Galway TD puts forward new idea to promote bilingualism

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July 18, 2019

abortion netflix declan ganley galway daily

Netflix might have lost more than 100,000 subscribers in the United States this quarter as a result of its attitude to abortion, Declan Ganley has said.

The Galway businessman took to Twitter to suggest that perhaps ‘pro-life people decided to live without Netflix’.

“100,000+ isn’t beyond the realms of possibility,” the entrepreneur said on Twitter earlier today.

Netflix lost more than 100,000 US subscribers this quarter. I’m pretty sure this is the first time its userbase has ever declined https://t.co/RGfqHp1fiG pic.twitter.com/5PX3Bx2K1G

— Rani Molla (@ranimolla) July 17, 2019

Ganley said that he personally knows ‘at least 20 people’ who have cancelled Netflix because of their opposition to abortion, and six weeks ago, Ganley took to the social media platform to say that he had cancelled his family account for this reason.

“Just cancelled [Netflix]. As a family, we were very regular users but when corporations become hyper politicized and pick sides as they have in the abortion debate, the side that’s been targeted can’t just ignore it,” he wrote.

Netflix has almost 160 million paid subscribers worldwide and there is no evidence to suggest that people have cancelled their subscriptions for any one reason.

Ganley was a vocal opponent of repealing the 8th Amendment during the referendum campaign last year.

Interesting. I wonder how many of those cancelled subscriptions were due to their weighing into put pressure on the State of Georgia over their ProLife laws? I personally know at least 20 people that said they cancelled for that reason. #CancelledNetflix #Netflix https://t.co/qdT5zBUr9v

— Declan Ganley (@declanganley) July 18, 2019

€5 billion to be invested in rural areas across Europe

By

Paul Kelly

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July 18, 2019

Rural areas across Europe will benefit from funding of almost €5 billion from the European Investment Bank.

Galway East TD Seán Canney welcomed the funding of €4.8 billion, which will go towards investment in rural areas, energy transition, transport and the private sector.

Among other things, the funding is set to be used for projects to enhance communications and strengthen private sector investment to fight climate change.

It is hoped that the funding secured from the EIB will accelerate the transition of clean energy.

Minister Seán Canney stated the funding sends a “strong signal throughout Europe about supporting rural communities”.

The Independent TD said he was delighted that the EIB is “taking the initiative on financing projects around climate action”.

He described climate change as “one of the most pressing issues of our time”.

Seán Canney said that the EIB intends to finance a range of climate action projects, including flood mitigation schemes across Europe.

Home break in attempt caught in the act by gardaí

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July 18, 2019

Galway Daily news four arrested over Galway City robbery

One man’s attempt to break in to a home went badly wrong when gardaí interrupted him trying to pick the front door with a screwdriver.

Alan McNeil (53) of Castlegreen Avenue, Cashel pleaded guilty to multiple charges connected to an attempted home break in and one public order offence for angry and abusive behaviour in Mill Street Garda station.

The court heard that on June 11 of this year, gardaí were on patrol when they received a report about a man attempting to gain entry to a house on Fr Griffin road.

When they arrived they found Mr McNeil attempting to break into a house with multiple implements such as boltcutters, a stanley knife, and screwdriver on his person.

CCTV taken from the scene also clearly showed him attempting to pick the lock on the door, though he was unsuccessful in that effort.

The judge asked “Is that because the tools didn’t work or because gardaí arrived?”, to which the prosecuting sergeant said it was “probably both”.

Mr McNeil’s solicitor Brian Gilmartin said that there was no damage to property as a result of this and that his client was fully cooperative with gardaí.

He added that Mr McNeil is currently homeless and suffers from poor heath.

He had somehow gotten the idea that the complainant had agreed to sell him a car the court heard, but the complainant had said that he’d never seen McNeil before.

Also before the District Court was an incident from June 24 of 2016 when McNeil was in the public office of Mill Street Garda station, “shouting and screaming” while extremely intoxicated.

He was arrested and charged with public order offences after refusing orders from the gardaí to leave the station.

Mr McNeil, who is originally from Galway but lived in the UK until recently, has 41 previous convictions going back to 1983.

Those include theft by housebreaking in Edinburgh and assaulting a Constable in London last year.

McNeil received one month in prison for attempting to gain entry to a building with a screwdriver, and one month consecutive sentences each for possession of a knife and possession of implements for use in a crime.

The judge also imposed a €50 fine for engaging in offensive conduct in a public place, and seven days in prison for failing to comply with the directions of gardaí, concurrent to the other sentences.

McNeil’s sentence was backdated to June 11 when he first entered custody.

The judge said at the end of sentencing that Mr McNeil showed a “total disregard for the gardaí”.

Urban Gaeltacht proposed for Nun’s Island

By

Paul Kelly

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July 18, 2019

Galway daily news Lohan calls for artists lofts and exhibition space in Nuns Island redevelopment

There is an ongoing proposal to create an Urban Gaeltacht in Nuns’ Island in order to cultivate a “thriving Irish language community” in the centre of Galway.

NUI Galway currently owns seven buildings in the vicinity which includes Fisheries Field and is working with the city council on developing a “masterplan” for a €200 million redevelopment of the urban quarter

The proposal calls for Galway’s Language Plan to be “implemented in earnest” with NUIG fulfilling its obligations to utilize public lands to promote and provide for Irish bilingualism.

Under the university’s language scheme it has a duty to teach through the medium of Irish, serve the Gaeltacht and Irish language community, and to create an expressly bilingual campus.

NUIG maintains that the Urban Gaeltacht is the way to meet this commitment by developing public lands with this express goal in mind.

This designated space would create Irish-speaking cluster inside the city where daily use of Irish would be at the same level as other Gaeltachts.

The proposed Urban Gaeltacht will seek to be home to a tech hub, literature museum, poetry house, bird sanctuary, Irish speaking schools (Gaelscoileanna) and Irish speaking apartments (Gaelárasán).

The proposal will call upon the City and University to deliver Gaelscoileanna education from primary through secondary.

Gaelárasán (Irish Speaking Apartments)

The long term ambition of the Urban Gaeltacht is to see a professional Irish speaking class in Galway City.

The proposal states that this ambition can be fulfilled through the provision of short-term leases, starting out at incentivization pricing.

It’s often complained that recent highly skilled graduates are not in a position to live in Galway city centre during their early years in the workforce due to price-out pressures.

The proposal aims to remedy this through the subsidization of rents which can be be tied to salary as wages increase over time until people can meet market prices.

Candidates for this scheme will be required to demonstrate professional training (technology sector especially) and Irish language tested fluency.

It is anticipated that rental payments can increase with salary while “non-achieving occupants” would be replaced with new applicants as leases expire.

Culture & Technology

The cultural contribution will seek to highlight Galway’s specific contribution to Irish literature with a new facility “to tell the story of writing Irish & English in Ireland”.

This Literature Museum would organise exhibitions, lunchtime theatre and readings along with a special room devoted to children’s literature.

It is hoped that the Galway Literature Museum would become an important cultural attraction for people who want to “discover, explore or simply enjoy Galway’s immense literary heritage”.

The Urban Gaeltacht will also look to facilitate a live-work community in Galway that accommodates candidates with key skills in Irish language & technology.

It is anticipated that skilled tech graduates and companies from the Irish language community will concentrate Irish entrepreneurs in an “informal network of buildings and offices to become a virtual campus of innovation within Galway”.

The tech hub would be constructed by facilitating and renovating the existing architecture of Nun’s Island which would cater to “innovative entrepreneurs” within the Irish language community.

Nuns Island Development

Plans to transform the underutilised Nuns Island have been ongoing since NUIG announced its intentions earlier this year.

Last week, Galway City Council was treated to a report consisting of different ideas for the development of the parcel of land.

The City council was informed that there has been an ongoing consultation with residents, property owners and the local diocese in the area.

Fianna Fáil Councillor John Connolly asked about the possibility of an Urban Gaeltacht being implemented, saying that there is a need for people to have a space to speak Irish in the city.

This was supported by Social Democrats councillor Owen Hanley

Brian Saunders of NUIG informed the chamber that a presentation had been received regarding an Urban Gaeltacht and they are working on having it placed online to be considered alongside other proposals.

The Nuns’ Island master plan is set to be published this year which will give a clearer idea on what might be done with the area.

Any kind of head impact is disastrous for the brain study finds

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July 18, 2019

Galway Daily NUIG research into brain impacts

There really is no safe way to take a massive blow to the head is the conclusion of a new study which found that taking a hit to the side of the head is just as damaging to the brain as a frontal impact.

A joint research team from NUI Galway and UCD has measured the effects of rotational acceleration (side impacts) on the head and brain such as those experienced in football headers, boxing hooks and side impacts.

They found that the damaging stretches and strains of the brain from such impacts were just a damaging as from whiplash or taking a blow head on.

Dr Valentina Balbi led the study from NUIG, with co-authors Professor Michel Destrade, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics at NUIG, and Dr Aisling Ní Annaidh and Dr Antonia Trotta from the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, UCD.

Large motion is the name given to the traumatic physical process the brain undergoes when it is accelerated violently by an impact, even something as innocuous as a football header the research would suggest.

When that happens the brain is subject to pressure, stretching, shearing and twisting which can impair neurons and lead to concussion, brain injury and even permanent damage.

Though much research has focused on the effects of frontal impacts, the fact is that traumatic car accidents and sports injuries are just as likely to feature side blows, which haven’t been as heavily examined.

In a frontal collision car accident, the head rotates forward and backward, commonly called whiplash.

Similarly, for many football headers, or for uppercuts in combat sports, these also involve rotations of the head about the vertical axis, or tilting from one side to the other.

Frontal impacts are expected to create large stresses and stretches in the direction of the impact.

This research shows that side impacts create pressure and forces that are just as strong in all directions, which could have grave implications for traumatic brain injury.

Mark Ganley is the CEO of Contego Sports, a company that manufactures the rugby headgear that is designed with protecting the brain in mind.

He said that they are “keenly aware” of the danger of head impacts and that “this research confirms my intuition that it is crucial to protect Rugby players from side impacts as well as from frontal impacts to the head.”

He added that “In my experience, they are just as likely to lead to concussion or mild traumatic brain injury.”

For this study the researchers at NUI Galway and UCD measured the twisting properties of brain matter using advanced torsion techniques.

They then fed the data into computer simulations of a rotational acceleration of the head, typical of a boxing punch.

Commenting on the findings, Dr Balbi, said “We found that large shear forces develop in the horizontal plane, as expected.”

“But we also found that a high-pressure level and large vertical forces also develop in the brain, especially in the frontal cortex, as a result of the twisting motion.”

The full study was published this week in the international scientific journal Soft Matter.

Indecent assault of a minor catches up with 70 year old man after decades

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July 17, 2019

Galway Daily courts Man sent to trial charged with pulling knife on Garda

A 70 man won’t face jail time for an indecent assault on a teenage girl back in the 1980s after his victim said she was more interested in protecting others and making him understand the seriousness of what he did, rather than pursuing a prison sentence.

Gerry Kelly of Beach Lawn, Ballinasloe pleaded guilty to one charge of indecent assault of a minor on a date between November 7, 1985 and January 6 of 1986 at Galway Circuit Court.

Kelly had initially denied the charges against him, but changed his plea to guilty just before his trial was to get underway in February after a jury had been selected.

He pleaded guilty to a single charge of indecent assault with multiple others withdrawn.

Garda Adrian Fehily gave evidence to the court that the woman, who was an underage teenager at the time, had very little boundaries in her home life and regularly attended nightclubs and was drinking.

It was through this that she came to know Kelly, who was 37 years old and working as a bouncer in Ballinasloe at the time.

Garda Fehily said that the two became friends over time.

Their relationship would later involve acts of indecent oral sexual abuse in his car at different locations.

The court heard that there was no coercion in the acts at the time, and that the victim thought that she was his girlfriend.

But years after she sees it differently and wants Kelly to understand the seriousness of what he did, though it was never about seeking out a prison sentence for her the Garda said.

She said that they had a relationship for a two to three year period, and that he would drive her to school and buy her gifts according to the court heard.

However the defence said that Kelly claims he only knew the victim for a period of months and denied ever buying her gifts.

According to Garda Fehily the guilty plea was of comfort to the woman, who had anxiety about having to appear in court.

Prosecutor Geri Silke said that the victim wished for Mr Kelly to be identified.

Speaking for the defence Paul Flannery SC said that Kelly has “deep feelings of shame, embarrassment, and regret” over his actions, and that it has put strain on his family life.

An apology from the defendant was read into the court where he said that he was “truly sorry” for the victim’s pain, and that it was never his intention to hurt her.

Kelly added that he hoped that he hoped his guilty plea would spare her any more pain.

Gardaí said that the woman, who did not wish to appear in court, was aware of the apology.

Judge Rory McCabe said that this has clearly had a severe impact on the woman whom Kelly “exploited for his own gratification”.

That she “trusted and confided” in him only makes the matter worse Judge McCabe said, adding that her charity towards him stands in stark contrast with his actions.

In mitigation Judge McCabe took into account the plea of guilty, though it “casts a shadow” that he only did so after a jury had already been empanelled.

While ordinarily this offence would immediately justify prison time, Judge McCabe said that he was “a little reluctantly persuaded” by the victim’s attitude towards Kelly to not go down that route.

Instead he imposed a three year sentence and suspended it in total for three years.

Kelly will also have to register as a Sex Offender.

HSE urged to fix ‘ridiculous situation’ with Tuam Primary Care Centre

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July 17, 2019

minister canney tuam primary care galway daily

The opening hours for Tuam Primary Care Centre are not fit for purpose and the HSE nationally needs to sort out the problem as a matter of urgency.

That’s the view of Galway East TD Sean Canney, who pointed out the ‘ridiculous situation whereby Tuam Primary Care Centre closes at Saturday lunchtime and does not open on Sundays’.

Minister Canney called on the HSE to renegotiate the contracts they have with the Primary Care Centre operators in order to rectify the situation without delay.

“Patients cannot be expected to time their medical needs to suit the facilities management of the centre. The Primary Care Centres were supposed to take pressure off the hospitals.

“This an even more acute problem in Galway East while we wait on plans for the new A and E at University Hospital Galway and the new 50-bed unit at Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, to come to fruition.

“The Primary Care Centre operators are dictating when centres open and close. Their operation should be patient-led,” said the Galway East TD.

Tuam Primary Care Centre opened for services in December 2017.

The 2,500sqm facility was part of a 14-project Public Private Partnership programme to provide Primary Care Centres around Ireland.

The Independent TD continued: “The HSE nationally, which signed the contracts, needs to get back in charge.

“It is not fair on the local HSE management who are having to deal with this situation.

“Too much public money has been invested in these centres. It is the public that should be determining when the centres open, not private companies.

“This affects Primary Care Centres nationally. The HSE should intervene to ensure that our services follow the needs of patients and not the administration of buildings.”

Moycullen wins prestigious international heritage award

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July 17, 2019

Galway Daily Moycullen wins prestigious heritage award

“Moving Memories; Migration in Community Archives” was the theme of the 13th Annual Community Archives and Heritage Group (CAHG) Conference, held this year at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

The highlight of the CAHG year is the prestigious awards ceremony showcasing work of community and heritage groups across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Moycullen Heritage were the proud inaugural winners of this year’s new category “Most Impactful Involvement in a Heritage Project by Young People”

The society was formed in 1995 and named in honour of Ruaidhrí Ui Fhlaitheartaigh, the 17th century Moycullen born historian and scholar of international renown.

Their ongoing work is about is about preserving and conserving Moycullen’s rich visual, written and aural history

The group’s “stand out achievement” for these awards was publishing the book ‘Ruaidhrí’s Story – how Moycullen got its name’, which the judging panel praised for fostering an awareness and appreciation among local schoolchildren of Ruaidhrí Uí Fhlaitheartaigh.

Last year was the centenary of Mr O’Flaherty’s death, making this project a particularly timely celebration.

The tri-lingual book in Irish, English, and Polish involved four local primary schools and members of the local Polish community, also serving the purpose of encouraging social inclusion

The judges said that they were “deeply impressed at such innovative and deliberate efforts to engage with wider communities and, particularly, in the way Moycullen Heritage engaged young people and schools and the model it has created that others may use.”

Together with Ms Lorna Elms (iCan and National Museum of Ireland Countrylife), Hazel Morrison of Moycullen Heritage co-presented a paper at the conference titled Bringing Home the Irish Diaspora: the Community Archive as Conduit, Connector and Catalyst at the conference.

Other categories that awards were hand out in “Gathering Heritage”, won by Colourful Heritage from Glasgow and “Community Engagement”, which went to Maker Memories of Cornwall who were also the overall winners.

Gort NS building moves one step closer with process to appoint design team

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July 17, 2019

Galway Daily news Planning extension grant for Craughwell National School expansion

The new Gort NS building has ‘moved a step closer’ with today’s confirmation by Minister Joe McHugh that a Design Team for the project will be appointed shortly.

That’s according to Galway East TD Ciaran Cannon, who said that because of how difficult it is for Gort NS to operate across two locations, he is in constant contact with his colleague Minister McHugh on the status of the project.

Minister Cannon said: “The Design Team will include Architect, Quantity Surveyor, Civil and Structural Engineer, Mechanical and Electrical Engineer and Project Supervisor for the Design Process and confirmation of the commencement of the appointment moves the creation of another state-of-the-art educational facility in South Galway a step closer to realisation.”

Wide range of local groups to benefit from Community Development grants

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July 17, 2019

Grants totalling €132,455 have been approved by the Galway City Local Community Development Committee.

A wide range of local groups and organisations in Galway City will benefit from the grants which come under the Community Enhancement Programme for 2019.

In total, funding has been approved for 29 projects that will enhance facilities in disadvantaged areas.

The funding approved by the Galway City LCDC ranges to support a number of small scale capital projects and larger capital projects, all aimed at addressing disadvantage and providing much needed funding to communities across Galway City.

All of the projects receiving funding relate to one or more of the key priority areas as identified in the Galway City Local Economic & Community Plan 2015 – 2021 and the delivery of these projects in 2019 will support the delivery of many of the collaborative actions which will be of great benefit to local communities in Galway City.

Groups to receive funding

	Name of Group / Organisation	Description	Grant Approved
CEP 5	Westside Craft Group	Purchase of equipment to facilitate the upskilling of the craft group	€600
CEP 6	Horses Connect	Purchase of IT and office equipment	€879
CEP 10	Our Lady’s Boys Club (OLBC)	Energy efficient works to replace old inefficient heaters with energy efficient ones	€2,500
CEP 12	Brothers Of Charity Services Galway (Woodlands Centre)	Purchase of sports equipment for the provision of an outdoor gym at the John Paul Centre, Ballybane	€8,938
CEP 13	Blue Teapot Theatre Company	Purchase of safety equipment for the wheelchair accessible bathroom – new grab rails and anti-slip flooring	€2,500
CEP 14	AIDS West	Purchase of IT and office equipment and energy efficiency works to the building	€5,956
CEP 16	Renmore Active Retirement Group	Purchase of sports equipment – bowling scoreboards	€600
CEP 18	Ballybane Rainbow Community Childcare Centre	Purchase of educational equipment to support children’s gross motor skills	€1,434
CEP 19	Galway Visually Impaired Activities Club (GVIAC)	Purchase of tandem bicycles and safety equipment to facilitate tandem cycles for blind and visually impaired members	€4,308
CEP 21	Croí na Gaillimhe	Energy efficient upgrade works to replace old inefficient radiators with new highly efficient ones to maximise energy saving	€11,333
CEP 22	Pernet Ltd.	Purchase of IT and office equipment	€3,265
CEP 28	Ballybane Taskforce	Purchase of outdoor seating to enhance open community spaces	€7,000
CEP31	Eastside Community Drama	Purchase of IT equipment and software for use by the community drama group	€3,180

A full list of groups and organisations can be found here.

CÚRAM signs exciting new agreement with Rutgers University, New Jersey

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July 17, 2019

CÚRAM has announced it has signed a formal agreement with Rutgers University, New Jersey to share expertise in medical device research.

The agreement between CÚRAM, the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Research in Medical Devices at NUI Galway, and Rutgers University will focus on developing multi-disciplinary collaborations involving research on medical device technologies.

It will also focus on the commercialisation of medical technologies, and business incubation and acceleration.

Speaking at the signing of the agreement, Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director at CÚRAM, said: “This event is a testimony to CÚRAM’s position as a global leader in the field of medical device research and we welcome the opportunity to share our expertise with our colleagues in New Jersey.

“We look forward to working with them further as they develop the HUB.”

Dr James Walsh, Senior Director for Innovation, Rutgers University, said: “On behalf of Chancellor Christopher J. Molloy and Provost Prabhas Moghe, we are very excited to launch this alliance with our friends and colleagues in Galway.

“We believe that together, we can build on the strong links between New Jersey and Ireland’s highly innovative indigenous and multinational MedTech companies.

“Rutgers’ extensive research capabilities, faculty expertise, and business incubation leadership offer the alliance a strong foundation.

“We look forward to building on this with our colleagues at NUI Galway and Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology.”

Irish Water launches water conservation campaign

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July 17, 2019

Galway city news Water outages in Salthill due to burst mains today

One year on from the worst drought to hit Ireland in decades Irish Water is launching a water conservation campaign urging people to only use what they need.

Last summer’s drought saw the first ever Water Conservation orders (hosepipe bans) issued in the history of the country.

The west of Ireland and the islands were particularly badly hit by the drought with months of restrictions in place.

Irish Water says that water conservation is essential due to the economic and environmental cost of providing safe clean drinking water and the need to safeguard the supply for the future.

Research conducted by B&A for Irish Water has revealed that 52% of the public acknowledge that they waste water and 25% of people believe that they don’t need to conserve water because of the level of rainfall in Ireland.

“In 2018 bad storms followed by the prolonged drought last year really showed people that safe, clean, treated water is not in unlimited supply and that we all have to play a part in conserving it,” Head of Asset Management Seán Laffey, said.

“It was really encouraging last summer to see on social media and elsewhere, the conservation measures that people were taking in their homes and businesses.”

“However, when the urgency of a drought passes, it is easy to lose focus on how precious water is.”

“This is despite the fact that the financial and environmental impact of treating and providing drinking water does not decrease as rainfall increases.”

Each day in Ireland, 1.7 billion litres of water is collected, treated and pumped around a vast network of pipes to homes, businesses, hospitals and farms.

With a growing population Irish Water has said that it is a serious challenge to ensure that it is drawing and treating enough water for homes and businesses while still protecting the environment.

One the biggest areas of loss in Ireland’s water supply is from endemic leaks in our aging infrastructure.

Irish Water has said that it is tackling a leakage rate of 43%, and through remediation works will be in track to save 166 million litres of water a day by 2021.

For people looking for ways to save water in their own lives, Irish Water is providing information on their conservation campaign site.

Galway conference company shortlisted for Event Industry Awards

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July 17, 2019

Galway Daily business Go West event industry awards — Photo Martina Regan

Go West, The Conference Management Company based in Galway have been nominated for Best Professional Conference Organiser at this years Event Industry Awards.

Launched in 2009, the Event Industry Awards celebrate excellence and showcase the very highest standards in Ireland’s event industry.

The gala awards ceremony which takes place this Friday 19th July in the Citywest Hotel, Dublin will be attended by hundreds of leading industry figures, and the past winners list includes a who’s who of Ireland’s event industry.

Established in 1995 by owners and directors Kerry O’Sullivan and Kathleen Mc Donagh, the Go West team have worked on hundreds of National and International conferences providing a full range of conference management services.

Over the past 24 years the Directors of Go West have been heavily involved in promoting Ireland as a tourist destination and a destination for International Meeting and Events.

The company currently employs a staff of six to provide clients with conference and event management solutions and support that save them resources and result in a better, more professional conference or event in Ireland.

Looking at how to do business better and more sustainable has been a huge area of development and growth for Go West.

Go West have created a Sustainable Event Checklist as the first step in their Sustainable Event Policy, intended as a simplified tool to assist Clients.

They are also working towards a Carbon Neutral Event, so in 2019 as dotMD expands its programme from one to two days of meetings. “We are working closely with organiser, Dr Ronan Kavanagh and Irish Doctors for the Environment to minimise the environmental impact of dotMD,” said Kerry O’Sullivan.

Go West is a member of the Association of Irish Professional Conference Organisers (AIPCO) and is one of a limited number of Companies approved by Fáilte Ireland as a Professional Conference Organiser.

Our in-house creative team will design a bespoke event proposal including venue, catering, decor and design, guest entertainment and more,” said Kerry.

“Our team can take care of all of the event arrangements from transport, event promotion, ticketing, design and theming, event production and on-site management.”

“Having a venue with a difference can make your event. We create events and Corporate Packages that will wow and ensure that lasting businesses relationships are forged with Galway.”

Speaking on their nomination Kathleen McDonagh commented, “In Go West, we manage all types of corporate events. “

“This shortlist and the recognition by our industry peers is a huge credit to all the hard work and planning of the Go West Team.”

“Working to promote the west of Ireland is something we love doing and each new year we have strived to continually ensure that each event and conference exceeds expectations.”

photo credit: Martina Regan

Headford Music Works to receive over €4,000 under music scheme

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July 17, 2019

Headford Music Works will receive €4,692 under the Music Capital Scheme 2019.

The Scheme provides support for the purchase of musical instruments and responds to a broad range of capital needs within the music sector in Ireland.

Galway East TD Ciaran Cannon welcomed the announcement of €245,440 allocated to non-professional performing groups and individual talented musicians across the country.

Minister Cannon said: “The initiative is funded through Minister Madigan’s Department and I’m especially pleased that among the recipients are Headford Music Works, with an allocation of €4,692, the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras, with an allocation of €2,017 and Foróige who receive €2,808.

“The Music Capital Scheme is designed to provide support for the purchase of musical instruments and to respond to a broad range of capital needs within the music sector in Ireland”.

Minister Cannon added: “It is vital that we support talented musical artists in getting access to proper musical instruments and I welcome the contribution it will make to the continued high standard of music that audiences in Galway enjoy”.

Ulster Bank staff and customers raise €7,600 for four local charities

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July 16, 2019

A total of €7,600 has been raised for four local charities by customers and staff at five Ulster Bank branches.

People in business centres and branches in Tuam, Athenry, the Tuam Road, Fairgreen and Eyre Square raised the money for Galway Hospice, Galway Autism Partnership, Hand in Hand and Tuam Cancer Care.

The bank’s charitable activities this year included a bucket collection for Galway Hospice, which raised €1,600.

As part of its annual fundraising campaign, known as ‘Do Good, Feel Good’, the bank will also donate an additional €1,500 to that charity, bringing the total to €3,100.

Following the bucket collection, staff organised a number of other events and activities for Galway Autism Partnership, Hand in Hand and Tuam Cancer Care, which raised a combined €2,250, with another €2,250 to be donated by Ulster Bank – making the total €4,500.

Those activities included a traditional tea party, complete with sandwiches, cakes and other treats.

Colleagues then grabbed their clubs and hit the greens for a round of crazy golf. Other events included a table quiz in Crowe’s Bar, with prizes generously donated by local businesses, a bucket collection on Eyre Square and an in-branch bake sale for those with a sweet tooth.

Mary Nash, Chief Executive of Galway Hospice said: “Thanks to generous donations from the likes of Ulster Bank, we can provide specialist palliative care to over 1,000 patients and their families living with a life-limiting illness in our Inpatient Unit in Renmore and through our Community Palliative Care across Galway City and County. From the bottom of our hearts, I want to say a massive thank you to everyone for their help and support over the years.”

Maureen Grealish, General Manager at Tuam Cancer Care said: “We are a voluntary organisation that offers psychological, emotional and practical support to people with a cancer diagnosis and their families, so every donation makes a difference.

“I want to thank Ulster Bank for its support, which will help us to ensure that the support services of the Centre continues to meet the cancer related needs of the people of Tuam and the surrounding areas.”

Aisling Colreavy from Galway Autism Partnership said: “We currently support 500 people around Galway city and county, providing support and information for families and autistic people and highlighting the services available locally to them.

“All of our activities are subject to resources – both money and people – so on behalf of our members, I want to thank Ulster Bank for its generous support.”

Jennifer Carpenter, Services Manager at Hand-in-Hand said: “We are delighted to have received this donation from Ulster Bank.

“Hand in Hand provides the families of children with cancer with much-needed practical and emotional support, meaning families find they have more precious time to spend with their children rather than trying to keep on top of household chores.

“As I’m sure you can imagine, this means that every euro we receive goes towards making someone’s life a little less stressful at what is quite possibly the most turbulent time imaginable.”

Local activists voice opposition to ‘soulless’ Wetherspoons in Galway

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July 16, 2019

galway daily news Nineteen Galway secondary schools taking part in underage drinking study

Today’s confirmation that JD Wetherspoon will complete the purchase of Carbon in August has been met with opposition.

People Before Profit representative Joe Loughnane voiced his opposition to the ‘soulless chain pub’, saying that ‘replacing a nightclub with a franchise pub is an incredibly regressive planning decision for Galway City’.

Cllr Owen Hanley also voiced his opposition to the news, saying the city centre needs decent mixed-use buildings for housing and recreation and a diverse, exciting nightlife, not ‘another pub’ or ‘Brexiters’.

Weatherspoons’ owner Tim Martin is a staunch supporter of a no-deal Brexit.

People Before profit say this latest blow to Galway’s cultural spaces is particularly stark given its arrival during the Arts Festival and with Galway 2020 on the horizon.

Planning decisions such as allowing a chain pub to replace one of the city’s few nightclubs are made by people with no direct experience of Galway’s nighttime economy, the party said.

Commenting on the news that the English pub company has bought Carbon, PBP’s Galway representative Joe Loughnane said: “This is the opposite of what should be happening in a European Capital of Culture.

“Kettama is just one example of a Galway DJ who got his start in Carbon and is now an international act who played at Glastonbury festival this summer.

“That is never going to happen with a Wetherspoons.”

The popular nightclub announced yesterday it will close its doors in August after nine years.

“We have thoroughly enjoyed nine prosperous years operating as one of Galway’s best-loved student nightclubs,” Carbon said in a statement.

Three rural first responder organisations to benefit from CLÁR funding

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July 16, 2019

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Three first responder organisations in Galway are set to benefit from new funding as part of the 2019 CLÁR Programme.

Eyrecourt and District Cardiac First Responders Group will receive €2,411, Killascobe Community Defibrillator Group will receive €5,202 and the Irish Red Cross in Leenane will get €2,477.

Over €567,000 in funding will be given to 30 first responder organisations in rural areas across the country.

The funding for the three Galway organisations will go towards buying defibrillators and cabinets, as well as manequins.

Speaking today, Minister Michael Ring said: “I am delighted to be in a position to announce further funding under the CLÁR programme of over €567,000 for 30 first responder groups in rural areas around the country who provide an excellent service often under very difficult circumstances.

“These community-based volunteer organisations perform life-saving work. They need to have proper vehicles and equipment to make sure that they can perform their work and that’s exactly what the funding I am announcing today will provide.

“This support will mean that if someone gets into difficulty, these groups will be better equipped to help them.”

NUI Galway student represents Ireland at major international journalism summit

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July 16, 2019

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NUI Galway student Róisín McManus is representing Ireland at a major international summit for young journalism students in London this week.

This is the second year that an NUI Galway Journalism student has been chosen for the Future News Worldwide Summit.

Third year BA with Journalism student, Róisín is one of two students selected from Ireland to be a delegate at the highly prestigious summit, hosted by Thomson Reuters in Canary Wharf in London.

She was chosen from more than 3,000 applicants to be one of just 100 delegates from 53 different countries globally at the event.

The Future News Worldwide summit is a three-day intensive media training programme where students take part in workshops, lectures and discussion groups with world-leading editors, broadcasters, writers and reporters, and see how publishers around the world are using technology.

It is a partnership programme between the British Council and some of the world’s leading media organisations and technology companies including Google, Facebook and Reuters.

From Bawnboy in Cavan, Róisín said she was delighted to be chosen to attend the event: “I am so grateful to have been chosen for FNW19 in London.

“I’m excited to hear all the speakers talks over the next couple of days, to meet people from over 50 countries worldwide, and I’m proud to be representing Ireland doing so.”

Tom Felle, Head of Journalism and Communication at NUI Galway, said: “This is a tremendous honour for Róisín and NUI Galway is very proud that one of our students has been chosen to be a delegate.

“Future News Worldwide brings together the cream of the crop in terms of journalists of the future.

“They get to meet with and share ideas, listen to industry leaders talk about the importance of journalism in democracy worldwide, and are introduced to digital skills training.

“Following the conference Róisín will be part of a year-round global alumni network, helping her and other delegates to engage with one another, implement their learning and continue their professional development.”

Young journalism students from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, across the US, Europe and South America are attending the event.

Carbon Nightclub set to become latest Wetherspoons in Ireland

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July 16, 2019