Home Blog Page 713

Today’s Galway weather forecast

By
Michael Malone
-
0
Galway Daily weather status yellow weather warning for Galway cancelled

Today will be another very cold day, with showers possibly falling as hail and sleet in places.

It will also be windy with some sunny spells, according to Met Eireann.

Snow showers will mainly be confined to higher ground but could also occur at some lower levels especially later on.

Patchy ice will clear up as the day progresses.

Maximum temperatures will be between 4 to 6 Celsius, in a fresh to strong westerly wind.

TONIGHT

It will be very cold tonight with clear spells and further wintry showers with some snow on hills and mountains.

Minimum temperatures will be between -1 to +1 Celsius, in fresh west or strong northwest winds with a risk of frost and icy patches.

Flood assistance schemes needed as farms and businesses suffer – Naughten

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Governent asked to activate flood assistance schemes

The government should immediately activate flood assistance schemes for farmers and others in need of assistance after Shannon Basin flooding.

That’s the view of Galway-Roscommon TD Denis Naughten, who said that while the Taoiseach is viewing flood defences, he must also activate assistance schemes for families and businesses impacted.

“In the case of the farming community they were forced to take stock off land last September and it could be some considerable time before they have access to this land again,” stated Denis Naughten.

“In such instances fodder will be running low and the Department of Agriculture must activate supports for farmers in need of assistance within the catchment of the River Shannon and River Suck.”

The Independent TD said that a small number of families and businesses are already suffering due to severe flooding, along with a much higher number of farmers.

“They should not have to wait until it reaches a crisis point before these funds are activated,” Denis Naughten insisted.

The Taoiseach was also asked to intervene in ensuring the maximum flow of water through Meelick and Parteen weirs.

Flooding has caused serious disruption to travel in Galway in the past week, with large number of roads in the county blocked by floodwaters.

Flooding disrupts Galway-Limerick train services

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway daily news flooding disrupts Galway Limerick train services

The flooding throughout Galway is affecting more than just motorists now, trains between Galway and Limerick are also being affected.

Due to flooding on the line at Kiltartin which is expected to get worse, two early Galway-Limerick train services will be using bus transfers on Tuesday.

As water levels at Kiltartin are expected to rise tonight, Irish Rail has said the 5:55am Limerick/Galway and 6:15am Galway/Limerick services will operate as bus transfers.

A decision on second services in the morning will be made tomorrow Irish Rail stated.

This follows on from disruption to rail travel between Galway and Heuston today, where flooding on the line has seen evening services operating with a 30 minute delay.

Snow and Ice warning issued for Galway after week of rain

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway daily weather Two weather warnings in place for Galway this morning

Hot on the heel of a status yellow rainfall warning this morning, another weather warning for snow and ice has been issued

The warning from Met Eireann warns of snow, sleet, and hail across all of Ireland this week as unsettled weather continues.

“Wintry showers, mainly of hail and sleet, will become increasingly widespread during Tuesday leading to icy patches,” the weather warning states.

Some accumulations of snow will also occur during this period Met Eireann said.

The warning will be in place for over a day, coming into effect at 6am on Tuesday and remaining in force until 9am on Wednesday.

Galway has been experiencing severe flooding caused by excessive rain and other precipitation in the past few days.

While it was first felt in the Gort area, where many roads are still closed, some for a fortnight, flooding has since spread across the county.

Galway County Council has warned that many roads are now fully or partially submerged.

Motorists should check for the latest updates from the council before travelling, and take care while on the road.

During the previous weather warning, Met Eireann said that snowmelt would contribute to worsening conditions on already saturated ground.

Snow, sleet, and hail are forecast to be most likely in Galway from Tuesday evening and early on Wednesday.

However persistent rain is also expected throughout the day.

Gardaí warn of fake ‘movie money’ euro notes in circulation

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Galway winner claims €50,000 in prize bonds draw

The Gardaí and the Revenue Commissioners have issued a joint warning of a large amount of novelty Euro notes in circulation.

These notes are often marked as “movie money” or “prop money” and bear a strong resemblance to genuine Euro notes, however they do not contain the security features.

Officers of the Revenue have seized €430,895 of these phoney euro notes in various denominations in mail centres recently.

Gardaí have warned businesses and members of the public who work with cash regularly to be aware of this fake money in circulation.

Business owner are being advised to alert their staff as well about the phoney notes.

It was emphasised by gardaí that use fraudulent currency to purchase goods or services is a crime which can carry a penalty of up to ten years in prison.

Anyone caught trying to pay with ‘prob money’ should be reported to gardaí immediately the statement said.

Detective Superintendent Michael Cryan of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau has advised that “People need to be aware that such notes exist and at busy times, especially late at night, they need to exercise a little care and attention.

“These notes are easily identifiable if precautionary checks are made. Also people who try to tender such notes as real face prosecution, a possible prison sentence and a conviction, which is for life.”

“Such convictions have serious ramifications if one wanted to travel, to work in certain sectors and it can affect their credit rating”.

Athenry man facing deportation gets last minute reprieve after public outcry

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news deportation of Athenry man halted

A popular Athenry man who was facing deportation tomorrow has had his removal postponed after his family brought his case to public attention.

Lucivaldo Araujo Silva was being held at Cloverhill prison ahead of his scheduled deportation on Tuesday.

Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan has now said that this will not be going ahead, and that his case is being reviewed.

Lucivaldo and his wife Danielle arrived in Ireland 13 years ago from Brazil, and all three of their kids, Stephany (12), Bryan (9), and Nicole (2) were born here in Ireland.

He had been in Ireland on a work permit while Athenry became his home in the past 12 years he has lived there.

But the permit expired and was never renewed, which ended up resulting his arrest.

Galway East TD Anne Rabbitte called for Minister Charlie Flanagan to urgently intervene in this decision on humanitarian grounds.

The Fianna Fáil TD confirmed that Silva will not be deported tomorrow and is being released from Cloverhill today.

She said that the family are “overwhelmed with joy that they will get to see their dad again.

Councillor Gabe Cronnelly, who visited Cloverhill with Lucivaldo’s wife Danielle said that he was “Absolutely delighted to have been involved in this case along with Deputy Ann Rabbitte and to everyone else who genuinely supported this family in their time of need.

“Athenry stood up and was counted with the tremendous support and unity for Lucio, Danielle, Stephany Bryan and Nicole.”

More than just local politicians were involved in this effort, with local teachers, businesses, and other members of the community in Athenry and beyond rallying to the cause of the Mr Silva who is well liked in the town.

A petition calling on the Minister to halt his deportation attracted over 1,500 signatures in less than a day after this story was brought to public attention.

Flooding blocks roads across Galway after heavy rain

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily weather Weather warning for heavy rain in Galway tonight

Severe flooding has blocked and submerged roads across Galqay today after heavy rain last night and on the proceeding days.

Flooding has been reported on seven new roads by the Galway County Council this morning after heavy rain added to an already bad situation.

The Polkeen road at Claregalway is completely impassable thanks to flooding and diversions are in place.

Also in Claregalway, the road headed to town from Carnmore Cross is partially flooded.

Flood waters have also blocked the road at Cregboy, and the county council says that the water level is rising continuously.

Multiple stretches of the N59 have been flooded between Oughterard and Galway City, and between Moycullen and Spiddal.

The N65 between Portumna and Loughrea is also very badly flooded, with a large flood on the turn before Priority Drilling Killimor.

The N83 has also bee reported flooded by the county council near Corinthians.

A status yellow weather warning was in force in Galway last night until 8am this morning.

Accumulations of up to 25mm were expected according to Met Eireann, with flooding likely die to saturated ground and high river levels.

The Gort area has been particularly badly affected by the rain in recent days, with nine roads near the town reported flooded by the council.

Some of them have been closed by the council for two weeks now.

Elderly man punched in the face by home invader who threw blood around his house

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily courts Man sent to trial charged with pulling knife on Garda

An elderly man and his son were left “terrorised” by a burglary when two men broke into their home, assaulted them, and spattered blood over the interior of the house.

Piotr Zuberek (26), with an address at Inishannagh Park, Newcastle, received a suspended sentence and community service for two counts of assault, as well as burglary and possession of cannabis, at Galway Circuit Court last week.

He was arraigned and pleaded guilty to the charges last November, and was brought back for sentencing last week.

Garda Parick Quirke gave evidence that on June 13 of 2018 he was called to reports of a burglary at a house in Ard na Coiste on the Headford Road at around 4am.

The owner of the house, a man in his 70s, said that two men forced their way in through the back door.

One of the men, Piotr Zuberek, punched him in the face, and the man’s adult son told the garda he was also attacked when he tried to intervene.

When they were inside the house the men went around smashing doors and blinds and deliberately spattering them with blood to damage them the injured man told Garda Quirke.

Zuberek was wearing a blue hoodie the elderly man said, and he was able to point him out to Garda Quirke straight away because he was standing nearby across the green in the estate.

Another witness in a different who was woken up by the “ruckus” and went to investigate also pointed him out to the Garda after seeing the men flee the house.

Zuberek became aggressive when he was being arrested Garda Quirke said, resulting a struggle where the officer ended up on the ground to restrain him.

Cannabis with a value of €160 was found on hos person at the time of the arrest.

When interviewed by gardaí he told them that he had been drinking whisky and beer, as well as taking drugs, and couldn’t really remember the events of that night.

“I went fucking crazy, I don’t really know what happened,” he said in the interview.

Samples were taken of the blood scattered over the interior of the home, and DNA testing showed that it was the defendant’s.

In a victim impact statement read to the circuit court by garda Quirke, the 70 year old victim saud that “since the incident I have been afraid to go outside the door when it’s dark”.

Gatda Quirke said that the two have been living in fear since the incident.

A barrister for Zuberek said that his client was remorseful and had written a letter of apology.

He also brought €500 to court for the victim as a token of that remorse, which Garda Quirke said would be welcomed by the victim.

The defence said that Zuberek, who is a Polish national, has been in full employment since coming to Ireland in 2015.

This wasn’t a premeditated action he said, but a loss of self control from taking too much drink and drugs.

The court heard that Zuberek has 12 previous convictions here in Ireland, mostly road traffic offences, but also including theft and obstruction of a peace officer.

However he also told the probation services unprompted that he had a prior conviction in Poland for violence involving alcohol.

Judy Rory McCabe said that this calls into question whether the incident was truly out of character for him.

The judge said that he had “created mayhem” and “terrorised” the occupants of this house, with no apparent explanation other than he was very drunk.

“To describe this behaviour as bizarre is an understatement,” the judge said of the burglary.

There was no apparent explanation for why he did this the judge said, other than that he had been drinking.

The judge imposed two year prison sentence on Mr. Zuberek for the burglary charge and suspended the sentence for three years.

He was also ordered to perform 240 hours of community service for the assault charges with two months in prison on each in lieu.

Loughrea awarded €100,000 for medieval moat walking trail

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Loughrea moat walk funding

Loughrea town will receive €100,000 to help develop an historical walking trail around the town’s medieval moat.

Galway East TD Seán Canney said that funding has been allocated under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme for phase two of the redevelopment of the moat walks around Loughrea.

This follows on from a similar level investment in the project by the Department of Rural and Community Development last year.

€100,000 was granted in 2019 for phase 1 of the project, which has since been completed.

“This is a very important heritage project, which will be a great asset to local enthusiasts and tourists alike,” Seán Canney said.

The funding application was made by the local Walks Committee, which is overseeing the project with the support of the county council.

The moat walk is one part of the Loughrea Walks project, which aims to restore the historic wall and bridges on the former Clanricarde estate.

The entire project is expected to cost in the region of €450,000 to complete.

Families rack up debt due to lack of autism services NUIG study finds

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news NUIG autism services study finds unmet needs

Huge numbers of children on the autism spectrum in Ireland are not getting the services they need, putting a major financial burden on families a new study from NUIG has found.

The study found that 74% children and adolescents on the autism spectrum did not receive one or more services in the past year.

One third of families of children with ASD had accrued debt in the past year, with the average ASD related family debt coming to €3,260 each year.

The severity of the issue was also much more prevalent for families with more than one child with autism.

The study, carried out by health economists at NUIG, involved a survey of 195 families with a total of 222 children on the autism spectrum aged 2-18 years old.

Over half of the children who have unmet service needs are on a waiting list for current services, while 61% were even worse off, left needing services which are not provided at all in their area.

And in almost a third of cases there were simply no private services available in their area at all for young people with autism.

Áine Roddy, the study’s lead author said that it provides evidence of the magnitude of the issue facing autistic children in Ireland.

“The financial and quality of life implications of not addressing the needs of autistic people with appropriate services and supports are profound,” she said.

“Policymakers need to understand that we need to spend in order to save, as research shows that autism is the most expensive condition internationally”.

This is due to the high cost of adult assisted care provisions, institutional care costs and high unemployment rates among autistic adults she added.

“We need to invest to improve long-term outcomes and support autistic people and their families.”

“Their needs are across the lifespan for the 1 in 65 people who are autistic in Ireland and their 234,000 immediate family members who face significant daily challenges due to social and financial isolation.”

A motion came before the Dáil last month to establish a Parliamentary Committee, with a view towards creating a National Autism Empowerment Strategy, which received unanimous support. 

“Ireland is still awaiting the delivery of an overdue National Autism Strategy which requires a framework that draws from evidence-based research in partnership with the autistic community,” Áine Roddy said.

Autism services deficiencies

The biggest issue is in speech and language therapy, where up to 88% of kids aged 2-4 are not getting the services they need, while serious deficiencies were also found in occupational therapy and social skills/group services.

Deficiencies in occupational therapy services were reported by 69% of children aged 5-12 in the previous year, while 61% of adolescents aged 13-18 have suffered a lack of social and group services.

The study highlighted that serious deficiencies in autism services are resulting in significant economic hardship for families.

Geographic inequalities in the level of service provided and an inadequate level of public funding were also pointed out as major problems.

The future National Autism Strategy will need to ensure that all children have access to the services they are entitled to under the Disability Act, with services tailored to how severe a child’s ASD.

Greater support is also needed for flexible employment and care giver leave to help families caring for children with ASD.

Rabbitte calls on Minister to halt deportation of much loved Athenry man

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily courts

Galway East TD Anne Rabbitte is calling for the Minister of Justice to urgently intervene and stop the deportation of a much loved Athenry man.

Lucivaldo Araujo Silva is facing deportation after living in Athenry for 12 years, where he lives with his partner and three children aged 12, 9, and 2 years old.

Mr Silva has been living and working in Ireland for the past 13 years, and all of their children were born here.

He is currently being held in Cloverhill Prison ahead of his scheduled deportation on Tuesday.

Deputy Rabbitte said she spoke with Minister Flanagan on Thursday, and wrote to him the following day asking him to halt the deportation on humanitarian grounds.

“This family is much loved in the area and their friends and neighbours are rallying around them to try and save this family,” Anne Rabbitte said.

Many local teachers, business owners, and friends of the family have reached out in support according to Rabbitte, who said this has been causing stress in the community and is having “a serious emotional impact on the family and their friends”.

“If Mr. Araujo Silva is deported, the family are very concerned what may then happen to them, with the threat of deportation also hanging over them.”

County Councillor Gabe Cronnelly said that it is a “real sad state of affairs when you start to deport people who contribute to society.”

“The Irish have been deported from many different countries and sad to say they are now doing it to their own.”

The family solicitors have contacted the Minister and are exploring what avenues are open to them.

But “the clock is counting down” Anne Rabbitte warned, with less than 48 hours before they run out of time to find relief.

“The family’s fear is palpable,” Deputy Rabbitte concluded.

Preschool for Bullaun village granted planning permission

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Planning permission for Bullaun preschool

Galway County Council has given approval for the construction of a new preschool for the village of Bullaun near Loughrea.

Planning permission has been granted for a prefab building to the rear of Bullaun Parochial House which will provide preschool and afterschool services.

The application states that it is intended to run an afterschool service together with the local school “as there is no space suitable in the grounds of Bullaun school for a building for this service”.

Bullaun Hall Committee gave their approval for a planning application to be made for a building on the grounds of the Parochial Hall instead.

“As Bullaun school hope to construct a new school in the future, once this is constructed the preschool and afterschool service will be part of the new school building,” the planning application states.

The development will also involve decommissioning and upgrading the site’s wastewater treatment system to accommodate the increased demand.

Last October the county council requested more information about the number of children and staff this service will have, as well as details about its parking provision.

The developer said that the preschool/afterschool service will accommodate 20 children and two staff members.

Parking will consist of two staff spaces and five drop off spaces by the roadside for parents leaving or collecting children.

Planning permission was granted for the preschool with 11 conditions based on this information.

Calls for walking and cycle lane to link city suburbs with Oranmore train station

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Oranmore active travel

A walking and cycle lane between Roscam and Oranmore train station would help bring together the suburbs and city centre.

That’s the view of Galway City Councillor Alan Cheevers, who is calling on the city council to develop such a walking and cycle lane.

The Fianna Fáil councillor said that Oranmore train station can provide a vital link for people in Doughiska, Roscam, and surrounding areas to the city centre, as well as other urban centres such as Dublin and Limerick.

“The Roscam and Doughiska areas have a population of 7,500 people and there is an extremely strong case to be made for both a cycle lane and walkway to the Oranmore station,” cllr Cheevers said.

He added that this was an issue people had raised with him on the doorstep during the general election, when Cheevers campaigned on behalf of his part colleague Ollie Crowe.

“A cycle path and walkway would make it accessible for commuters who use the service for work while school children who may be in schools in the city could also avail of the service.”

Funding for this should be sought from the Department of Transport, Tourism, and Sport as well as the NTA he suggested, adding that it should have the full support of the city and county councils.

“There are many advantages to this being implemented. In addition to the safety element for pedestrians and cyclists, the health benefits would be great,” Alan Cheevers said.

“The fundamental advantage of this facility being provided would be the alleviation of traffic congestion from this area into the city centre.”

€5 million city centre office development refused approval once again

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news €5 million city centre office development rejected again

A proposed €5 million office development in Galway city centre has been rejected again after taking its case to An Bord Pleanála.

Planning permission for the proposed office development, which has an estimated value of €5.2 million, was refused by Galway City Council last September.

The development by the O’Malley Group involved the demolition of an existing building known as the St. Clare’s Walk building on St Augustine Street and building a new seven storey office building its place.

The development would also have included a significant expansion of the Hynes Building, which houses Galway City Library on its ground floor.

The ground floor library itself would have been enlarged, and three new floors of office space would have been built on top of the existing building profile.

One objection was lodged against this development by MetLife Global Technology, who currently lease office space within the existing Hynes building.

MetLife said that they were never consulted on this project and claimed that it would have a serious impact on their premises and endanger their safe usage.

In appealing the city council’s decision, the O’Malley Group said that the existing St. Clare’s Walk building is “inefficient and not up to modern standard” and that the new building would have a positive impact on the city centre.

The council’s concern with the plot density of the proposed development was also brushed off, with the developer arguing that previous work on this site with a higher density had been approved.

Planning permission was refused again by An Bord Pleanála based on the proposed design of the building, in particular the heavy framed elements which project beyond the building line.

“It is considered that the proposed development would provide an overbearing expression onto the streetscape, would offers little relationship with the surrounding urban fabric and would detract from the character of the area.

The board also said that the proposed development was excessive in scale and have a “detrimental impact” on the “visual integrity of the streetscape”.

“The proposed development would, therefore, be contrary to the proper planning and unsustainable development of the area,” the decision concluded.

Multiple towns without water supply today due to burst mains

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway city news Water outages in Salthill due to burst mains today

Athenry, Clarinbridge and Kilcolgan towns are all without a water supply today due to a burst water main in Athenry.

Irish Water says that repairs are underway to restore full water supply following a serious mains break at Raheen, Athenry.

The burst mains has left Athenry Reservoir severely depleted, which has resulted in the water to these towns being cut off.

It’s estimated by Irish Water that it will take crews several hours to fix the mains and restore water levels to the reservoir.

Galway County Council has closed the road between Derrydonnell roundabout and Ennis Bridge in town while repairs are underway.

Repairs are also continuing today on fixing a severe issue on the Dublin road, where a faulty main has been causing water outages since yesterday, which will continue today as works resume.

More rain and snow expected as weather warning issued

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Weather warning for continued heavy rain in Galway

Galway isn’t likely to see a change conditions any time soon as a fresh weather warning has been issued for more rain and possible snow.

The status yellow weather warning warns of continuing rain through Sunday night and Monday morning will lead to accumulations of up to 25mm, possibly higher in upland areas.

“The rain is likely to be preceded by a period of snow in parts of Connacht, Ulster and north Leinster, before turning to rain later in the night,” Met Eireann said.

“As the ground is saturated at the moment and river levels are elevated the combined effect of rainfall and snow melt may lead to some localised surface and river flooding.”

The alert has been issued for 15 counties including all of Connacht, as well as Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Longford, Louth, Offaly, Westmeath, Meath, Clare and Tipperary.

It will come into force at 8pm on Sunday night and remain in place until 8am the following morning.

Galway has been experiencing showers today as a week of heavy wind and rain has continued unabated.

Two marine warnings are in place today, with winds off Galway’s coast expected to reach gale force 8 or strong gale force 9.

Rain is forecast to ease up in Galway this afternoon, but return again tonight continuing into the early hours of Sunday morning.

Moderate westerly winds will die down headed into the evening, and temperatures today are expected to average 7-8 degrees.

Man accused of intent to sexually exploit a child sent to trial

By
Briain Kelly
-
0

A man who has been accused of attempting to meet a child in order to sexually exploit them in 2018 has been sent forward for trial.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of attempting to meet a child, having previously communicated, with the intent to sexually exploit them at a location in Galway city on May 27, 2018.

He has been charged under section 7 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017.

Garda Ciaran Mac Carthy gave evidence of the service of the book of evidence at Galway District Court this week.

Judge Mary Fahy made and order sending the man to trial at the sitting of Galway Circuit Court for criminal business commencing April 21.

Free legal aid was granted to the accused for a solicitor and one junior counsel.

City Councillor calls for NUIG to revoke campus rent increase

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news City Councillor criticises NUIG rent increase

Galway City Councillor Eddie Hoare has criticised the decision by NUIG to impose a 4% rent increase on campus accommodation.

The recently announced rent increase will come into effect for the 2020/2021 academic year and will see rents in the newly developed Goldcrest Village increase to nearly €750 per month for a single room.

Councillor Hoare believes that the proposed increase sends out the wrong message to current and prospective students.

“Having attended the launch of NUI Galway’s Strategic Plan 2020-2025 I was pleased to see ‘affordable and sustainable on-campus accommodation for our students’ listed as a key priority within the plan.”

“In my opinion, this recent move directly contradicts this objective at the expense of students and their families”

An alumni of NUIG himself, Eddie Hoare said that he intends to contact the university President Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh to seek clarity on the rationale behind this decision, and to request that it be reversed.

NUIG put the rent increase down to both increased operating costs, and the need for significant investment in Corrib Village, now 30 years old.

However the Students Union at NUIG has also come out strongly against the university’s decision.

It accused the university of “exploiting” students and families who cannot afford the rents they are already paying.

An online petition started by the SU calling on NUIG to abandon the rent hike has so far attracted almost 1,400 signatures.

SU President Clare Austick said: “We meet students everyday who have to work two or more part-time jobs to stay in college, students who commute huge distances, students who can’t afford decent accommodation and students who aren’t in college who should be.”

“We are outraged that in the midst of an accommodation crisis the University is again looking to profit from the desperation of students looking for accommodation.”

Public consultation on Kilbannon road realignment scheme

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Kilbannon road realignment scheme public consultation

A public consultation will take place early next month for the planned road realignment scheme for the R332 Ballinrobe Road at Kilbannon.

Galway County Council is undertaking a road realignment from Duddy’s pub to the GAA pitch after calls from local residents for improvements.

The road has seen an increase in traffic as a result of more motorists accessing the new M17 motorway in Tuam

The public consultation will be held by the county council in Tuam on Monday, March 2 with the project’s consultants O’Connor Sutton Cronin to lay out the proposed improvements.

Galway East TD Seán Canney encouraged locals to come, saying that it will provide “an ideal opportunity for any members of the public interested in the scheme to find out more about it and raise any issues they may have.”

The project will involve widening the road and installing a walkway and cycle way from St Benin’s School to the GAA pitch.

Two new pedestrian crossings will also be installed, along with public lighting at the crossroads, a full drainage scheme including attenuation ponds, timber fencing and planting of new native hedgerows.

Funding was made available by the Department of Transport last year to begin the design, ground surveys and planning process for the scheme.

A further €500,000 in funding was recently announced by the Department for construction work.

Following the consultation event, an application for part 8 planning permission will be lodged.

Deputy Canney said that it’s anticipated that the tender process for the contractor will begin in mid-April with the procurement stage taking another six weeks.

Galway County Council expects the preferred contractor to commence work in late summer with a six to eight-month construction time frame.

Galway Hospitality Group makes eating out easy for people with communication difficulties

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily life & style Galway hospitality group communication friendly menus

A local hospitality group has introduced communication friendly menus at their cafés, restaurants, and coffee shops to make ordering an easier experience for people with communication difficulties.

The Tribe Hospitality Group, which operates 7 locations in the city have designed and launched a communication friendly menu at eateries like Saol Cafe, Mr Waffle and Ground and Co in Salthill.

The menus are designed to make simple tasks like ordering a coffee easier for anyone with communication difficulties.

Niamh Gallagher of Tribe Hospitality Group states quite simply, “The way we see it is, everyone has the right to order what they want.”

People with communication difficulties could be individuals recovering from a stroke, Down syndrome, stutters and many more communication difficulties. 

The menus were designed in partnership with the Communication Awareness Programme at NUIG, who have been working with Tribe since 2018.

They provide staff training once a year, and Tribe have also been working with Galway Autism Partnership on this project.

The Tribe Hospitality Group is made up of Mr Waffle, Ground + Co, Baby Ground + Co, Delight, Saol Café and The Galway Plate restaurant.

Tribe Hospitality Group employs 100 people in Galway and its eateries and cafes are a firm part of Galway life.

However, the success of this company is down to more than hospitality. The investment in all staff and a clear career progression plan has seen the company grow 70% in the last 3 years.  

In 2019 Tribe Hospitality Group achieved a quality mark signifying it meets the highest standards of service and trust, the All-Ireland Business All-Star accreditation.

1...712713714...1,068Page 713 of 1,068