in Cedarwood Close are also expected to cause disruptions to surrounding parts of Galway City today.
This works is scheduled to take place from 11am to 2pm on Monday afternoon.
In both instances, anyone in the affected areas is advised that it may take 2 – 3 hours after repairs have been completed before their full water supply is restored.
Updates can be found on Irish Water’s Supply and Service page, as well as their customer service twitter account @IWCare.
Businesses, offices and more have been hard at work in recent weeks to adapt in order to operate safely in the time of COVID-19, keeping staff and customers safe.
But before that can happen, there have to be plans and safety measures in place to ensure that the coronavirus doesn’t make a comeback when people are sharing office space and breathing the same air once again.
That will require not just a change in the way we think, and move, and work, but new office equipment to keep everyone safe from the virus.
FeverScanners is a Galway based company supplying products that will not only help businesses get back to normal in a safe manner, but can also help regular people be a little safer in their day to day lives.
The company was started by local businessman Liam Regan, in a story that has played out similarly across the country, as people saw this crisis unfolding and asked how they could contribute to the country’s response with the resources and skills at their disposal.
“Most of our families are either involved in healthcare or health and safety, so we were surrounded by people seeing the problems first hand,” Liam says.
What he brought to the table is the experience and connections from his main company Caesol Ltd, which has almost 20 years experience in Engineering design, analysis, and manufacturing of products right through from the prototype stage through to full blown production.
That put them in an ideal position to quickly bring to the market specially designed COVID-19 products for businesses crying out for safety gear.
“We had worked on similar products in the past and we saw the need for dedicated workplace safety equipment to help the business to stay open over this difficult period.”
FaceAware temperature monitor from FeverScanners
Beyond just their experience with the skills involved in the design process, Liam had also built up a significant number of supplier contacts in multiple industries, “so we knew we could do it to a high standard and at a low cost,” he explains.
The hallmark of good design thinking is extensive research into just what your client needs, and before starting production on any goods, Liam says their research identified the main areas to focus on in order to prevent the spread of the virus: social distancing, surface contact avoidance, temperature screening, contact tracing and hand steriliser.
“From there we developed a product range to help implement each of these prevention strategies.”
Their expanding range of products already include Temperature Scanners, including advanced models with face and mask recognition, a wearable monitor that alerts and records you when you break social distancing, and multiple devices to cut down on how much people put their hands on different surfaces.
Keeping your business safe
The flagship product at FeverScanners is the FaceAware Body Temperature Scanner. This non contact device is an easy way for employees to get their temperature checked when coming in and out of a building, with a notification if a person registers an abnormal temperature, as easy as clocking in and out of work.
The device also features inbuilt facial recognition for up to 30,000 people, as well as the ability to recognise if a person is wearing a mask, and automatic data logging which massively simplifies the process of contact tracing in the event of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
There is also the lower-cost FeverAware Temperature Scanner, which has less functionality, but has been put forward at a more affordable price than many other similar products to make it easily available to as many businesses as possible.
FeverAware temperature monitor from FeverScanners
Both of these are capable of being wall mounted or free standing, which Liam emphasises is about cutting down on the risk of cross contamination by not requiring a second person to perform the testing.
Social distancing might sound simple, but ask yourself just how many times in the last day alone have you been well inside the recommended space without even noticing. Because you were distracted, or simply because it is such an alien practice to how we are used to living that it slips the mind.
SpaceAware is a wearable tag that can be attached to a work ID, or just worn around the neck, that has an option of alerting the wearer if it comes within two metres, or some other set distance, of another tag. It also records the ID and time of the tag it came in contact with for contact tracing when needed.
It’s a simple way to remind people to keep their distance from one another in the office, even when distracted or run off their feet by work issues. It also comes with a replaceable built in battery that lasts for six months, removing the need for people to keep the thing charged.
But beyond the high-tech stuff FeverScanners also sells many simple, easily installed and used widgets that will help cut down on the amount of shared contact people have with surfaces that could allow the coronavirus to spread.
SurfaceAware foot door opener
These include a foot pedal sanitiser dispenser, since everyone is hitting the bottle together now (but in a good way), as well as a foot door pull so you won’t have to touch the handle.
FeverScanners also make antimicrobial brass pens, taking advantage of the alloy’s natural ability to kill off viruses and bacteria better than other surfaces. This is a small thing, but very handy considering that pens are some of the most shared items in an office. I write this guilty as a near-compulsive pen chewer.
Foot Pedal Sanitiser Dispenser
Supporting local business
There’s a certain ugly poetry in the fact that even this service, meant to make it easier for businesses to operate smoothly and unimpeded by COVID-19, was affected by the incredible disruption the virus caused to supply chains and more the world over.
“Delays in components increased part costs, supplier closures, child care, remote meetings,” Liam says, listing off the many challenges to getting this business going, along with “loads of other things we took for granted made life very stressful for us, and I am sure every business,”
It was a very difficult time for businesses to operate. A set of circumstances which are completely unprecedented, even compared to the great crash of recent years.
But to Liam this just highlights the need to avoid a second wave, and not send the country back into lockdown, which could prove disastrous for businesses already on the brink.
“Many businesses in Galway and around the country were brought to their knees with this epidemic and it’s important we all help them get back up and running again and support local business”.
To do just that, for the next two weeks FeverScanners is offering a 5% discount to Galway customers, lasting until July 12. To get this discount just use the promo code GALWAYDAILY at the checkout online.
FeverScanners also has free shipping on all products, and a freephone number at 1800 938 765.
To check out the many products that can help your business return to work safely, go to feverscanners.com
The HSE is seeking approval to revise its plans for the construction of a new surgical theatre building on the grounds of Merlin Park Hospital.
Planning permission was granted by Galway City Council for the construction of a modular building on the hospital grounds in August 2019 to provide two orthopaedic surgical theatres.
The modular building has been in the works since two theatres were forced to close due to a leaky roof in September 2017.
The project will also involve creating a link corridor the main hospital building, as well as storage space, rooftop plant space, and site landscaping.
The proposed revisions to these plans mainly include changing the size of the proposed surgical theatre for Merlin Park Hospital.
The size of the proposed theatre building would be increased by 111sqm to add “additional stores, plant, and interview room”, while the first floor of the building would increase its floor space by 50sqm to add an additional comms room and water storage room.
The HSE also seeks to change the descriptive language of the theatre building from “Modular” to “Traditional Permanent Structure”.
This seems to be related to some confusion over how permanent or long-lasting the new surgical theatre is meant to be based on the use of modular construction.
“We wish to clarify that the proposed building shall be a permanent structure and not temporary in nature as suggested by the planning authority.”
“The use of the terms Modular or Prefabricated relate to elements of the building which may be constructed off-site in the form of unitised construction to facilitate the rapid delivery of this essential healthcare facility.”
“An Orthopaedic theatre by its very nature must be a substantial solid structure to meet the strict criteria for this clinical use, therefore a significant degree of permanence is required in excess of 20+ years”.
The HSE also submitted a plan for external site lighting with this application, which had been one of the conditions of the original grant of planning permission.
The City Council is due to rule on this planning application by August 25.
There have been no deaths related to COVID-19 reported today, but the National Public Health Emergency Team has confirmed 10 new cases.
There have been a total of 25,760 confirmed cases in the state as of today, and the death toll from the pandemic stands at 1,753 people in the Republic.
The HPSC has said that county totals may change as data is validated and addresses are reviewed, due to cases being reassigned to another county.
“All it would take for COVID-19 to regain a foothold in our communities is complacency,” warned Dr. Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer.
“As the pandemic accelerates around the world, we must remain vigilant here in Ireland.”
“Every day, in our individual actions, we have the power to limit the spread of this virus.”
The government’s priority going forward is on the safe reopening of schools and the resumption of non-Covid related healthcare services he added.
“Every time we stay 2 metres apart, wash our hands, practice good respiratory etiquette and wear a face covering, we are working towards those shared goals together.”
The Covid-19 Dashboard has up-to-date information on the key indicators of the disease in the community.
NUIG researcher Dr Emer McGrath has been awarded a Clinician Scientist Fellowship and €655,524 for her research into detecting a person’s risk of of dementia.
The Health Research Board’s funding for Dr McGrath will help support new Academic Consultant Neurologist post based at NUI Galway and UHG, as well as an international study with partners in Ireland, the U.S., and Canada.
Speaking about the fellowship Dr McGrath said: “Dementia is a major health problem and a significant contributor to death and dependence worldwide.
“Often by the time a person shows signs of the disease, irreversible brain injury has already occurred and the opportunity for early disease modification has been missed.
Identifying people at high risk of dementia through methods like testing for biomarkers in the blood could present an incredible opportunity to prevent this disease she added.
Dr McGrath will now lead a study on promising blood-based biomarkers and determine whether these biomarkers vary in people with and without features of early stage dementia on specialised brain scans.
It will then examine whether these biomarkers can predict who will develop dementia in the future using the large, international PURE study.
The study will involve investigators based at the HRB-CRFG, NUI Galway, the Framingham Heart Study, Boston University, the Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Canada, Trinity College Dublin and the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Texas San Antonio.
It’s hoped that this study will help with the development of risk score which can be used to calculate a person’s likelihood of developing dementia in the future, as well as tailoring treatment based on biomarkers.
This is one of twelve research fellowships awarded by the Health Research Board, with a total of €3.7 million in funding for health science.
“The standard was so high that the international review panels for each fellowship scheme could have recommended more applications for funding if budget had been available,” said Dr Annalisa Montesanti, Programme Manager, HRB.
Galway singer-songwriter Niamh Regan has long been eulogised as one of Ireland’s most promising folk talents, and now she’s ready to leap to the forefront of the scene, with the release of her debut album next month.
Coming on August 10 via Black Gate Record, the first taster from ‘Hemet‘ came out last month when ‘Save the Day’ was released to wide acclaim on Irish Radio.
It featured on the RTE Radio 1 Recommends’ playlist for 3 weeks in a row, and reached #1 on the station’s airplay chart, it was also playlisted on RTE 2XM, played on RTE 2FM, BBC Radio, and on top regional stations across the country.
Niamh Regan has followed that up with the second release from her maiden LP; a 70’s blues-folk style ballad ‘How About That Coffee?’, out now.
“I received a text that said ‘How about that coffee?’ a while back and the question just
worked itself into a song instead of that catch up,” Niamh says of the single.
“The song really came to life in the studio when drums and double bass were introduced.”
“Originally, I had planned for a nostalgic piano based approach based off some Tom Waits recordings, but we ended up down a road that was paved by Van Morrison with shimmering strings, full band, and horns.!
“It was a great honour to work with such stellar musicians in this process,” she adds.
‘How about that Coffee?’ features the outstanding talents of Dominic Mullan on percussion/drums, Caimin Gilmore on double bass, Alex Borwick on trombone, Peter Berrill on trumpet, and Pat Daly on strings.
‘Hemet’ Niamh Regan’s forthcoming debut album coming August 10 is full of musical accomplishment, emotional maturity, and subtle craft. It is the long-awaited arrival of a truly immense talent.
COPE Galway received €3,620 recently after an Irish warranty company donated €1 for house registered with them in the country.
Global Home Warranties – which provides insurance against structural latent defects in houses and commercial buildings – handed over the large check to the local charity at the end of June.
“We chose COPE Galway as our charity partner because we connected with their vision for improved quality of life in a home of your own across all of their services”, said James Reynolds, Business Development Executive.
“Our company takes social responsibility, one of our core values, very seriously and we work with local charities across all regions to help improve lives of our citizens.”
Global Home Warranties partners with housing bodies and county councils across Ireland for social and affordable houses as well as private developers.
“We understand the need to provide housing for the vulnerable members of our society,” added Mr Reynolds. “We strive to ensure each home is safe, secure and comfortable for those who buy or rent them.”
In 2019 COPE Galway worked with 2,984 vulnerable people in Galway. This included 1,189 adults and 433 children affected by homelessness in Galway.
They also worked with 638 individual women and their children who were experiencing domestic abuse, produced and delivered 61,016 meals to older clients and to their services around Galway and worked with 724 older people at risk of isolation.
The organisation also supported 2,938 individuals with food from Fund for European Aid to the most Deprived (FEAD) programme and distributed over 700 school kits.
There have been 2 deaths related to COVID-19 reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team today, along with 21 new confirmed cases.
There have now been 1,753 deaths related to the coronavirus in Ireland, with a total of 25,750 confirmed cases.
The number of cases in Galway has not gone up today, with the city and county total reported remaining at 489 cases.
Validation of data by the HPSC has resulted in the denotification of 1 death and 1 previously confirmed case today, which is reflected in the national totals.
“Arming ourselves with knowledge is the best defence we have against COVID-19,” said Dr. Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer.
He highlighted the importance of knowing the symptoms of the disease – cough, fever, shortness of breath, loss of smell/taste, as well as acting quickly in contacting your GP if you display these symptoms, rather than waiting.
Dr Glynn also stressed that people should avoid house parties, and generally reduce their social contacts, while maintaining proper social distancing and wearing a mask while in shops.
“Let’s not lose sight of our collective goal: to suppress COVID-19 in the community and thereby protect our health, that of our loved ones, and that of the most vulnerable across our society.”
Traffic on one of the busiest roads in Galway City will be disrupted next week by roadworks taking place on the N6 dual carriageway from Monday.
Galway City Council is carrying roadworks on the inbound and outbound lanes of the N6 which are expected to take five days.
Work will take place from 7am to 6pm each day from Monday, July 20 through to Friday, July 24.
Work on the inbound lane will start later, from 10am each day the city council has said.
In order to facilitate these works temporary traffic management system will be in operation on the section between the Briarhill and Ballybane junctions of the N6.
As a consequence users of this road are requested to expect delays and as such should allow additional time for their journeys.
The Circle of Life Garden of Commemoration has gotten a summer sprucing up in recent weeks in preparation for the national Green Flag awards.
Local volunteers from Salthill Men’s Shed, together with workers from Harris Landscaping and the Community Employment Scheme and city council workers have been working together to upgrade the garden.
In the past few weeks they have undertaken work including cutting back of shrubs and trees, weeding, edging and new planting to make sure it presents at its best for the judges.
The Circle of Life Garden was developed by the Strange Boat Donor Foundation in cooperation with Galway City Council as a place of thanksgiving and commemoration for organ donors who have saved countless lives.
The garden at Quincentennial Park in Salthill first opened to visitors in 2014.
The Green Flag environmental award for managed parks and green spaces is organised here by An Taisce, the National Trust for Ireland.
The Green Flag Awards are judged every year by a peer jury of green space experts, who volunteer their time to visit applicant sites and assess them against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability, and community involvement.
Last year the award was given to the Children’s Millennium Park in Galway City, next to the Cathedral.
This is the first year that the Quincentennial Park has sought the award, the winners of which are due to be announced later this summer.
image credit: Organ Donation – Strange Boat Donor Foundation via Facebook
The installation of new flood lights at Cappagh Park is due to be completed in a few months after a long wait.
Galway City Councillor Clodagh Higgins said that new flood lights are due to be installed at the Knocknacarra pitch by the end of November.
“The Club’s 900 members were anxious to deliver this much needed lighting which will be very beneficial to the membership.”
“To be at a stage where we are merely months from turning on the lights is brilliant for all that use the Club’s amenities”.
“While progress was admittedly slow the important thing is that we are within touching distance of the light switch. The benefits to the communities of Knockancarra, Barna, Salthill, and beyond are immense.
“Until now the pitch was only able to be utilised during day light hours so the addition of lighting will maximise the pitches usage particularly during winter which will be a benefit to everyone.”
The decision to proceed with plans for the new flood lights at Cappagh Park was made at a meeting of Galway City Council this week.
Baz Ashmawy is a great guy to have on your side if you’re trying to make a change in your life, and now might be the time to get him as the hit RTE series Wingman is looking for participants for season 2 of the show.
Mahy Media, who are producing this show for RTÉ said “As we get out of the traps, are those dreams and unfulfilled ambitions waiting to be unleashed, albeit with a little helpful nudge – in the form of Baz Ashmawy!
“Now this is your chance! Seize the moment and do something extraordinary for yourself –
or for someone close to you in your life! We all know someone who is in need of
a WINGMAN.”
“Having guided farmer Jimmy onto the stage in front of a local sell-out crowd, helped
Emma overcome her fear and battle her way into the octagon, and brought Conor and
Joe on the Ultimate Lads Lads Roadtrip, Baz is looking for new participants to take under
his wing and fulfil their ultimate dream in a new series of Baz Ashmawy: Wingman.”
“The series is about helping people to achieve a dream / ambition, to do the thing they
always wanted to do before life got in the way. It might be to learn a skill or experience
something they have always wanted to do.”
“Maybe it’s dating, a crazy adventure, a childhood dream they never forgot. It might be
something you want to do with a sibling, or a friend. It might be a totally new ambition.”
“Or maybe you don’t know what you want, but you just know that you need a wingman.
Wingman Baz now wants to help make those lockdown ambitions come to life.”
“This isn’t about something you can do yourself, but that burning dream ambition that has been out of arms reach until now.”
“Baz will be with you every step of the way to encourage you, to mentor you, to push you across that achievable finish line!”
For more information on the series or to apply to take part on the series and have Baz
take you under his wing, log onto rte.ie/wingman or e-mail info@mahymedia.com
