Galway City Council announced plans for new floodlights at Cappagh Park pitch in Knocknacarra after the old lights were ordered down.
Knocknacarra FC was ordered in January to take down temporary floodlights it had erected to let people use the 3G all weather playing pitch at Cappagh Park.
The order to remove the temporary lights attracted strong local opposition, with protesting parents saying that hundreds of children would be affected.
The city council said at the time that erecting lights without planning permission could have a negative effect on any application for permanent lighting.
The all weather playing pitch was installed in 2018 with the help of funding from Galway City Council.
The council has now stated its plans to erect eight 15m high floodlights with LED luminaires to facilitate the all weather playing pitch.
The plans can be viewed at City Hall from today onwards during normal business hours.
Public submissions and observations concerning these plans can be made to the city council until April 30.
Galway’s own masters of visual storytelling and breathtaking spectacle Macnas have unveiled their most ambitious project yet, Gilgamesh.
Macnas will be staging Gilgamesh as four distinct events around the city and county throughout the Capital of Culture year to reach the greatest possible audience through different artistic media.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the world’s oldest piece of literature, dating back to Ancient Mesopotamia as far back as 2100 BC.
It tells the tale of Gilgamesh, no surprises there, a young hero king who embarks upon a quest to seek answers to humanity’s fundamental questions about love, power, death and immortality.
Two parts God and one part hero king, Gilgamesh meets his match in Enkidu, a wild man dispatched by the Gods to challenge him, and sets him on a path that that explores every aspect of humanity.
Macnas’ unique take on the story will elevate its signature visual storytelling to new heights, with street spectacle and theatre production in both indoor and outdoor arenas, and venturing into digital territory for the first time.
The year-long epic will bring the contemporary themes of this ancient origin story to life on a never-before-seen scale, inviting intrigue and participation from audiences locally, nationally and internationally.
Macnas Artistic Director Noeline Kavanaugh said that working on Gilgamesh has given them an “unprecedented opportunity” to connect with audiences around the world.
“With this amazing project, the talent and commitment of the many artists and magic makers who are the Macnas family will be unleashed.”
She added that none of this would have been possible without the support of Galway 2020 and the European Capital of Culture.
Audiences will first be introduced to Gilgamesh over Easter Weekend, with a series of unannounced live pop-up performances around Galway city and on digital platforms on April 10-12.
Anyone who is worried that Macnas are done with parades will be overjoyed this June 21 when Gilgamesh will sweep through Galway city in that style only they can truly master.
Accompanied by a panoply of characters, Gilgamesh descends upon the city on Midsummers Night where he encounters gods and mortals, monsters and marvels, as an epic world infused with magic and mayhem comes to life on the streets of Galway.
Come November the show will be moving indoors as award winning Irish playwright Marina Carr brings the story to life on the stage of the Black Box Theatre from November 16-28.
And finally, on December 12, this epic tale is moving to the countryside, with a journey into the wild landscape of County Galway where audiences will witness a fiery, ritualistic close to this legendary epic with an unforgettable epilogue about love, loss and fallen Gods.
Though their parades are always a group effort, this incredible project has seen Macnas working with a greater range of spectacular artists and collaborators than ever before.
Celebrated playwright Marina Carr is joined by Tony Award-nominated designer Julian Crouch, with music and soundscapes from composer and sound designer Nick Powell and a series of specially commissioned films from cinematographer Colm Hogan.
“A big part of Galway 2020’s role as European Capital of Culture is to supporting really exciting and ambitious projects by organisations that can strengthen their local and international profile for the future,” said Helen Marriage, Creative Director of Galway 2020.
“Gilgamesh is exactly this kind of project, with Macnas collaborating with exceptional artists and exploring new platforms for their work to reach new audiences at home and abroad”.
As part of the project, the company will also implement a major digital programme on Macnas.com – to include a series of specially commissioned short films.
This will allow the work to be experienced by a truly global audience in Galway’s year as European Capital of Culture.
Mayor Mike Cubbard has cancelled his office’s traditional St Patrick’s Day trip to Seattle due to rising numbers of coronavirus cases in the US city.
Typically, the Mayor of Galway attends the St Patrick’s Day parade and multiple other events in Seattle to promote Galway, but this year’s trip till not be going ahead.
“In recent days, Seattle has seen a rise in the number of people with coronavirus with a number of deaths also reported in the city,” Mayor Cubbard said in a statement.
He added that while the risk of contracting the virus there remains low, the growing number of cases remains a concern.
Putting health and safety as the paramount concern, the Mayor will not be going ahead with this year’s trip, but wrote to Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkin wishing .
“Having spoken to my counterparts in Seattle they are very understanding and send their best wishes to the people of Galway,” Mike Cubbard said.
“Some events there have been postponed until later in the year and I suspect others will follow suit. It is unfortunate but necessary.”
Galway City’s own St Patrick’s Day parade has been cancelled on the advice of the government and health officials, along with all of the country’s major parades.
There are now a total of 24 confirmed coronavirus cases in the Republic of Ireland, with three new infections identified on Monday.
NUIG is currently awaiting test results on one student who was referred to the HSE after presenting with a possible infection at the Student Health Unit on Monday afternoon.
County planners have refused to grant approval for a proposed housing development next to Furbo Village in Connemara.
Planning permission was sought by Noel Regan Developments for a housing estate consisting of seven detached houses on a greenfield site at Ballynahown, Furbo.
The design of the small estate had the houses arranged in a crescent shape, which the developer said would “provide passive surveillance of the public spaces” and “establish a sense of community and a feeling of security within the location”.
One of the key issues which arose in relation to this development was the developer’s intention to connect to the existing wastewater treatment plant serving an adjacent 15 home estate.
The county council gave four reasons for refusing planning permission for this development, three of which were related to its place next to Furbo, and also due to concerns about the site’s proposed wastewater treatment system.
Galway County Council said in its refusal that these lands have not been zoned for development and that the scale and layout of the proposed housing development would not reinforce and assimilate with the existing village setting of Furbo.
Based on submissions the council also said that it wasn’t satisfied that “the proposed development creates the standard of assimilation necessary for the amenities of the area”, and the prospective residents of these homes.
Finally, the county council said that the wastewater treatment system the developer wishes to connect to has “insufficient spare capacity” due to arrangements made for other pre-existing homes in the area.
Overcrowding at the Emergency Department at UHG and elsewhere has plummeted in the week that has seen the COVID-19 coronavirus continue to spread.
Hospitals around the country have imposed visiting restrictions and outright bans as an infection control measure as the number of coronavirus cases in Ireland continues to grow, and people also seem to be avoiding the A&E according to INMO figures.
There are just 9 patients on trolleys in the Emergency Department at UHG today according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, while there were only 8 on Monday.
Nationwide there 234 people on trolleys in Ireland’s hospitals today, up from 167 on Monday, but still nowhere near January’s peak levels of 760 people without a bed.
The Republic of Ireland now has 24 confirmed cases of COVID-19 following the discovery of three new infected people on Monday.
While never nearly as badly afflicted as UHG, the last two days have also seen Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe with not a single patient going without a bed.
These are by far the lowest numbers recorded by the INMO this year, both in Galway and in hospitals throughout the country.
Even in University Hospital Limerick, which regularly has more than 50 or 60 people going without a bed on any given day, there are just seven patients on trolleys today.
The Saolta Hospital Group, which includes UHG, Merlin Park Hospital, and Portiuncula Hospital, has had visiting restrictions in place since last Friday as an infection control measure, which are continuing this week until further notice.
“We are asking the public not to visit any hospital other than end of life situations and other exceptional circumstances as agreed with the ward manager in advance of visiting,” a spokesperson for Saolta said.
“We recognise that the visiting restrictions may be challenging for patients and their families, however, our priority must be to protect the patients in our hospitals who are vulnerable to infection.”
Galway Technical Institute and local writers Kevin Higgins and Susan Millar DuMars are running creative writing classes for people of all skill levels this Spring
The Beginner and Intermediate level creative writing classes will for eight weeks at Galway Technical Institute starting from the week of March 23.
The Beginner level classes are being led by Kevin Higgins, with writing exercises and gentle feedback for people trying their hand at poetry, fiction, or memoir for the first time.
Intermediate Creative Writing with Susan Millar DuMars is suitable for those who’ve participated in creative writing classes before or begun to have work published in magazines.
Flexible exercises and work-shopping of assignments, together with the study of the works of published writers, will help each class member to find their own writing voice.
Susan Millar DuMars is an Irish American writer of both poetry and fiction. It was the ’97 Galway Arts Festival which drew her across the pond, and she has stayed her ever since.
A collection of her stories, Lights In The Distance, was first published in 2010.
Kevin is a well known local poet whose works have been translated into Greek, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Japanese & Portuguese.
His first collection, The Boy With No Face, was published by Salmon Poetry and shortlisted for the 2006 Strong Award for Best First Collection by an Irish poet.
Together, the couple also organise the year round Over The Edge literary events.
Classes at both levels will take place once a week, Mondays for beginner classes and Tuesday for intermediate level, from 7-9:30pm.
Details of both courses can be found at gti.ie/parttime/courses along with booking information.
Results are due later today on an NUI Galway student who has been tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus after being triaged yesterday.
A student at NUIG presented to the University Student Health Unit on Monday afternoon, and was referred to the HSE for coronavirus testing after being triaged.
The results of this testing are expected at some point today.
In a statement on it’s alerts page updated this morning, NUIG said that there are currently no confirmed cases of Coronavirus on campus, and that all university services are running as normal.
“Inaccurate messages have circulated on social media and other channels overnight stating that a confirmed case of COVID-19 had been detected in the University. These messages are not accurate.”
“An individual presented to the Student Health Unit yesterday afternoon who was referred onwards to the HSE following initial triage.
“The appropriate tests have been carried out and the HSE should have the results later today,” the statement continued.
“The advice to the University was to deep clean a small area on campus, which has been carried out.”
“The University was further advised that closure of buildings was not appropriate or required at this time.”
“We will continue to inform our University community as best we can in line with public and patient safety and confidentiality.”
The Student Health Unit at NUIG has suspended its walk-in service as of Monday, and is now operating on a strict appointment service only.
A sub-group has also been convened from the University Management Team specifically to address the coronavirus situation and provide up to date advice and information from health officials.
The university has said that it is continuing to monitor the situation, and planning for any interruptions to its services which may result from the coronavirus spread.
NUI Galway previously urged all of its erasmus students in Italy to return to Ireland immediately as the situation in Italy was developing.
Galway’s Gardaí marked International Women’s Day with a special event on Monday discussing women in policing.
Guest speakers at the event from the Gardaí included Inspector Georgina Lohan who discussed the history of women in An Garda Síochana.
She was joined by Dr. Carol Baumann, Manager of the Domestic Abuse Service, Galway and Ms. Sharon Fitzmaurice, Holistic Wellness Coach and Author who spoke on mindfulness.
Garda Lorraine Walsh addressed the event about Employee Assistance, and Ms. Adrienne Ryan Turley, Aib Manager/Network Ireland spoke about financial well-being.
The coffee morning event took place at the Maldron Hotel on Monday, the day after International Women’s Day, which takes place on March 8 of each year.
An Garda Síochana has a workforce that is 26% female, above the European average of 18%.
Concerns about the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus have led to the cancellation of Galway City’s St Patrick’s Day parade along with the rest of Ireland’s.
The government announced yesterday evening that all of the country’s St Patrick’s Day parades were being cancelled in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
That decision came after both Cork City and Dublin’s parades, the two largest in the country, were both cancelled by their respective council’s.
The event licence for Galway’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade was one of the items on the agenda at the monthly meeting of Galway City Council which took place on Monday.
That meeting was moved from city hall to the Galmont Hotel after a Covid-19 risk assessment was carried out on the council chambers.
People infected by the coronavirus are being told to self told to self isolate for 14 day, and with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar acknowledging that more than half of the country could be infected.
This has led to the government announcing a €3 billion aid package both for public health, and to deal with the economic fallout to come.
People infected by the coronavirus will be eligible for a higher level of sick pay from the first day of their infection, €305 per day.
The government has created a new Cabinet sub-committee specifically to deal with this crisis, which met for the first time yesterday.
Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer with the Department of Health called the crisis a pandemic when meeting with the cabinet.
He said that while Ireland is still in the containment phase of dealing with this crisis, it’s expected that we will pass beyond that stage at some point.
Italy has extended its lockdown nationwide as the number of deaths in the country from the coronavirus has almost reached 500 people, and Tanaiste Simon Coveney has advised Irish people not to travel to Italy under any circumstances.
The HSE is putting an unnecessary obstacle in the way of elderly people or those with a disability applying for housing adaption grants Galway TD Michael Fitzmaurice has claimed.
County Councils provide grants for people who are older or have a disability to carry out works which make their houses more liveable and safe.
Common works carried out with these grants include making a house wheelchair friendly, altering the layout for ease of use, or converting ground floor rooms to a bathroom.
“These changes could be beneficial for a person with a physical, sensory or intellectual disability or for a person who is living with a mental health difficulty,” Michael Fitzmaurice said.
One of the possible requirements to qualify for such a grant is an assessment by an occupational therapist.
In the past if the HSE had such a report on file for an individual, they would provide it to their local council free of charge when seeking an adaption grant.
However, Deputy Fitzmaurice says that in recent weeks the HSE has sent letters to multiple local authorities saying that it will no longer be providing such reports for free.
“It is disgusting to think that the HSE would knowingly place a needless obstacle in the way of vulnerable people who are eager to carry out essential works to their home.”
“These people are now being asked to hand over a couple of hundred euro so that the OT report can be sent to the council, despite the HSE not incurring any further costs if they already have the report on file.”
The Independent TD said that it is disgraceful that the HSE is being “uncooperative” in this manner, and that this decision should be reversed.
If someone seeking a grant employs an occupational therapist themselves in order to get an assessment, they are able to recoup up to €200 of the cost from their local authority.
The 2020 general election is done and dusted and one of the key hot button issues was/is how people’s Retirement Age and the State Pension could change.
The Coronavirus might have pushed all other issues off the headline now, but it was the age at which an Irish citizen can receive their state pension on retirement which dominated discussion in the lead up to last month’s general election.
In 2014, the government raised the commencement age for the State Pension from 65 to 66, leaving thousands who were contractually obligated to retire at 65 needing to sign onto Job Seekers Benefits to bridge the gap.
The pension age is set to increase to 67 in 2021, and 68 in 2028 under the same plan.
However, in spite of the increase to the pension age, many politicians remain exempt from the changes. TDs and Ministers who were public servants before 2004 are entitled to retire at 50, while those who came into office later can access their pension at 65.
Only those who entered public service after 2013 will have to wait for as long as most ordinary workers for their pension payments to kick in.
And now, even they can choose to draw their pension when they turn 65. The gap between private and public sector pensions is only widening.
There is no doubt that General Election 2020 may have an immediately measurable effect on your State Pension. There are a number of options available to mitigate this risk:
Challenge
your elected representatives as to how they plan to help retirees until their
State Pension kicks in.
Keep
informed! Once a government is actually in place, this issue could rear its
ugly head once again.
Consider
contributing to a private pension – this will help to reduce the risk of an
income gap at retirement.
Joe Bruen is managing director of Bruen Financial in Galway City, an award winning financial brokerage.To see more about the financial services he can provide for you visitwww.bruenfs.ie.
Caitríona’s financial woes drive her to a fateful decision regarding Mack and Sorcha sets a trap for her mother on Ros na Rún.
It’s one things after another for Caitríona, as she just can’t get a break in Ros na Rún. After her accident with Mack the day before, she find out she’s suffering from whiplash.
Vince encourages her to take some time off work, but much to her dismay Labhrás only grants her two days.
Caitríona’s financial problems push to make a fateful decision to sue Mack for the accident.
Has Caitríona gone too far this time, and is this the end of her friendship with Mack.
Nathan is still not happy that Bobbi Lee cancelled their dinner. He pushes Bobbi Lee to open up about his adoption and her reasoning behind it.
He realises that Jude had a big part to play in this story and he wants more answers. While visiting Jude, Bobbi Lee makes a discovery that Nathan visited his grandmother on the Aran Islands.
She is shocked to the core, but another heart to heart cements this mother and son relationship. Nathan calls Andy and tells him that he is finished with him for good.
Adam plants a suspicious seed in Sorcha’s head regarding the stolen money, but she’s still in total denial and means to uncover the truth herself.
She sets a trap for Sadia, hoping to settle the question once and for all. Will Sadie fall for Sorcha’s scheme, and what will this mean for mother and daughter?
All of this on Ros na Rún this Tuesday at 8:30pm on TG4, with more to follow each week on Thursday evenings.
The monthly meeting of Galway City Council taking place this afternoon has been moved due to a Covid-19 risk assessment.
Today’s city council meeting has been moved to the Galmont Hotel following a risk assessment of the council chamber in regards to current Covid-19 coronavirus guidance.
The meeting is currently expected to proceed as planned at 3pm this afternoon.
There are now 21 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 novel coronavirus after two new cases of community transmission were confirmed on Sunday.
The agenda for this month’s meeting includes a report on the St. Patrick’s Day Parade event licence, raising funds for Galway Simon to purchase housing, adopting a Corporate Plan for 2019-2024.
Questions have been raised about whether the government should impose restrictions on large gatherings to limit the spread of Covid-19, including the St. Patrick’s Day Festival
The city council will also be receiving reports on a draft tourism strategy for the next five years, a Large Scale Sports Infrastructure feasibility report on Cappagh Park, and a call for proposals under the Urban and Regional Development Fund.
A public workshop will take place on Tuesday for people to have their say on the Tuam Regeneration Strategy which is in development.
Galway East TD Seán Canney is encouraging people in Tuam to come along, saying it will be a great opportunity to meet the design team and share their thoughts.
The Department for Rural and Community Development has allocated €175,000 from the Rural Regeneration Development Fund to complete the strategy.
The workshop will take place from 4pm to 8pm tomorrow, March 10, at Tuam Library on High Street.
“You can call into the event at any time and everyone’s input would be welcome,” Seán Canney said.
A man who received community service for multiple phone thefts has been sent to prison for failing to complete it after more than a year and a half.
In July of 2018 Moses Akani (21), with a former address at Fear An Rí, Doughiska, was ordered to complete 150 hours of community service by the in lieu of a five month prison sentence.
This was after he stole six phones, with a total value of more than €2,500, from different women at city nightclubs in 2016.
The Probation Service moved to re-enter the case last year after he failed to complete this community service despite being given multiple opportunities.
Of the 150 hours of community service which were ordered by the court, just 18 hours were left to finish.
Solicitor for the defence Sean Acton said that his client is currently serving an unrelated three month sentence, and is due to be released at the end of April.
He added that since this first came before the District Court in 2018, Akani has become homeless.
Judge Mary Fahy said that it would be unfair to impose the full five months as Akani is already in prison.
The judge reduced the sentence to three months, to run consecutively to the prison sentence he is currently serving.
12 May 2017; Galway United fans arrive prior to the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division game between Galway United and Cork City at Eamonn Deasy Park in Galway. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Galway United have decided to lower the ticket prices for fans coming to the EA Sports Cup tie against Athlone Town next week.
The club said that it is reducing ticket prices for the upcoming match with Athlone since many fans will be trying to get to both of their games next week against Athlone and Cabinteely.
Galway United will face off against Athlone Town here on their home turf at Eamon Deacy Park on Tuesday, with kick off at 7:45pm.
The new ticket price for that game is now €10 for adults, and just €5 for kids and concession price.
Tickets can be bought at the gate on the day, or online here ahead of time.
At half time supporters can also exchange their ticket for a voucher for a free pizza at Four Star Pizza.
Season Ticket holders should be aware that they are not valid for the EA Sports Cup, as per competition rules.
Later next week, on Friday, March 13, the Tribesmen will face Cabinteely in their first home game of the 2020 SSE Airtricity League season.
This month Galway City Council is beginning work on developing an Arts Strategy for the next five years, and a number of public consultation events will take place over the next week.
The Galway City Council Arts Strategy 2020-2025 is meant to set out the council’s goals for arts development over the next several years.
It is also meant to create a framework which will guide the council’s investment in arts in the medium term.
Members of the public are being invited to give their input on the strategy, with three public consultation events scheduled to take place next week.
In particular the city council is seeking the contributions of all forms of artists, arts practitioners, Arts Venues, Festivals and organisations to inform the strategy.
The first public consultation will be on Tuesday at Westside Resource Centre on the Seamus Quirke Road, with another at The Human Biology lecture theatre at NUIG on Wednesday, and finally at Merlin Woods NS on the Doughiska road on Thursday.
All three of the meetings will take place at 7:30pm in the evening.
If people can’t make it to those meetings, they can still have their say by filling out a questionnaire available at www.galwaycity.ie/artsstrategy2020-2025.
Plans have been submitted to Galway County Council to remove an asbestos roof from the Community Centre in Oranmore.
The Oranmore Park Committee are seeking planning permission to remove an existing asbestos roof and replace it with a new 100mm insulated composite panel.
Oranmore Community Centre is equipped with multiple meeting rooms, a large hall, and an astro/ball wall available for local community groups.
Other work which will be part of this project includes installing new guttering and edge details, and a connection to existing downpipes and outlets.
Galway County Council is due to make a decision on this planning application by April
Irish Water has once again insisted that the Loughrea Public Water Supply is safe for consumption after receiving the results of water quality sampling tests.
Concerns have been raised in recent weeks about possible bacterial contamination of the drinking water supply in Loughrea.
County Councillor Michael Mogie Maher said that a family living in the Abbeyfields estate took a water sample which was tested in the Public Health Microbiology Laboratory at UHG.
These tests showed the presence of Coliform bacteria in the water supply, but Irish Water repeated in multiple statements that the Loughrea Public Water Supply is compliant with all regulations.
“We are aware of concerns in one housing estate in Loughrea and carried out tests in the area in February which have all returned compliant,” a spokesperson for Irish Water said.
Further tests were carried out on March 3 in response to the concerns raised by councillor Maher.
The results of those tests were returned this week, and showed that the water supply is compliant with EU drinking water legislation Irish Water said.
“All of Irish Water’s sampling results indicate that chlorine levels in the network are high and the Ultra Violet system at the treatment plant is fully functioning.”
People can view the drinking water quality results for their area by inputting their address on Irish Water’s Water Quality page.
