St. Patrick’s Boys and Girls Primary School in Lombard Street has been announced as the winners of this year’s Innocent Big Grow competition.
The competition, which has for nine years been encouraging young people to grow their own fruit and vegetables, was entered by over 56,000 pupils nationwide.
The Galway school made a good start to the competition in February, but when the school closed because of the pandemic, the pupils brought their enthusiasm home and submitted daily gardening photos, cooking videos, art, music, poetry and research about healthy eating.
St. Patrick’s Boys and Girls Primary School also worked closely with the Galway and Claddagh Swan Rescue Sanctuary – which used the the peas, lettuce, spinach and potatoes grown by the pupils to feed their birds.
GIY founder Michael Kelly explained that studies show children who grow their own food are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables and show higher levels of knowledge about nutrition.
“The children not only learn the science of growing, they also experience the joy of growing and eating their own food,” he said. “GIY calls this ‘food empathy’, which is a deeper connection with food, and is proven to lead to a healthier life long-term.”
NUI Galway’s Students’ Union has condemned the university’s decision to charge a fee for students who are sitting an online repeat exam this year.
Students who do not pass an exam when they first sit them in May have the option to sit a repeat exam in August, for which a fee of €295 is charged.
The Students’ Union is calling on NUIG to scrap the repeat exam fee this year, due to the challenges students have faced with new online learning formats and lack of traditional resources due to the COVID-19 crisis.
The SU also said that many of the costs associated with repeat exams won’t exist if they take place online, and accused the university of taking advantage of COVID-19 to generate income.
Students’ Union President Pádraic Toomey said they are “disgusted” by the university’s decision to charge students for online repeat exams.
He said that students are being charged €295 for the “pleasure of sitting the repeat exam in their own bedroom.
“We are in extraordinary times where students have not had access to learning facilities like the library and face to face teaching, and many have struggled as a result.”
“Now, the University wants to punish those students with this charge instead of following the example of other colleges which have cancelled the fee.”
When reached out to for comment by Galway Daily, NUIG said that the repeat exam fee covers all the costs associated with the exams including the “setting and correcting of assignments in a more challenging context this year, to the hosting of exams online and the awarding of results.”
“By supporting the cost of repeat exams in this way, this cost is not cross-subsidised by other students or drawing on other resources that the University devotes to and for our students.”
The university also said that it is providing financial support for students through extending its financial aid fund this year, offering rent refunds to students forced to leave early due to COVID-19, and greater flexibility on programme deferral and refunding deposits.
Students who are in the most financial need can also apply for a fee waiver for the repeat exams.
A stolen dog has been reunited with its owner in Youghal, Co. Cork after being safely recovered by Galway Gardaí on Thursday.
On the morning of July 8, Gardaí in Youghal received a report that a Jack Russell Terrier dog had been stolen by two men from its family home in Youghal.
Following an investigation by Gardaí, the men were traced to an address in Co. Galway.
With the assistance of local Gardaí in Galway, the dog has since been recovered and was reunited with its owners yesterday.
A file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to the theft.
Gardaí would like to remind the public to take extra crime prevention measures when it comes to caring for your pet, particularly high-value breeds of dogs.
The Head of Mission for Australia praised Galway as a “lesson to the world” in balancing protecting and promoting the arts alongside encouraging business and investment during a recent visit.
Robert Owen-Jones, Australia’s Head of Mission and Charge d’Affaires to Ireland, visited Galway City this week as part of a regional engagement tour.
During his time in Galway city, Owen Jones highlighted long-standing connections between Ireland and Australia, such as such as explorer Robert O’Hara Burke from Craughwell who led the first expedition from Southern to Northern Australia back in 1860.
These “natural connections” and “shared culture” have been part of the reason why so many businesses from Australia choose Galway as their Irish base and EU base he added.
“Galway has shown ambition in becoming a global hub for Medtech, Pharmaceuticals and Fintech and businesses looking towards the European Union are increasingly looking towards Ireland and to Galway.”
This visit comes at a time when Australia and the European Union are in the process of examining potential grounds for a comprehensive trade deal.
“Already in the city we have major investment from Australia with EML Payments, Siteminder and Vale Research Life Sciences all contributing significantly to the regional economy and this is a trend that is likely to continue.”
However it was the cultural strengths of Galway that seemed to impress him the most, especially the work that went into acknowledging and protecting the role and influence of traditional music, dance and language have on present and future Irish culture as part of the preparation for Galway 2020.
The European Capital of Culture year was to have been one of if not the most ambitious cultural and artistic project in Galway’s history. But it unfortunately fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is in the process of reworking a significantly scaled down programme.
Nonetheless, Owen-Jones said “The longstanding commitment and determination to see the development of culture in this region has been truly remarkable.”
“Not only in the promotion of new and upcoming artists, but in the protection of rural and more traditional Irish culture in a way that respects their unique history while maintaining the development of a modern and outward-looking city.”
A developer has lost their fight to keep a plot of land on the Ballymoneen Road off the Vacant Sites Register in Galway City after An Bord Pleanála shot down their appeal.
Galway City Council notified Cairn Homes Properties Limited in March of 2019 that it intended to place a site it owned on the Ballymoneen Road on the Vacant Sites Register.
The greenfield site lies to the north west of the Fána Bui housing estate in the Ballyburke suburb of Galway city.
Under the 2015 Urban Regeneration and Housing Act, local authorities are required to maintain a register of residential or regeneration land in its area which has been vacant for more than 12 months.
Since 2019, such sites have been subject to an annual levy of 7% of the land’s value, increased from 3% originally.
The city council said that this residential zoned land was vacant during two visits to the site on December 19, 2016 and December 5 of 2018.
The Dublin based developer lodged an appeal against this decision with An Bord Pleanála on April 5 of 2019.
In the appeal the developer disputed the claim that the site was idle, saying that they are preparing a Strategic Housing Development application for this land, and more in the area.
However, they also said that the site is “intrinsically linked” to the planned N6 Ring Road, which will cross the north east part of the site, and that site access, layout and servicing are dependent on completing a detailed design for the proposed Galway City ring road.
The inspector for An Bord Pleanála said that the land is zoned residential, and that the city council had demonstrated that there is a need for housing in the area.
It was also noted that Cairn Homes has “not put forward any evidence to the contrary” that the site was vacant during the 12 months in between the city council’s visits.
“From observations on site, it is clear that the site has been inactive for some time
and is vacant and idle,” the report states.
The inspector also disputed that the N6 Ring Road has to be finalised before a housing application can proceed, noting that the site is accessible from the Ballymoneen Road.
An Bord Pleanála ultimately ruled in line with the inspector’s recommendation to confirm its entry on the Vacant Sites Register.
There were six deaths related to COVID-19 reported today, along with 23 new cases confirmed as of midnight on Wednesday.
Fortunately, despite this spike in new cases today, none were in Galway where the city and county total remains at 487 confirmed cases.
COVID-19 has no claimed 1,743 lives in the Republic of Ireland, and there have been a total of 25,565 confirmed cases in the state.
Validation of data by the HPSC has resulted in the denotification of one death, which is reflected in the national tally.
The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent the spread of the virus.
Figures from the HSE show that the COVID Tracker contact tracing app which went live on Tuesday, has been downloaded over 1 million times in less than two.
“Today, NPHET has recommended that all visitors to healthcare settings including hospitals, GP practices and pharmacies, should wear face coverings,” said Dr. Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer.
Of the cases reported today, 15 were related to overseas travel, and the National Public Health Emergency Team is reiterating its advice that all non-essential overseas travel should be avoided.
In addition, more than three quarters of today’s cases were among people under the age of 25.
“COVID-19 is extremely infectious and none of us are immune. It is important that we all continue to follow public health advice and risk assess our actions,” Dr. Ronan Glynn added.
Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group said added that there has been an increase in the number of reported cases over the past two weeks.
The virus’ R number is now at or above 1, he added. The R number is the average number of other people a person infected with the virus is expected to spread it to. Keeping that figure below one is essential to stamping it out.
“There is an immediate need for all of us to take care and caution in our decisions and actions.”
A litter of foxhound puppies stolen from a home in Craughwell last month have been returned home after a cross-border police operation in Belfast.
The puppies were recovered in Belfast Harbour on their way to a ferry as part of a multiagency cross-border operation involving An Garda Síochána in Galway, Monaghan, Clones and Bailieboro, and Belfast Harbour Police.
Also involved in the operation were the Belfast City Council Animal Welfare Service, the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA), and the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA)
During the course of a search and seizure operation at Belfast Harbour on June 23, 2020 at approximately 11pm, a number of dogs were recovered by Belfast City Council Animal Welfare Service.
Four fox hound puppies, which had been stolen in Craughwell between 7pm on Sunday June 21, and 9am on Monday June 22, 2020, were among the dogs seized.
These puppies, which were just four weeks old when they were stolen, have been returned to their owner and reunited with their mother. Gardaí say they are in good health.
One man is currently under investigation in relation to offences under the Welfare of Animals Act in Northern Ireland.
Gardaí are appealing to the public to take extra crime prevention measures when it comes to caring for your pet, particularly high-value breeds of dogs.
Pet owners are advised to protect their animals by ensuring that they are microchipped. This ensures it can be easily identified if found and returned to the owner.
It is also important that pets like cats and dogs have a collar which should include the owner’s contact details in the event that the animal gets lost.
Anyone transporting an animal to another country must also ensure that the animal is microchipped and has a pet passport so that they can be traced.
Animal owners are also advised to ensure that their home and garden are secure as this will help to prevent theft and deter potential culprits.
Those with a high value breed of animal could also invest in CCTV and other crime prevention measures.
Further advice on home security, gardens and landscaping can be found on the Garda website.
Former Donegal GAA star and TG4 Cúl Camps TV show coach, Kevin Cassidy was on hand, with his children Aoife, Nia and Fionn, to launch the Kelloggs GAA Cúl Camps on-pack competition. Kellogg, now in its ninth year sponsoring the Kelloggs GAA Cúl Camps, has launched the nationwide on-pack promotion for all GAA clubs across the country to be in with a chance to win prizes worth 40,000 their biggest on-pack prize offering ever. For more information, go to kelloggsculcamps.gaa.ie/competition. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile *** NO REPRODUCTION FEE ***
From Ballinasloe to Barna, all Galway GAA clubs are in with a chance of claiming incredible prizes as part of Kellogg’s sponsorship of the Kellogg’s GAA Cúl camps.
Former Donegal GAA star and TG4 Cúl Camps TV show coach, Kevin Cassidy was on hand, with his children Aoife, Nia and Fionn, to launch the on-pack competition.
Kellogg, now in its ninth year sponsoring the Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps, has launched the nationwide on-pack promotion for all clubs across the country to be in with a chance to win prizes worth €40,000 – their biggest on-pack prize offering ever.
At a time when fundraising has been limited, this provides Galway GAA clubs with an incredible opportunity to claim great prizes through a simple mechanic.
In order to nominate your Galway GAA club, all that is required is to pick up a promotional box of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies or Bran Flakes.
Kellogg understands how vital these funds are to clubs across the country and as result, they have updated the entry requirements to allow all nominations into the final draw to win one of three cash prizes – €25,000, €10,000 or €5,000.
Previously, only clubs with 1,000 nominations would be entered into the final draw.
Cassidy is currently one of a number of GAA stars appearing on the Cúl Camp television show on TG4 as part of this year’s Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps.
The television show offers a new way for children across the country to get involved in this year’s Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps if they are unable to attend a camp in person.
The show is already underway on TG4 with record viewers and airs daily at 10.25am with a repeat show at 5.15pm, ensuring nobody misses out on the mix of drills, skills, games, nutrition and wellness.
The innovative addition to this year’s camps ensures that everyone can get involved as the show will be available on the TG4 player.
The show will continue to air until Friday, July 17th ahead of the return of camps on July 20th.
To date, 57,801 children booked to attend a Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camp this summer. The Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps are taking place in July and August with limited capacity still remaining on some camps – check out gaa.ie/kelloggsculcamps for the most up-to-date information.
Another first for Kellogg’s Cúl Camps this year, is that the highly sought-after kits will be available to purchase directly from the Cúl Camps website for those unable to attend a camp this year.
The newly designed kit is priced at €35 (excluding postage & packing) and contains a zip top, jersey and a backpack.
Ruth Hughes, Kellogg’s Market Head of Ireland said “We’re immensely proud to offer communities across the country the chance to win some much-needed funds for their clubs during these difficult times.
“The Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps have become a staple of Irish summers and we’re delighted to partner with TG4 and the GAA on the innovative TV show before the camps return later this month with strict health and safety measures in place.”
Cúl Camps co-ordinator Charlie Harrison added “There has been a huge amount of work and effort gone into making the Kellogg’s GAA Cúl Camps happen this year and we are very grateful to Kellogg’s for their continued support.
“The amazing Kellogg competition, the physical camp offering and the TG4 show ensures everyone can get involved from collecting codes from cereal boxes to rounding up the family for some daily exercise.”
There have been calls for government agencies to create a taskforce to protect jobs in Ballinasloe in light of potential job losses at Aptar.
The future of up to 115 jobs in Ballinasloe is uncertain as Aptar is currently considering halting production at its factory there.
Aptar has been based at the IDA Business Park in Creagh for the past 20 years, where it makes dispensing systems for various markets including fragrance and beauty.
Multiple elected officials in the area have called for new Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar to bring together state agencies and local authorities to protect employment in the area.
Aptar has said that it is in the process of beginning discussions with employee representatives about the future of the site.
Galway-Roscommon TD Denis Naughten and Senator Aisling Dolan have both called for a multi-agency response to the threat of job losses in Ballinasloe.
Senator Dolan said that employers like Aptar are needed to “ensure local communities remain viable” in Ballinasloe.
“I’m calling on the government to set up a taskforce involving agencies such as IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Local Enterprise Offices and business groups to find a way to secure jobs for Ballinasloe.
“We cannot let another employer leave the area without providing security for staff and their families.”
Deputy Naughten said that the review by Aptar and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding it is causing “huge anxiety”, not only for the factory’s employees, but for local suppliers as well.
“What is hugely frustrating is the fact that Ballinasloe always seems to be just one positive decision away from unlocking its full potential,” Naughten said.
“I very much doubt there is a town in Ireland with infrastructure on a par with Ballinasloe and a focused review of the town by all the State agencies over a very tight time period could yield new employment opportunities as well as securing the existing jobs.”
Ballybrit Racecourse can boast something that neither Cheltenham, Punchestown nor even Royal Ascot racecourse has – a horse racing festival that lasts for an entire week!
The Galway Races held from the last Monday in July to the first Sunday in August make Ballybrit of huge interest to the equine world for that period. Both Flat and National Hunt horses compete on the level or over jumps in a series of events each afternoon and evening of the festival.
Some of the most valuable horse races staged in Ireland take place in Galway during this illustrious summertime meeting. This is an in-depth look at those feature events on the track at Ballybrit.
Premier Handicaps
There are four Premier Handicaps run on the Flat during the Galway Festival. Just to put that into perspective, that is the same number as during Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown and The Curragh in mid-September.
Galway’s competitive and valuable handicaps test horses over different trips. While there isn’t currently a dedicated sprint holding Premier status at the meeting, the Ahoonora Handicap usually run on the final day is over the somewhat specialist distance of seven furlongs.
Milers go in for a Premier Handicap on the Tuesday of Galway Races, while the opening day tests Flat stayers’ stamina over an extended two miles. Middle-distance handicappers’ race at a mile-and-a-half towards the end of the festival.
Galway Plate
Ballybrit’s most prestigious and historic race is the Galway Plate. This Grade A handicap chase over a trip of extended two-and-three-quarter miles is second only in significance to the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday for jumps races of its type.
First contested in 1869, the Galway Plate is the centrepiece of the entire festival. It takes place on the Wednesday evening, it is common for British National Hunt horses to come over to Ireland and try their luck with Paul Nicholls raider Black Corton just beaten by Gordon Elliott’s Borice in 2019.
Even racehorse trainers better known for their exploits on the Flat, such as Aidan O’Brien and Dermot Weld, have saddled Galway Plate winners. There are 14 fences to cross in the race, which is relatively few, given the distance covered.
The Galway Plate has thrown up useful staying steeplechasers in recent years such as Carlingford Lough, who went on to Irish Gold Cup glory for John Kiely and owner JP McManus. It has also produced a subsequent Cheltenham Festival winner in Balko Des Flos, who later scored Ryanair Chase success over in the UK.
Galway Hurdle
Sticking with ultra-competitive handicaps, the Galway Hurdle over two miles is the main event in Ballybrit on the Thursday of the festival. Like the Plate, this holds Grade A status – the highest level of handicap race in Ireland. Although it doesn’t date quite so far back, there is still more than a century of history attached to the Galway Hurdle. First run in 1913, it is the highlight of Ladies Day at the track.
Like many Galway Festival races, this one enjoys sponsorship from Guinness – arguably Ireland’s best export other than racehorses. Tudor City enhanced shrewd trainer Tony Martin’s fine recent record in the Galway Hurdle with victory in the race in 2019 – a third for his handler since 2014.
The best horse to have won it in recent times, however, is Sharjah. Since his victory in 2018, he has gone on to win three Grade 1s in Ireland and finish runner-up to Epatante in the 2020 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham. As of 2nd July, Sharjah is a 20/1 chance in the with Betway to go one better next year.
Sharjah’s trainer, Willie Mullins, could have another Galway Hurdle contender on his hands this year in the form of Aramon. He carried top-weight of 12 stone to victory in a Grade 3 at Tipperary recently, and the Cheltenham County Hurdle second is one to watch if going to the Galway Festival this year.
Ballybrit Novice Chase
In 2017, the organisers of Galway Races moved the Grade 3 Ballybrit Novice Chase over an extended two miles from its regular slot in the autumn to during the festival. It has added another top-class event to the week.
Mullins has done very well in this race with four winners since 2012. He targets some of his older horses that go over fences later in their careers, like Rathvinden and most recently Wicklow Brave last year, at the Ballybrit Novice Chase.
Another of the Galway Races to benefit from sponsorship by Guinness, it is well worth keeping tabs on whichever horse wins this contest. There is so much to enjoy at Ballybrit during the week, especially if you love racing
There were no deaths related to COVID-19 reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre today, but 11 new cases have been confirmed.
The number of confirmed cases in Galway City and County has risen by one today, to reach a total of 487.
There have now been a total of 25,542 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Republic of Ireland, and the pandemic has claimed 1,738
Validation of data by the HPSC has resulted in the denotification of four deaths and seven previously confirmed cases, which is reflected in these national tallies.
Dr. Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer said that a “key element” of the national response is ensuring that anyone with symptoms comes forward for testing.
“Please do not adopt a ‘wait-and-see’ approach,” Dr Glynn said, “Instead, isolate yourself and contact your GP without delay.”
The National Public Health Emergency Team will meet again on Thursday to review Ireland’s response and preparedness in the pandemic.
The Department of Health’s COVID-19 Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the key indicators of the disease in the community.
The new COVID-19 Tracker contact tracing app launched by the HSE has been downloaded more than 860,000 times since it went live yesterday.
The hosepipe ban and water conservation order which has been in place for the past month has been lifted today after heavy rain has replenished supplies.
The Water Conservation Order was issued by Irish Water on June 9 due to critically low water levels in many water supply schemes.
At the time, 27 water supplies were in drought conditions, and a further 50 were at risk. At the worst of conditions in the past month, the number of schemes at risk of drought peaked at 98.
Today that order has been lifted as of 5pm after recent heavy rainfall and improving river and ground water conditions.
The decision was made by Irish Water after consultation with Met Éireann to discuss the forecast and the OPW and EPA who monitor the levels of lakes and rivers to review and assess their data.
Currently, 17 schemes remain in drought and a further 61 are at risk according to Irish Water, who also said that those numbers are “trending downwards”.
Commenting on the lifting of the hosepipe ban, Managing Director of Irish Water Niall Gleeson said that they are continuing to monitor the “fragile” recovery of affected water sources.
“At is really important that members of the public develop good household habits at this time and conserve water, regardless of rainfall.”
“Any non-essential use of water should be discouraged, whether we are in a drought or not.”
“Should we enter a spell of prolonged warm and dry weather, and if the sources go into drought again, we many need to reconsider and re-impose a Water Conservation Order,” he warned.
Roadworks taking place between Loughrea town and Craughwell village which got underway today are expected to disrupt traffic for the next week.
Galway County Council is carrying out resurfacing overlay works at three locations on the R446 between Craughwell and Loughrea.
The roadworks began today and are expected to take until Wednesday, July 16 to complete.
A Stop & Go system will be in place to manage traffic on the affected stretches of road from 7:30am to 7pm each day, except for Saturday and Sunday, July 11 – 12.
As a consequence users of this road are requested to expect delays and as such should allow additional time for their journeys.
Galway County Council has issued a swimming ban for Traught beach in Kinvara due to elevated bacteria levels this week.
Water samples taken from the beach on July 6 showed elevated levels of bacteria, which was likely caused by heavy rainfall in the proceeding days.
The swimming ban notice, dated July 7, is expected to last for less than three days.
Fresh water sampling was to be carried out today, and updated advice will be issued when these results are received.
The city council also issued a swimming ban and a prior warning for Ballyloughane and Grattan beaches respectively last Friday ahead of expected rainfall.
The state of those notices are expected to be updated upon the receipt of water quality test results which are due by Thursday.
House prices in Galway City have seen some of the sharpest year on year declines in the country according to a new report for Daft.ie, with prices down almost 8% in June.
The average cost of house in Galway City in June was €278,371, a 7.8% drop compared with the same time last year.
A house in Galway County would set you back an average of €200,802 last month, a 1.8% year on year drop from 2019.
The latest Daft.ie Housing Market Report compiled by economist Ronan Lyons shows that nationally, average house prices in June were down 3.3% on last year.
The largest yearly drop in house prices was in Limerick county according to Daft, where prices in June were 11.4% lower than in 2019.
The only counties that saw their prices rise were Kilkenny (2.9%) and Carlow (1.1%) the report states.
However rental prices budged very little over the year, showing a 0.2% increase compared with June 2019.
The overall supply of homes available to rent has increased by 21% in the past year, with 4,534 on the market nationwide according to Daft’s figures.
But this national growth has had no benefit for the west of Ireland, as it has been concentrated in Dublin, where the number of homes available to rent has increased by 63%, or over 1,000 units, in the past year.
Whereas in the Connacht-Ulster region there has been a 10% drop in housing stock on the rental market since July 2019.
“The country is still in need of hundreds of thousands of homes, principally for smaller households of one to two persons, in the social and market rental segments, and in or close to the biggest cities and towns.”
“Ireland is used to building homes for bigger households, away from the big cities and for owner occupiers,” said Ronan Lyons.
“Repositioning the construction sector to build what the country needs is one of the big
challenges for the new government.”
When something new comes into the public consciousness, an idea, a service, or a product, it often spends a long time in the background, before suddenly gaining a surge of momentum. Such is the case with CBD oil and other products which are increasingly available all over the country.
CBD, short for Cannabidiol, is a derivative of the cannabis plant, but one that is noticeably different from the plant’s more infamous usage in that it isn’t used to get high.
CBD oils and other products deliberately don’t contain the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, THC, which remains illegal in Ireland and elsewhere.
The first CBD product that became well known, and the one that people are still most likely to have heard of, is CBD oil. But as with any trend, this has quickly ballooned to include many other goods citing it as their crucial ingredient.
CBD pastes and facial creams, as well as food and drinks such as coffee and teas, have become very popular wellness products in recent times.
Ireland has a tendency to pick up new trends a few years later than many other countries, usually coming in the form of ideas shipped across the Atlantic from the US.
And while CBD oil has been growing in popularity in the States for quite some time now, it’s really only in the past year or so that it has begun to make its way into the public sphere here in Ireland says Brian Cusack, owner of the online store Dr Hemp Me which sells Irish CBD Oil.
He’s been in business selling CBD oil since late 2018, having previously worked in the banking industry. Despite the negative associations people sometimes have with people promoting hemp or cannabis products, that they’ll take any opportunity you offer, and some you don’t, to talk the topic to death, Brian didn’t get into this to be a culture warrior.
Rather, he’d always wanted to open his own business, and after finding that his most recent position at Citibank was just “not really the job I thought it was going to be” a few months in, decided that now was the time to make a change.
“I think like anybody who wants to be an entrepreneur, I just got sick of working for someone else,” Brian says. He adds that it helps that it’s now easier than ever to set up an online business once you familiarise yourself with the SEO skills that are needed to work the labyrinthine ranking systems of search engines.
Brian Cusack, owner of Dr Hemp Me
He chose CBD as the business to get into in part because the opportunity was there. There were some businesses set up in Ireland already, but it was hardly an entrenched industry.
Beyond that, Brian and his girlfriend were both already using CBD oil for different reasons. He started using it to go with his training after hearing about it for the first time watching a press conference before a UFC match.
Dr Hemp Me started trading in September of 2018, and has become a successful vendor, shipping its CBD oils which range in strength from 5 to 40 percent, to customers all over Ireland.
In the past few months Brian has also expanded into the UK market, which already makes up around 10% of sales, and hopes to start selling to customers around Europe as well.
Legal Status
While many countries have embraced, or at least clearly allowed the sale of CBD oils and other hemp derived products, the situation in Ireland has remained some murky even as stores have popped up in towns and cities nationwide, as well as online.
CBD oils and Hemp oils are not illegal under EU regulations, as long as the hemp plants it is made from have a THC content, the psychoactive element, of less than 0.2 percent.
CBD products that fall below this threshold can be sold as food supplements in Ireland, governed by the Health Products Regulatory Authority, albeit one that is slightly different from other food supplements in that people selling CBD oil are not allowed to make any claims of health benefits from the products, period.
The confusing status of Irish law on the subject can mean there are a lot of hoops to jump through for anyone who wants to go into business selling CBD oil.
It’s easier for someone that just wants to be a vendor for other people’s products, but because Brian was setting up his own brand with Dr Hemp Me, it involved talking to the Food Safety Authority, the HSE, and the HPRA, and getting punted back and forth between them.
Dr Hemp Me CBD Oil
“Being honest, they kept pushing me around to other departments. They kept saying ‘this is not our problem’ to the point where I was like, I don’t know what I’m going to do”.
But registering with the HSE’s Environmental Protection Officer, and his membership of the Cannabis Trade Association has helped ensure that Dr Hemp Me is firmly within the boundaries of the law Brian says.
Even as other businesses have found themselves subject to garda scrutiny and seizures for going beyond what is permitted under Irish and EU law in the past year or so.
The CTA helps keep the industry on the straight and narrow in Ireland and the UK both by lobbying for the protection of CBD’s status as a legal food supplement, and by making sure that businesses don’t make unproven claims about what it can do for you.
“The way they view it is that if companies are making these big claims, then they’re the ones that are going to get it shut down for all of us.”
Generation Gap
Ireland can be slow to change its perceptions or stigmas attached to things considered taboo, or shameful. And CBD does suffer from some stigma due to being associated with cannabis, even if it ultimately has little to nothing in common with the marijuanna that people smoke.
That has begun to change in recent years, something the internet has helped greatly Brian says, as younger generations are exposed to a greater array of perspectives. Both from outside of Ireland, where CBD has been commonly used for far longer than here, and from the growing number of people in Ireland taking it for anxiety or inflammation.
“When I was first setting up the website and selling CBD I was always getting jokes from people that ‘oh you’re a drug dealer’ you know, ‘a legal drug dealer’”. They were just jokes, he adds, and never meant accusingly, but still, “I never hear that now”.
But it’s not just young people who are interested in CBD, as many people from an older generation have also shown great interest in trying it out, including Brian’s own aunt and mother.
For Brian, part of making people more comfortable with seeking out information and trying out CBD has been making sure that he’s there to provide first hand information through an instant chat on his website, often taking people’s questions well into the night, long after even most self-employed people would call an end to the working day.
“People want to ask questions about it. There is still a little bit of a stigma, so they just want to make sure of a lot of things.”
This also just makes good business sense, since “if you’re not there to answer questions, they’re going to go off and ask someone else.”
For Brian, the biggest concern for the future of the CBD industry isn’t that it will get shut down altogether, but that it could be all put under the same umbrella as medicinal cannabis products in the future.
The government is currently running a five year Medicinal Cannabis Access Programme, with a strictly regulated number of vendors able to provide CBD oils with a THC content considerably above the 0.2%.
These can only be prescribed by doctors for a very limited number of conditions such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, or chemotherapy associated nausea. And even then, only when all other treatment options have failed.
While Brian acknowledges that the medical data which could come from this pilot scheme would be helpful, the government should “keep hemp out of it” when discussing the future of medicinal cannabis in Ireland.
Putting all vendors in the CBD oil Ireland industry in that same category would put a lot of people out of work if they have to operate under a much stricter regulatory regime, he warns, sellers and hemp farmers alike, causing a knock-on effect for customers as well.
“A lot of people are getting a lot of benefits from the food supplements from the fact that they have such ease of access.”
We’ve seen in recent weeks, more restaurants and cafes than ever before are turning to offering takeaway services, as the demand for food from all corners of the world hasn’t gone anywhere.
In recent days six delicious restaurants and cafés in Galway have joined Just Eat, offering a broad range of cuisines from Italian, to the all time favourite, fish & chips, and it is now easier than ever to order from their menus with the tap of an app.
Let’s take a look at these great restaurants in Galway that you can order on the Just Eat app or on just-eat.ie.
Fork @ Nox
Fork Restaurant at Nox Hotel on the Headford Road, winner of the Georgina Campbell Irish Restaurant Breakfast Award for 2018, is making its world class kitchen even more widely available.
This award-winning kitchen is offering an international takeaway menu that includes Irish classics such as Fish & Chips or a Homemade Beef Burger, as well as Penne Pasta Carbonara and Indian Curry with fresh greens from further afield.
Honey glazed Bacon and Cabbage from Fork restaurant
Or make your own pizza to order from Ham, Pepperoni, Bacon, Chicken, Sweetcorn, Spinach, Tomatoes and Jalapenos.
Or try the sumptuous Nox special of a Honey and Mustard glazed Bacon Rack with Champ Potatoes and Green Cabbage.
Enjoy some authentic Italian food in the heart of Salthill after a walk on the Prom with a takeaway from Da Roberta’s on the Upper Salthill Road.
Their menu of classic Italian Linguine, Tagliatelle, and Lasagne with meatballs, chicken and homemade sauces will take you back to sun-soaked afternoons in Italy. At the same time, there’s a taste of the west of Ireland here too; the Linguine with Tiger Prawns and cherry tomato sauce is a must-have!
Pappardelle ai Frutti di Mare from Da Roberta’s Ristorante
Classic Italian pizzas and incredible red and white house wines complete the ristorante experience that’s almost as good as travelling to Italy yourself.
The west coast is a great place to get a taste of the ocean, even fast-seafood. And with a name like that you just know that you’re getting fish so fresh there’s still a bit of sea spray on it when it goes in the fryer.
The Captain’s Cabin on the Seamus Quirke Road is a traditional fish and chipper, offering fresh cod, smoked coley, scampi and more, as well as the ever-changing but always good ‘Fish of the Day’ with fresh cut chips.
Rounding out the fish and chips is a menu of burgers, wraps, and kebabs to offer anything you could want from a chipper delivered right to your door. Order from The Captain’s Cabin on Just Eat now at just-eat.ie/restaurants-the-captains-cabin.
Anfora Café and Bistro
This family-owned café and bistro in the heart of Galway City has a great mixture of Mediterranean and Turkish inspired food.
Bite into deliciously spiced lamb, chicken, and beef Turkish BBQ grills and kebabs, marinated to perfection and served with fresh Lavas bread and homemade sauces.
Or try some fresh pasta Carbonara, Neapolitan, and more, topped with creamy sauces and cheese that melt together in the mouth for a sinfully good bite.
And last but not least, they also do Pizza!
Lahmacun Pizza from Anfora Café Bistro
Pizza is where worlds collide, with Turkish Pride and Lahmacun pizzas combining the best of both styles.
For a bite of meat on the go in Galway’s Westend, Alvina’s Grill @ Number 26 has you covered, with a menu of kebabs, wraps, and sandwiches ready for delivery on Just Eat.
Enjoy the classic Doner as a kebab, wrap, or fully loaded with Curry chips. Or get a wrap made to your taste with Garlic, Barbecue chicken or Sweet Chilli.
For people on the go, Alvina’s also does a great range of lunch sandwiches if you’re not in the mood for a full burger meal.
Freshly made pasta is much more of an indulgence than people credit it with, once it’s been served with homemade creamy sauces and a tasty selection of Mediterranean vegetables.
But real restaurant pasta is often off the table, so to speak, for people with a gluten intolerance.
If that’s you, then Venezia in Ballinasloe is the place for you with classic pasta dishes, complete with a modern twist, all available to order Gluten Free.
They also have an expansive pizza menu (because you can’t have Italian without Pizza!) as well as some rustic Irish Fish and Chips on offer. There’s something for everyone to order at Venezia in Ballinasloe.
