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Emergency pavement repairs to disrupt Turloughmore traffic

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Traffic disruption expected from Galway City centre roadworks

Emergency pavement repairs will disrupt traffic in Turloughmore while taking place this week.

Galway County Council is carrying out pavement repairs on the R354 through Turloughmore village which will disrupt traffic on Friday, October 4.

Traffic management measures will be in place while works are taking place.

20,000 sandbags being deployed in the city for Storm Lorenzo

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news 20,000 sandbags being deployed in the city

Almost 20,000 sandbags are being deployed in Galway city today with flooding expected on the waterfront tonight from Storm Lorenzo.

With the assistance of the defence forces the city council has converted 130 tonnes of sand into almost 10,000 sandbags which are being added to an existing stock for a total of just under 20,000.

These are available for people to collect from three locations in the city today: Claddagh Hall, the Mutton Island Treatment Centre, and the former tourist office in Salthill next to the Atlantaquarium.

The worst of Storm Lorenzo is expected to hit Galway this evening and tonight with a status orange weather warning coming into effect at 6pm this evening and remaining in place until 6am on Friday.

A number of roads along the waterfront where overtopping and flooding is expected are being closed from 5pm this evening; Salthill, and the Seapoint Promenade from Grattan Road to Blackrock.

The city council roads section is monitoring the weather situation and further road closures may be ordered throughout the day as needed.

Seapoint and Toft Park car parks are also closed the inflatable flood barrier has been deployed at the Spanish Arch.

The city council has also decided to close Roshill road in Roscam as a precautionary measure due to a large number of trees in the area.

“In early October, trees are mostly in full leaf with a large surface area, so even moderate strength winds can bring down weakened trees and/or tree limbs,” the council said when announcing precautionary measures.

While Met Eireann today decided to extend the status orange weather warning by three hours until 6am on Friday, by and large Storm Lorenzo is expected to pass quickly overnight.

image: Facebook/Galway City Council

Staggering jump in patients on trolleys at UHG in September

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news 67 people on trolleys at UHG

September was the worst month so far this year for hospital overcrowding with 884 people on trolleys in UHG alone.

This is a colossal jump in number both from last month and year on year. August saw 655 patients without a bed at UHG, and September 2018 only had 609.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation released figures this week showing that there were 10,641 patients without a bed in public hospitals last month, before the winter season has even begun.

The worst affected was University Hospital Limerick, as always, with 1,405 patients on trolleys, followed by Cork UH (936), UHG (884), UH Waterford (707), and Mater Misericordiae (639).

Back in Galway there were 84 people on trolleys in Portiuncula Hospital last month, down from 114 for the same period last year and the lowest September figure since 2015.

It’s also 45 people less than were left without a bed at the Ballinasloe hospital in August.

According to the INMO’s Trolley/Ward Watch there are 42 patients on trolleys at UHG today, with one more at Portiuncula.

“These are simply astonishing figures,” said INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha, adding “especially outside of winter.”

“It’s placing a massive strain on our members on the frontline and is seriously worsening patient care.”

“We have now seen 80 consecutive days where the trolley figures are higher than 2018 – often by as much as 50%. This is equivalent to the bed capacity of Beaumont Hospital fifteen times over.”

“This is beyond unsustainable. At the root of the problem is capacity. We need more hospital beds and more nurses and midwives to staff them. The HSE’s disastrous recruitment pause simply has to go.”

“Ireland needs to reform its health service and Sláintecare is the clear path forward. But it needs to be more than reports and press conferences. It takes real investment and a shift towards primary care.”

Aran Islands lifeboat performs medical evacuation in Storm Lorenzo

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Safety warnings issued ahead of Storms Dudley and Eunice

The Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat carried out a medical evacuation from Inis Meain today as the seas began to turn in the early stages of Storm Lorenzo.

The volunteer lifeboat crew were called out at 9:51am today by the Coast Guard after a woman on Inis Meain sustained an injury in a fall and needed hospitalisation.

The lifeboat launched from its station at Kilronan on Inis Mór and made its way directly to Inis Meain under Coxswain John O’Donnell.

Weather conditions at the time of launching were described as having rough seas with a 3.5m swell rising, and a south easterly force 8 wind blowing.

“The conditions at sea this morning were really challenging but despite Storm Lorenzo, our willing and able volunteer crew members selflessly didn’t hesitate to answer the call and ensure the patient was looked after until she was safely transferred to the ambulance in Rossaveal,”  John O’Donnell said.

“As Storm Lorenzo continues, we would remind everybody to take note of the weather forecast and Stay Back – Stay Dry – Stay High,” Mr O’Donnell added.

“If you see someone in difficulty or are concerned about somebody’s whereabouts on or near the water use VHF channel 16 or dial 112, and ask for the Coast Guard.”

 

image: RNLI/Aran Islands

Storm Lorenzo: status orange weather warning extended

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Storm Lorenzo orange warning extended

A Status Orange weather warning covering Galway and four other counties for the worst of Storm Lorenzo has been extended further into Friday.

Met Eireann issued an orange alert for Galway, Mayo, Clare, Kerry and Limerick warning of winds reaching 130km/hr in gusts on Wednesday ahead of Storm Lorenzo making landfall.

It comes into effect at 6pm this evening and was originally to expire at 3am on Friday morning, but the national forecaster has now extended its duration until 6am tomorrow.

Two other wind and rain weather warnings covering all of Ireland are also in place today, with more than 50mm of rainfall expected to accumulate in the west of Ireland.

Galway City Council has enacted a number of safety measures today as flooding from rain and overtopping caused by storm surges is expected.

Sandbags are available for filling at Claddagh Hall, Mutton Island, and the former tourist office next to the Atlantaquarium.

Salthill and Seapoint promenade will be closed from 5pm onwards and the inflatable flood barrier has been erected at the Spanish Arch.

People are being urged not to travel this evening, but if they must then to be wary of fallen trees, branches, and other blown

Galway GAA “disappointed” by Supermac’s questions

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily sport Senior Football Club Championship livestreaming details

Galway GAA has said that it is disappointed in the statement released by Supermac’s this week asking for a breakdown of how its sponsorship money is spent.

Supermac’s has sponsored the Galway GAA county teams to the tune of almost €1.6 million since 2015, a period that also saw significant financial mismanagement by the county board.

Two audits were carried out on Galway’s finances which found irregularities in the lodging of gate monies, huge costs run up on the credit card, and massive ticket debt owed to Croke Park.

Supermac’s requested a full accounting of how its sponsorship money is spent this week, asking “have the players and management benefitted or has the county board benefited?”

The people who voluntarily give over their time to promote and administrate games and the welfare of players deserve as much, it added.

Galway GAA released a statement in response which said that it has spent €7.4 million preparing the county football and hurling teams in the past five years, including investment in training facilities.

Regarding the financial mismanagement highlighted by the Mazars audit, the county board pointed to the appointment of a new Finance and Operations Manager who started work last month.

An Audit Committee with representation from Galway, Connacht, and Croke Park has also been set up.

County Chairperson Pat Kearney said that Supermac’s has made a valued contribution to the county’s success in the past five seasons, and that he looks forward to being able to discuss this with Pat McDonagh directly.

The full statement reads:

 

Galway GAA is disappointed with the statement, released by long-serving county sponsor, Supermacs, last night, relating to the sponsorship of our county teams.

The Galway County Committee acknowledges the long-standing, generous support of Pat McDonagh and Supermacs to Galway GAA, which has been beneficial to both parties.

Galway GAA are happy to confirm that sponsorship, contributed by Supermacs, went towards the preparation of all our inter-county teams in both codes.   For purposes of clarity, the board would like to point out that in excess of €7.4m has been spent by Galway GAA in the preparation of the football and hurling teams, to the highest standards, over the course of the last five seasons, Supermacs Sponsorship has made a valued contribution to this overall cost.

Our teams have been involved in All-Ireland semi-finals and finals in that period, ensuring long and high-profile campaigns, over the course of the summers in question.

In addition to team preparation costs, there has also been significant capital expenditure on training facilities.

Galway GAA has overseen a review of its financial operation in recent months, with the assistance of the GAA at Central Level.  We are currently implementing the findings of the 2018 Mazars Report, which highlighted previous governance deficiencies in Galway GAA.  This has been overseen by a representative from Croke Park, and ensures that the highest standards of financial and accounting practices are now in place.   As a consequence, we have appointed a new Finance and Operations Manager, who commenced employment last month.   In addition to this, an Audit Committee with Galway, Connacht and Croke Park representation is in place to independently monitor corporate governance practices in Galway GAA. 

We look forward to having the opportunity to discuss these matters with Pat McDonagh directly.

Galway GAA will be making no further comment.

Le dea-ghuí,
Pat Kearney
County Chairperson, Galway GAA

Portiuncula University Hospital celebrates national breastfeeding week

By
Michael Malone
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galway daily portiuncla national breastfeeding
National Breastfeeding week 2019 was celebrated in Portiuncula hospital on Tuesday 1st Oct. We were delighted to welcome our guest speaker Maria Casey. Staff from maternity (midwives, doctors, social worker, laboratory and clerical staff) attended a talk by Maria who is a Breastfeeding counselor, and the author of the Mammy Diaries, which gives an in-depth insight into pregnancy and motherhood in modern Ireland based on almost three years’ worth of interviews with Irish mothers. Maria’s talk was inspirational, crediting the midwives in Portiuncula with all the hard work they do to support women to breastfeed their babies. The talk highlighted the important daily work that staff engage in to support, promote and protect breastfeeding. She stressed the importance of maintaining community links to support women when they go home. Maria passionately promotes the importance of skin to skin contact for all women and changing culture around breastfeeding. The staff enjoyed the refreshments provided including the beautiful National Breastfeeding cake made by the catering department. Promotional material provided by mychild.ie was given to all that attended and supported the message that ‘every breastfeed counts’.

Portiuncula University Hospital celebrated National Breastfeeding Week this week by welcoming author Maria Casey to the hospital to talk about the importance of supporting and promoting breastfeeding.

Maria is also a Breastfeeding Counsellor and author of ‘The Mammy Diaries’ which gives an in-depth insight into pregnancy and motherhood in modern Ireland based on almost three years’ worth of interviews with Irish mothers.

Maria passionately promotes the importance of skin to skin contact for all women and changing the culture around breastfeeding.

Director of Midwifery at Portiuncula University Hospital, Deirdre Naughton said: “The theme of this year’s National Breastfeeding Week is ‘Every Breastfeed Makes a Difference’.

“All our Midwives are trained to promote and support breastfeeding and work very hard to support women to breastfeed their babies in hospital and to help them find community links for additional support when they go home.

“We were delighted to welcome Maria to the hospital to talk to us.

“For anyone who is looking for further information, the mychild.ie website is a go-to resource for all breastfeeding mothers and mothers-to-be and their families.

“The new site includes extensive breastfeeding information, videos and guides as well as the ‘Ask our Breastfeeding Expert’ service – plus all the wider pregnancy and child health information from the HSE.”

Women sports stars more likely to get abuse on social media

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily sport Female sports stars more likely to get social media abuse

High level sports stars who are women are more likely to be the subject of social media abuse and harassment than their male counterparts.

That was the message delivered by representatives of multiple Irish sporting bodies to the Oireachtas Communications Committee about social media use surrounding their games, players and athletes.

Chair of the Committee and Galway West TD Hildegarde Naughton invited former Leinster and Harlequins rugby player Simon Keogh of Rugby Players Ireland, Rachael McGuire of Sport Ireland along with former Dublin footballer Paul Flynn and Westmeath footballer Jennifer Rogers of the Gaelic Players Association to share their experiences and concerns surrounding social media.

The invitation came on the back of ongoing reports of serious harassment and bullying of sports players and coaches

“The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the forthcoming Government legislation providing for a Digital Safety Commissioner and how it can combat the level of online abuse that has negatively impacted on sports, at all levels, in Ireland,” Deputy Naughton said.

A Digital Safety Commissioner is one of the measure currently contained within legislation to regulate social media being drafted.

The Commissioner would have enforcement powers which would include being able to order online content deemed harmful taken down.

Critics of the upcoming legislation have argued that it infringes on freedom of expression, and warned against an overly restrictive definition of “harmful” expression online.

Being the subject of harassment by “keyboard warriors” can have an extremely negative impact on people’s physical and mental well being Hildegarde Naughton added, with women more likely to be targeted than men.

“It is extremely concerning that people who give pleasure to thousands and thousands every week up and down the country are subjected to such vile abuse.”

“In many cases, these players or athletes are participating in team or individual sports at their own financial cost.”

“It was a very productive discussion covering a wide range of issues faced by sports persons while engaging with social media.”

“It is reflective of a wider problem of social media being used to bully and harass people in their everyday lives,” Deputy Naughton said.

The Fine Gael TD said that the sporting organisations have agreed to work with the Committee on supporting the legislation while balancing the right to freedom of expression.

Galway’s Gourmet Offensive crowned best Vegetarian Takeaway in Ireland

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily life & style Takeaway Awards Gourmet Offensive
Flo Wagemakers and all the staff from The Gourmet Offensive © Anita Murphy July 2019

Galway’s much loved falafel joint the Gourmet Offensive has been named the best Vegetarian Takeaway in Ireland at the inaugural Irish Takeaway Awards.

The Irish Takeaway Awards organised by YesChef magazine were held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Athlone last weekend with over 250 guests from around the country.

The Gourmet Offensive started trading at the St Nicholas’ Market in 2005 with the falafel stall, and expanded to trade nationally at many of Ireland’s largest music festivals like Electric Picnic.

On 23rd November 2015 they moved to their fixed home at 11 Mary Street, of course still bringing their plant-based magic to the Galway market every Saturday.

Floris Wagemakers, known around town as Flo or Mr Falafel, founded his restaurant on the concept of quick and tasty vegetarian food made with locally sourced ingredients.

In the future he plans to take this sustainability and the locally sourced guarantee to the next level by reestablishing their farm to supply the restaurant and market stall with fresh, organic veggies.

Their latest voyage into homemade food has been to create their own tofu from scratch, as Flo felt that what was available to buy simply wasn’t up to scratch.

They now also make their own soya milk and excellent veganaise, as well as finding many interesting uses for okara, a by-product of soya milk production.

Awards like this are always a positive for our business, we see how people are eating now and our takeaway business is such an important part of what we do, this award really is a brilliant accolade for us all here and of course our customers,” said Floris about the Takeaway Awards victory.

Food sourcing is paramount at The Gourmet Offensive, with all of their chickpeas and pulses sourced organically to ensure the highest standards.

Salads are sourced locally from various small farms and they pride themselves in providing a healthy, plant-based meal that does not cost the earth in more ways than one.

Host Shane Smith said “Food to Go is the fastest growing sector in the food service industry, where, how and what we eat is changing at lightning speed.”

“The experiences that the Irish consumer and visitors to our wonderful island seek is that of high quality, well cooked food, delivered by friendly and knowledgeable staff.”

Galway closing roads and handing out sandbags for Storm Lorenzo

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Storm Bram road closures

Galway City Council has announced a range of precautionary measures being taken to safeguard against flooding and other issues as Storm Lorenzo approaches.

The city council weather response team met all afternoon after Met Eireann issued a Status Orange weather warning for the west and multiple other weather warnings before Storm Lorenzo hits on Thursday.

The Status Orange warning for heavy wind in Galway will be in effect from 6pm on Thursday until 3am on Friday.

Constant winds of 80km/hr are expected with gusts of up to 130km/hr, possibly higher in coastal regions.

Heavy rainfall of more than 50mm has also been forecast for the west which, combined with high winds, means there is likely to be flooding in coastal areas.

The city council is also advising people to be aware of fallen trees. “In early October, trees are mostly in full leaf with a large surface area, so even moderate strength winds can bring down weakened trees and/or tree limbs.

“In addition, some trees may be compromised due to saturated soils at the moment, and with more rain forecast with Storm Lorenzo some disruption due to falling trees/branches is likely.”

A number of roads around Salthill where flooding is expected from heavy rain and storm surges will be closed on Thursday for the duration of the Orange weather warning.

Both Salthill, and the Seapoint Promenade (from Grattan Road to Blackrock) will be closed  from 5:00pm Thursday and further road closures may be announced as the situation develops.

Seapoint and Toft Park car parks will also be closed from 1.00pm Thursday and all vehicle owners are urged to move their vehicles.

A tow truck will be on hand to remove any vehicles still present once the warning comes into force. People moving their cars should avoid leaving them at the waterfront.

Sandbags can also be collected from now for people who feel that their homes or businesses are at risk of flooding from three locations: Claddagh Hall, Mutton Island Treatment Centre, the former tourist office adjacent to the Atlantaquarium.

People who collect sandbags are being advised by the city council to hold onto them after Storm Lorenzo for the duration of the winter season.

A flood barrier has also been erected at the Spanish Arch for the duration of the storm.

The city council is working with emergency service providers to ensure that emergency accommodation is provided at locations including Fairgreen & Osterley Lodge.

The COPE Galway Day Centre will remain open all day Thursday and operate throughout the night.  Their contact number is 086 8355063.

Business owners and homeowners are advised to check their own drains and secure any loose objects within their property in advance of the warning taking effect.

People are advised to stay indoors for the duration of the storm warning, and if you must travel, exercise extreme caution.

Renowned travel magazine names Galway in top 10 world holiday destinations for 2020

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily tourism Galway named one of the Top 10 cities in the world by renowned travel magazine

The prestigious travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler has named Galway as one of the top ten holiday destinations in the world in 2020.

Galway has gone from strength to strength with its tourist offerings in recent years, with the world sitting up and taking notice of the endless growth of the arts, culture, and a food renaissance that make it such a great place for a holiday.

Galway takes its place proudly on Conde Nast’s list of places that world travelers simply must visit alongside the the romance and lights of Paris, the blend of past and future in Kyoto, and the rugged wilderness of Kangaroo Island in Australia.

The travel magazine highlights the incredible cultural offerings that Galway has on offer, in particular the European Capital of Culture next year, mentioning the glut of art projects and events that have been trial running this year.

“But the best is yet to come in 2020, with some terrific events being rolled out across Galway’s pubs, hubs and beaches, including new artworks by David Best (of Burning Man fame) and a series of intimate readings of Homer’s Odyssey (using Emily Wilson’s English translation, the first by a woman) on Galway’s blustery beaches.”

While the arts have always been a massive draw for visitors to Galway, and culture is having its day, the city of the Tribes and the west coast have also become a massive foodie destination.

2018 saw Galway named as the European Region of Gastronomy, a challenge that was picked up by many businesses and now Galway’s “glut of traditional pubs” are known for serving great food as well as great pint.

If you’re looking for something a bit more upscale to chow down, Condé Nast encourages people who find themselves in the city to splash out on JP McMahon’s Loam or Aniar restaurants, Galway’s Michelin star dining spots.

“Galway is home to the world’s longest-running oyster festival (65 years of shucking so far), which also sees the World Oyster Opening Championships whip up competitive fervour among shellfish enthusiasts,” Conde Nast added.

Galway’s isn’t just an incredible destination in and of itself, it’s also the hub of the Wild Atlantic Way and the perfect place from which to explore out to the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, or take a trip out to the Aran Islands.

To see more about just what makes Galway such an incredible tourist destination or to see where else in the world you might like to spend some time on a holiday then check out the full list at Condé Nast Traveler.

City Council warns of falling trees and overtopping as Lorenzo approaches

By
Michael Malone
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Galway Daily weather Overcast skies forecast for Bank Holiday Weekend weather

Galway City Council has said there is a risk of overtopping and falling trees when Storm Lorenzo hits Ireland tomorrow night.

The City Council’s Senior Management Team, including Heads of Department and key line managers, met today as well as its Severe Weather team.

Contingency arrangements will be outlined in detail later today, which will include arrangements for the deployment and collection of sandbags, potential road closures, car park closures and public advisories.

A Status Orange weather warning was issued by Met Eireann today for Galway and five other counties which will come into effect tomorrow (Thursday) at 6pm.

Follow Galway Daily on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date.

Galway researchers create tracking tool to ease fears about shellfish

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Galway researchers create shellfish tracing tool

A consortium of researchers from GMIT and NUI Galway are making people more comfortable and safer with shellfish with the world’s first tool to trace it to its source.

Lead scientist in creating this shellfish tracking tool, Dr Conor Graham of GMIT, says “In recent years consumers have become more food conscious seeking traceability of produce and while such tools exist for agriculture”.

However he added that “until now no scientifically based system existed to trace both farmed and wild shellfish produce to their source.”

“The aquaculture of shellfish such as mussels and oysters and the wild fisheries for scallops, razorfish and clams is a multi-million industry in Ireland supporting thousands of jobs in rural maritime communities around our coasts.”

“This research aimed to create the world’s first bivalve shellfish scientifically based traceability tool for Irish produce to promote this ecologically sustainable food”.

This unique tool used trace elemental fingerprinting of shellfish soft tissues and shells to identify the harvest location of blue mussels and scallops with 100% success, including mussels reared from two sites located just 6km apart within the one bay.

Not only was the fingerprinting tool able to tell where scallops came from, but it harvesting events just six weeks apart, both with 100% success.

Trace elemental fingerprinting is kind of like genetic analysis, but instead of looking at variations in genes to create a unique genetic analysis it examines how large numbers of trace elements contained naturally within the flesh and shells of shellfish vary uniquely according to growing sites.

Although these shellfish primarily have shells made of calcium carbonate, as they grow they also incorporate trace amounts of other elements.

What elements and how much of them is determined by what is in their environment as they grow.

“In the context of an ever-expanding human population, we are increasingly relying on seafood as a source of proteins and other essential nutrients,” said Dr Liam Morrison of NUI Galway.

“Shellfish from wild populations and aquaculture account for a significant portion of overall global production and this research collaboration was aimed at obtaining data to support policy on seafood safety, health and environmental protection.”

The research was very recently published in two scientific papers in the international peer-reviewed journal, Science of the Total Environment which can be read here and here.

Rescued dog that needed amputation seeks new home

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Briain Kelly
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A rescued dog who needed his leg amputated after being found on the street hasn’t let it dampen his spirits and is looking for a happy new home.

Galway County Council’s dog warden found the dog, now named Georgie, by the side of the road at Tribaun, Belclare last week after getting reports of a hurt animal.

Georgie unfortunately had to have part of his leg amputated, but the resilient boy has bounced back nicely on his three good legs remaining.

In an update to their post last week the county council said that Georgie is with MADRA looking for a new home and is “looking forward to the next chapter”.

“Galway County Council would like to give a special thanks to Cian Lynch and all the team at the Pet Health Centre in Tuam for their care and assistance in helping Georgie through his recuperation over the last number of days”.

“We would also like to thank MADRA for taking Georgie into their care and who will be putting out a foster appeal for him.”

For more information on fostering or adopting a dog from MADRA go to www.madra.ie/rehoming/adoptions or email admin@madra.ie.

Gort housing plans rejected by the council

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Green light for new apartment complex in Rahoon

A planning application made to the county council for a housing development in the centre of Gort has been rejected.

O’Grady Construction sought planning permission from the county council for the construction of five townhouses on a plot at Church Street in Gort.

The county council refused planning permission for this development for not “adequately reinforcing the existing urban form of Gort, contributing to a sense of place, or perpetuating existing or creating new connected streets thereby assimilating its edge of centre setting”.

The proposed layout of the housing fails to integrate with other nearby development and would be contrary to the sustainable growth of the town centre, the council added.

A second reason given for refusing planning permission said that the scale of the proposed project is larger than what is acceptable for this site.

As such it would provide “a substandard level of residential amenity for residents of the proposed development”.

Public consultation on N17 realignment scheme

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news N17 realignment public consultation

A public consultation on the proposed N17 Milltown to Gortnagunned road realignment scheme will take place later this month.

Galway County Council are holding a public consultation event on the N17 realignment plans in Milltown Community Centre on October 15 from 4pm to 8pm.

Staff from the county council’s National Road Project Office will be present to provide information on the project.

This is the second such event the count council has held on this project after a another public consultation took place in Milltown last December.

Status Orange alert for Galway as Storm Lorenzo barrels down on Ireland

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news status orange weather warning for Storm Lorenzo

Met Eireann has issued a Status Orange Weather Warning for storm force winds in Galway and five other counties ahead of Storm Lorenzo.

More yellow weather warning for heavy rainfall have been issued for the entirety of Ireland as Storm Lorenzo is expected to bring flooding and storm surges on Thursday night.

The Orange wind warning issued by Met Eireann covers Galway, Mayo, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick and will be in effect from 6pm on Thursday evening to 3am on Friday morning.

It warns that “Southwesterly winds veering westerly will reach mean speeds 65 to 80km/hr with gusts generally of 100 to 130km/h, higher in coastal regions.”

People in Galway, particularly those living in coastal areas, are advised that storm surges are expected which will cause coastal flooding and damage.

A Status Yellow wind warning has also been issued for all of Ireland forecasting of wind speeds of 50-65km/hr and gusts reaching 100km/hr.

This covers all counties including Galway. It comes into effect before the Orange alert at 9am on Thursday, and will remain in place afterwards until 6am on Friday.

Intense rainfall is also expected throughout Thursday across the country, with a status yellow weather warning predicting in excess of 50mm in the west and northwest.

This rainfall warning comes into effect at 9am tomorrow and will remain in place until 9am on Friday.

A spokesperson for Met Eireannsaid that “The effects of Storm Lorenzo will begin to be felt across Ireland from midday Thursday, peaking late Thursday evening and Thursday night, easing Friday morning.”

The National Emergency Coordination Group are meeting at 10:30am today to discuss the latest update from the Met Eireann and discuss what actions might need to be taken.

The government has said that decisions on whether or not to close schools will be made locally.

Storm Lorenzo is tracking to be the strongest to hit Ireland since Storm Ophelia which shut down the country for almost two days in 2017, blocked roads with uprooted trees, and left 300,000 without power at its worst.

Supermac’s demand accounting of €1.6 million in Galway GAA sponsorship

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily sport County senior hurling final replay - All you need to know

Supermac’s is demanding that Galway GAA provide it with a detailed accounting of €1.6 million in sponsorship money has been spent in the past five years.

Since 2015 Supermac’s has given €1,258,256 in direct payments to Galway GAA, and a further €341,170 in ancilliary sponsorship.

A statement from Pat McDonagh’s fast food chain said that they are looking for a breakdown of where their sponsorship money goes after questions from the

“Supermac’s would like to seek clarification from the Galway County Board as to how this money was spent.”

“Specifically, have the players and management benefitted or has the county board benefited?”

Galway GAA has come under fire for its accounting practices in recent years with two separate audits, one by the county board, and an external one by Mazars, found highly irregular financial practices.

The most recent audit showed €45,000 in expenses racked up on the Galway GAA credit card in 2016, as well as long delays in lodging gate money in the bank, and a ticket debt of €440,000 owed to Croke Park.

Supermac’s said that both of those investigations and their findings should be made available to the public immediately.

“The vast majority of the Galway GAA public and mentors, who give their time voluntarily for the promotion and administration of our games and the welfare of our players, deserve no less.”

Met Eireann issues ‘Weather Advisory’ as Storm Lorenzo heads towards Ireland

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Storm Lorenzo orange warning extended

Met Eireann has issued a ‘Weather Advisory’ covering all of Ireland ahead of the strong likelihood that Storm Lorenzo will cause severe weather this week.

It’s currently expected that Storm Lorenzo will bring severe winds and rain as it hits or passes close to Ireland on Thursday and Friday.

A weather advisory is something Met Eireann says is meant to provide early information about hazardous conditions that are headed our way.

“There is a high probability that Storm Lorenzo will track close to or over Ireland later on Thursday and early Friday, giving high seas, severe winds and heavy rain,” the advisory says.

It will be in effect from just after midnight on Wednesday until midnight on Friday, October 4.

Storm Lorenzo is currently the strongest ever hurricane recorded this far north and east in the Atlantic, with winds of over 170km/hr asit moves over the Azores region in the mid Atlantic.

However it is expected to lose its hurricane status and get downgraded to an extra-tropical storm as it hits colder waters moving further north.

Currently it is expected that Storm Lorenzo will cease to be a hurricane while it is still 1,000km from Ireland. In comparison, Storm Ophelia was not downgraded until it was 500km off the coast.

More specific weather warning will be issued by Met Eireann on Wednesday morning as Lorezo’s path becomes clearer.

Portumna to Ballinasloe road clear again after oil spill

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news road open after oil spill

The R355 Portumna to Ballinasloe road is clear for traffic again this evening after an oil spill earlier today.

Galway County Council reported that there had been an oil spill on the R355 between Ballinasloe and Laurencetown at around 10:20 this morning.

Council staff were on site clearing the road for most of the day and motorists were advised to use extreme caution.

In the past 90 minutes the county council has updated its earlier warning to say that the spill has been treated and that the road is now open again.

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