Galway County Council is carrying out roadworks on a stretch of the N65 four kilometres outside of Loughrea.
Work will be taking place on the approach to Kilmeen Junction heading towards Ballinasloe and Portumna.
The road improvement work will commence on Monday, March 9, and the county council has said that it is expected to take three months.
Up to 50mm of rainfall could accumulate between Saturday and Tuesday Met Eireann has warned, creating a risk of further flooding as river levels remain elevated.
The Weather Advisory has been issued for all of Connacht, as well as counties Longford, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Donegal, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary.
The heaviest periods of rain are expected today, as well as early on Monday and Tuesday.
Galway has been dealing with heavy rain today after a glimpse of some Spring sunshine in the past few days.
This rain is expected to continue tonight, but lighten to scattered showers heading into Sunday morning.
A Status Yellow marine warning has also been issued by Met Eireann, with south to southwest winds reaching gale force on all Irish Coastal Waters and on the Irish Sea today.
Sunday will see further scattered showers, heaviest in the early hours of the morning, but patches of sunshine will also creep through in the afternoon.
Corofin had a fantastic year in 2019, becoming the first to ever win three senior club football championships in a row after defeating Kilcoo.
Steede was a crucial part of this victory, scoring three points for the champions in the All-Ireland final.
AIB and the GAA honoured 30 players on Friday evening at the third annual AIB GAA Club Player Awards, held at a prestigious event in Croke Park.
The AIB GAA Club Player Awards recognise the top performing players throughout the provincial Club Championships in hurling and football.
A Player of the Year is chosen in both football and hurling, and the best players from around the country are chosen for the Team of the Year.
Corofin’s runaway success could be seen here as well, with seven players from the club making the team.
These are Gary Sice, Liam Burke, Ronan Steede, Liam Silke, Bernard Power, Daithi Burke and Kieran Fitzgerald, five of whom had been winners in previous years.
image credit: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
The Boil Water Notice was first issued on January 15 due to elevated turbidity levels in the drinking water.
Turbidity is a measure of how cloudy water is, caused by a large amount of particles in the water which are invisible to the naked eye.
This notice was imposed due to mechanical and operational difficulties at the local water treatment plant.
The notice applied to all people covered by the Teeranea/Lettermore public water supply, as well as the Lettercallow Group Water Scheme.
Irish Water has lifted the notice after consulting with the HSE and County Council following upgrade works at the treatment plant.
Tim O’Connor of Irish Water said that they acknowledge the “impact and inconvenience” caused by the notice, and thanked the people affected for their patience and cooperation.
“The water treatment plant has been operating very well since the upgrade works were undertaken and the treated water is now of very high quality and fully compliant with E.U Drinking Water Regulations.”
“Irish Water’s priority is the provision of safe, clean drinking water and safeguarding that water supply for the future is a vital focus,” he added.
Kevin Joyce (50), with an address at Woodstock, Bushypark in Galway City is charged with a single count each of false imprisonment, making threats to kill, and production of a knife.
It is alleged that in September last year Joyce produced a pizza knife while threatening to kill a woman at a house on Barrack Street, Clarinbridge.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between September 27 and 28 of 2019.
The DPP has directed that this should be dealt with at the District Court level only in the event of a guilty plea.
Joyce was remanded on continuing bail to next appear before the court on June 15.
His bail was amended with the consent of the state to remove a condition that he had to sign on at a Garda station.
Other conditions of bail, including that have no contact with the other parties in this case, remain.
The Saolta Healthcare Group has enacted visiting restrictions at all of its hospitals as an infection control measure as of this evening, Friday, March 6.
These include University Hospital Galway, Merlin Park Hospital, and Portiuncula Hospital in Ballnasloe.
The Saolta Group has said that these measures have been put in place as an infection control measure.
They will be in place over the weekend, and into next week. Beyond that, the Saolta Group has said that they will be kept under review.
Saolta’s decision follows one made by the UL Hospitals Group and South/South West Hospital Group to impose visiting bans announced just a few hours ago.
Galway Daily has asked the Saolta Group and Department of Health if this measure has been taken due to any Coronavirus cases, or in anticipation of coming cases.
“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 the Saolta Group said.
“To arrange a visit, families should telephone the hospital and request to speak to the relevant ward manager who will decide if a visit can be facilitated without compromising the welfare of the patients on the ward.”
It is emphasised in the statement that children in particular should not be visiting patients in hospital at this time.
“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. We would like to thank members of the public for their co-operation.”
Thirteen cases of the Coronavirus, now called Covid-19, had been confirmed as of Thursday, but that number is expected to grow drastically this weekend as healthcare physicians trace those who have contact with confirmed cases.
Nicola Kissane-Mullin is doing a skydive to raise funds for Galway Hospice this June in memory of her husband and sister, both of whom passed away last year within a few hours of one another.
“Doing a skydive isn’t something I ever imagined myself doing,” Nicola says in donations page for her skydive on Everdayhero.
“It’s certainly not something that ever made my bucket list. The thought alone terrifies me,” she adds.
I’m doing a skydive because I want to do something that challenges me to be brave. I have never witnessed bravery like Mark’s and I don’t imagine I ever will again.”
“I watched him face every day of the last year of his life with a determination to live, despite the great deal of pain he was in and the evidence that was stacking up in front of him that the odds of survival were close to nothing.”
“I want to do it for my sister, who was the person in our family we could always turn to when we needed support.”
“Kerry was the kind of person who would go out of her way to help you, even if it inconvenienced her or made things harder for her.”
“Taking myself outside my comfort zone is one small thing I can do to remember how amazing she was.”
As of the time of publishing this article €9,930.70 has been pledged out of a goal of €11,000.
Galway Hospice is the main provider of palliative care in Galway City and County, and is heavily reliant on donations from the public in order to keep up its services for the most vulnerable people in society.
Mark Mullin passed away aged 44 after a year long battle with his second bout of cancer.
He was first diagnosed in 2013, just a year after he and Nicola were married, but overcame the disease and was cancer free until it returned in 2018.
Throughout his illness Mark faced cancer with a “strength of heart” to assure the people around him that he would be okay Nicola says.
“My sister Kerry was the first person I called to break the news to. She was as she always was – supportive, caring and ready to do what she could to help us face it.”
Just a few short hours before Mark passed away on July 2 of last year, Nicola received word that the 39 year old Kerry had died suddenly due to a pulmonary embolism.
“I won’t try to describe what that felt like. I could never find the words,” Nicola said.
“The only thing I can speak clearly about is where I was when it happened. I was in the Galway Hospice, surrounded by the most amazing people I could ever have hoped to have near me. They carried me through the darkest and most horrifying time of my life.”
“Their support is not something I can convey with the kind of accuracy that would reflect the reality of what they did for Mark, and for me – as his wife. It’s the kind of support you can only hope you’ll never need but feel so grateful to have had.”
Nicola heaps praise on the staff at Galway Hospice for the dignity they treated Mark with in the final days of his life, for giving them space when every minute was precious, and for helping him stay himself up to the end of his life.
“We’re going to raise money to do our part to enable Galway Hospice to continue to care for people like Mark.”
“We’re doing it to remember my beautiful sister Kerry, whose absence has left a hole in our family that can never be filled.”
So far 285 people have donated to Nicola’s fundraiser, which has been linked to in the article above, and again here.
Prize Bonds are a State Savings product which, instead of paying interest, offers bond holders the chance to win cash prizes every week.
There were over 5,100 prizes awarded in this week’s Prize Bond Draw, amounting to over €319,000.
Our grand winner in Galway came out on top with a bond purchased in 2002, bond number DJ 931052.
On top of the weekly draws with a grand prize of €50,000 up for grabs, two special draws a year are held on the last Friday of June and December.
In each of those, bond holders are in with the chance to take home a €1 million prize.
Other cash prizes awarded each week in the Friday draws include 10 prizes of €1,000 and 10 of €500.
All winnings are tax-free, and Prize Bonds can be cashed in at any time after the minimum holding period of three months.
Founded in 1957, the Prize Bonds draw is Ireland’s longest running prize draw. Each bond costs €6.25 with a four bond minimum purchase.
They make up part of the range of Ireland State Savings products offered to retail customers by the National Treasury Management Agency.
The scheme is operated on behalf of the NTMA by the Prize Bond Company, a joint venture between An Post and FEXCO.
Prize Bonds can be purchased by Direct Debit, online at www.StateSavings.ie, by telephone to callsave 1850 30 50 60 or at your local Post Office.
A traffic management plan will be in place for the duration of the repair works today Irish Water has said.
They are currently estimated to be completed by 5pm this evening.
Residents of the Tuam Road, School Road, Parkmore, Castlegar and surrounding areas of the city may experience water outages during the day.
People in the affected areas are also advised that it may take 2-3 hours after repairs have been completed for their full water supply to be restored.
To check for updates on the situation, visit Irish Water’s Supply and Service page or consult their twitter account @IWCare.
The Kaiser Chiefs will be headlining the Heineken Big Top at GIAF 2020 with a smash concert this July 23.
Perhaps best known for smash hits like “I Predict A Riot” and the chart-topping “Ruby,” this indie rock band draw massive crowds for sold-out shows across the world.
At the Heineken Big Top this July fans can expect to hear hits from their two decade career, including their newest studio album Duck which came out in 2019.
Duck is the latest of seven studio albums released by the Kaiser Chiefs: Employment (2005), Yours Truly, Angry Mob (2007), Off with Their Heads ( 2008), The Future Is Medieval (2011), Education, Education, Education & War ( 2014), Stay Together (2016), and Duck (2019).
Tickets for this summers concert have gone on sale this morning for €49.50 and can be purchased online here.
Other incredible performers confirmed for the Big Top this summer so far include The Flaming Lips, the Pixies, Jon Hopkins, and the legendary Sinéad O’Connor, who is returning to the stage in 2020 after a four year hiatus.
More acts will be announced ahead of the full programme release for Galway International Arts Festival in May 2020.
So far there have been 13 confirmed Coronavirus cases, now known as Covid-19, in the Republic of Ireland, but that is expected to continue growing, and there have now been confirmed cases of community transmission.
One patient is known to be in isolation at Cork University Hospital, with serious knock on effects for other services as elective procedures have been cancelled and many staff may have to self isolate.
One of the newer cases is connected to Trinity College Dublin it was confirmed on Thursday night.
Yesterday the HSE said that four people, two men and two women in the west of Ireland, had been diagnosed with the virus after returning from Italy.
Seven more cases were confirmed later in the day, including two women, again stated as being in the west of the country, who did not travel, but had been in close contact with others with the Coronavirus patients who had who had.
These two females are known to be connected to one of the males cases which was reported earlier in the week in Clare.
“The HSE need to confirm immediately where these cases have arisen in my view as simply saying the West of Ireland is unacceptable,” Cllr James Charity said on facebook.
“There are many vulnerable people, including the elderly and those already ill or recovering from recent illness, as well as parents of school children, who will be extremely anxious about this.”
Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer with the Department of Health, has said that they have not been alarmed by the presence of community transmission of the Coronavirus, as this had been expected, and is in line with what’s been seen in other countries.
Ireland is still in the containment phase of dealing with this outbreak he added, with public health doctors working to ensure such containment measures are effective, and track people who have had contact with those infected by the Coronavirus.
Cllr Charity added that he wishes all infected a speedy recovery, but added “as I’ve said before, it is nonsensical at this stage that screening has not yet been introduced at all of our airports.”
While Irish people are being urged not to travel to Northern Italy, travel restrictions have not been imposed on people arriving from those areas.
Dr Holohan said that such a measure would not be proportional, nor would it be effective in preventing transmission.
Salthill-Knocknacarra GAA Club was the last destination of the Royal visit which had already seen them get a taste of Galway 2020 and take in some trad music at Tig Coili.
While they were down in Salthill, William and Kate swapped out the suit and green polka dot dress for more practical gear while they tried their hands at hurling and gaelic football.
The visit’s schedule ended up being delayed by more than an hour this morning after some early fog prevented their helicopter from taking off.
But that didn’t stop any of the planned events from going ahead, with Mayor Mike Cubbard, Deputy Mayor Donal Lyons and City Manager Brendan McGrath rolling out the welcome mat at Tribeton.
There the royal couple were treated to a slice of what’s expected during the European Capital of Culture year, presented by Galway 2020 CEO Patricia Philbin.
They also met with the teams behind several Galway 2020 projects including Sea Tamagotchi, Livefeed, Hoops, Galway Community Circus, and the 2020 Community Cast.
Afterwards they got to sit in on a trad music session at Tig Coili pub on Mainguard Street, famed over Ireland for its commitment to Irish music.
Large crowds of several hundred people gathered outside to greet the Royal couple when they came out of Tig Coili, where they stopped to greet and shake hands with many of the enthusiastic spectators.
After Tig Coili the two took a gander around Shop Street and the pedestrianised city centre of Galway, where the received a strong welcome.
The final stop of the day was at Salthill-Knocknacarra GAA Club where William and Kate both had a go at gaelic football and hurling alongside the club’s young members.
Large number of Gardaí from around Galway and the region were drafted in to provide security for today’s visit.
Traffic restrictions were in force earlier today in the city centre and Salthill, as well as rolling closures while the Duke and Duchess travelled from location to location, but these have all since been lifted.
image credit: Tourism Ireland via Twitter
The project, funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, is meant to address the limited use of solar chemicals production in industry and mobility in Europe.
Part of the project is to train 15 early stage researchers as specialists in using water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen to produce solar chemicals such as hydrogen, ammonia and methanol.
The conference to kick off this project for the researchers will take place in Galway at the end of March.
Another pilot project at NUIG to produce hydrogen from solar to power the public transport fleet in the Canaries will commence shortly.
The latest project, known as SOLAR2CHEM, includes nine academic organisations and three industry partners to provide training programmes on scientific, technical and personal development skills.
The programme includes secondments to leaders in solar chemical development including Japan and the United States.
President of NUI Galway, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, said the university has put climate change and sustainability at the heart of its agenda.
“We recently developed a five-year strategy to drive radical change in how our economy and society develops underpinned by values, including sustainability,” Prof Ó hÓgartaigh said.
“SOLAR2CHEM shows our capacity to deliver sustainable technologies that deliver for Ireland’s research and development sector, further enhancing our ability to attract foreign direct investment.”
The SOLAR2CHEM project is being headed by Dr Pau Farràs Costa, who said that he is looking forward to welcoming his European colleagues here later this month to start work.
This project will help further NUIG’s reputation as “Ireland and Europe’s leading university for sustainability,” he added.
“We plan to work hard to deliver an intensive training programme that explores new methods of solar energy conversion to deliver a future supply of sustainable chemicals for the European Union.”
“The EU needs to become leaders in this field and our university will be proud to work with the highest tiers of academics and industry to achieve this.”
NUIG is currently part of 133 different Horizon 2020 projects and has received over €63 million in direct funding from the programme.
The GAA club intends to build a two storey extension to its clubhouse at Kilcornan, Clarinbridge with a total floor space of 528sqm.
The ground floor of the new structure will be used for showers for the club’s players, while the upstairs area will mainly be used as a gym.
“It may also be used for meetings when not required as a gymnasium,” the planning application states.
Galway County Council is due to make a decision on whether to grant the club planning approval by March 25.
Two Guinness PRO14 fixtures due to take place in Italy in Rounds 14 and 15 have been postponed due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus in the northern part of the country.
Munster were due to face off against Benetton Rugby on March 21, and Connacht would have followed them a week later on March 28 against Zebre.
“The Italian government has now extended restrictions on sporting events until April 3 and the latest travel alerts from the Irish government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advise against non-essential travel to certain regions of Italy, including Veneto and Emilia-Romagna.”
Consequently, PRO14 Rugby has taken this action in order to protect the well-being of our participating clubs’ players, other staff and supporters, and provide some degree of certainty in an evolving situation,” a statement from Connacht Rugby said.
Pro14 Rugby hopes to reschedule both of these matches for dates later in April and May.
Talks are currently underway with EPCR to avoid any scheduling conflicts with European knock-out games.
Since late last month Pro14 Rugby has been communicating with the Chief Medical Officers of the participating unions to gather the latest information, advice, and requirements from their respective governments.
Discussions are still on-going regarding the rescheduling of the postponed Round 13 fixtures – Zebre Rugby Club v Ospreys, and Benetton Rugby v Ulster Rugby.
Tonight’s weather will see light rain developing late on Thursday and lasting into Friday morning before clearing up in the early afternoon.
Over Friday will be cloudy with spells of rain, possibly falling as sleet or snow in places, but some strong sunshine can also be expected during the afternoon.
Temperatures on Friday will range from highs of 8 degrees in the mid afternoon to lows of 1-2 degrees that night.
Saturday will be overcast for most of the day, with scattered showers in the morning turning to heavier rain by mid afternoon.
Light southerly winds will also pick up strength and veer westerly as the day goes on.
Temperatures on Saturday will peak at around 11 degrees in the afternoon according to Met Eireann, following lows of 3-4 degrees that morning.
Sunday will see more of the same, with light but persistent rain throughout the day.
However we can expect to see some sun peeking out from behind the clouds on Sunday despite the rain.
Looking to next week’s weather, Met Eireann is expecting rain to return with greater strength from Monday on, with heavy rain expected expected in the morning, tapering off into the afternoon.
John, currently completing his PhD at NUIG, was presented with this award for his research into Multiple Myeloma, a type of blood cancer for which there is currently no cure.
The research team John is part of has focused on a type of immune cell called Natural Killer cells that normally destroy cancerous cells, but are unable to detect those of Multiple Myeloma.
They are working on boosting the effectiveness of these Natural Killer cells so that they can successfully detect and destroy Multiple Myeloma cells, in a development that would revolutionise treatment for the disease.
Commenting on the award, John Daly said he was absolutely delighted with the news, and not just for himself.
“A lot of hard work has gone into this so far, not just from me but everyone in my group, and particularly my supervisor and co-supervisor, Professor Michael O’Dwyer of NUI Galway and Dr Mattias Carlsten, Karolinska Institute.”
“Things like this are really encouraging and motivating for the next couple of years as we try to move our research on.”
Michael O’Dwyer, Professor of Haematology at NUIG, said that he is extremely proud of John’s achievements.
“This is a reflection on his own hard work, the supportive ecosystem in my laboratory, our collaboration with the Karolinska Institute, and of course the generous support of the Irish Cancer Society.
He added that John’s work is helping to usher in a new era of immunotherapy treatments making use of genetically modified immune cells.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are coming to Galway today on the final leg of their three day Royal visit to Ireland.
Gardaí have placed traffic restrictions in the parts of the city where they will be visiting today as a security measure.
William Street, Shop Street, Abbeygate Street, High Street and Mainguard Street have been closed to vehicle traffic since 4am this morning, and pedestrian access has also been restricted from 9am onwards.
However pedestrians are still allowed into these areas subject to Garda vetting, and no premises have been forced to close today.
Cars are also not being allowed on Flood Street, Cross Street, Middle Street, St. Augustine Street, Bridge Street, or Lombard Street.
These restrictions are expected to be in place until 1pm this afternoon, but that is an approximation and subject to change.
Down in Salthill traffic will be restricted on the Dr Mannix Road until 2pm as the Royal couple visit Salthill-Knocknacarra GAA club.
Galway 2020 was cited as one of the main reasons for the Royal trip coming west to get a glimpse of the “showcase of events highlighting the richness and diversity of Irish culture, art and sport,” a statement form Kensington Palace said.
The Royal cuple will first be heading to Tribeton where they will meet Mayor Mike Cubbard, Deputy Mayor Donal Lyons, City Manager Brendan McGrath.
There the programme of events for Galway 2020 will be showcased, with William and Kate meeting the project teams from Sea Tamagotchi, Livefeed, Hoops, Galway Community Circus, and the 2020 Community Cast.
Afterwards they are scheduled to visit Tigh Coili and take a guided walkaround in the city centre.
Residents of Crowe Street, Gort and the surrounding areas have been experiencing water outages since approximately 3pm this afternoon due to a burst main.
Repairs are underway, and Irish Water have said that they are currently expected to be completed by 7pm this evening.
A second burst main in Ahascragh has been causing water supply issues in the village since before 2pm today
The repairs in Ahascragh had an estimated completion time of 5pm this evening, but it is not known if they have been completed as of yet.
In both instances residents of the affected areas are advised that it may take two to three hours for their full water supply to return after repairs have been completed.
For further updates on their situation, affected households should consult Irish Water’s Supply and Service page.
The Corrib Live show this year is a comedy night with music, featuring comedians and DJ’s and Ireland’s only seanós dancing Drag Queen.
The lineup includes the hilarious Jon Kenny, Siobhan Brosnan, Ian Burke, Fiona Malone, Josh Murtagh and Belfast’s Leonie McDonagh, all guaranteed to make you laugh.
DJ’s on the night will include DJ Disrupt, an acclaimed DJ not just in Galway but around Ireland. Making her Galway debut that night is Tina D Parton.
The event is being organised by the Sound Production students from VTOS Galway to raise much needed funds for COPE’s Waterside House shelter.
Cope Galway’s Waterside House is a 24 hour service for woman and children in need of refuge from domestic abuse.
They provide accommodation, information, support and court accompaniment to woman and children who have nowhere else to take shelter.
The charity has strong links with a range of statutory and voluntary agencies including NUI Galway and UHG for training and awareness around the issue of domestic violence and abuse.
Corrib Live will take place at Galway Rowing Club this Friday, March 6 at 8pm, with tickets costing €8 on the night.
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