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GMIT awarded €2.2 million for free Springboard upskilling courses

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Briain Kelly
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Galway daily news Free GMIT food entrepreneurship course course returns

GMIT has been awarded €2.2m from the Higher Education Authority to deliver 14 new Springboard training courses from next September.

Springboard is an initiative that offers free or subsidised upskilling courses for people who have been unemployed or or are seeking to improve their prospects in modern industries.

The programme focuses on four key areas: digital skills, soft skills, management and leadership and the workplace of the future.

GMIT has roughly 500 places open for 14 courses across its Galway and Mayo campuses, with the Galway courses focusing on “the skills of the future”.

In Galway the School of Science & Computing offers the online L8 Higher Diploma in Science (Data Analytics) and the classroom-based L8 Quality for the Medical Device Industry.

The School of Business offers three online courses, the L8 Certificate in Business Analytics, L8 Certificate in Business of Blockchain, and L7 Certificate in Family Enterprise;

And the Galway International Hotel School offers two classroom-based programmes, the L7 Bachelor of Arts in Culinary Arts and L6 Certificate in Culinary Skills.

“Our team of academics have responded to the needs of industry in designing a menu of innovative programmes,” said Dónal Loftus, Director of Graduate and Professional Development at GMIT Galway.

He added that GMIT’s “collaboration with local, national and international industries ensures that our offerings provide our students with the skills they need to succeed in the workplace.”

Seven more courses are being offered at the IT’s Mayo campus.

An open evening about all Springboard courses will take place in GMIT’s Dublin Road (Galway) campus on Wednesday, June 19 from 6pm to 8.30pm.

In addition, the Mayo campus will also host a separate open evening in Castlebar on Thursday September 12, 5pm to 8pm.

Springboard courses are free to almost everyone in employment or unemployment, and many in education.

The only people who pay are those in a Level 7 to 9 higher education course, with 90% of the cost subsidised by the state.

Nationally over 9,000 free or subsidised places are available on 285 upskilling and reskilling courses, with and emphasis on the digital economy.

According to the government 90 percent of people who were on the Live Register before taking a Springboard course are now in employment.

NUIG launches two cutting edge medical devices research labs

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Four Galway-based healthcare projects awarded over €19 million

NUI Galway has launched two state of the art research labs to advance the creation and manufacturing of medical devices.

The Pilot Line for Bio-microsystems Development and the Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory will push NUIG’s capabilities in biomedical research and prototype manufacturing for medical devices.

The two labs are being supported by funding from Science Foundation Ireland.

The Pilot Line facility is the first manufacturing testbed of its kind anywhere in the world and will be used to bring laboratory concepts to pilot production quicker than ever.

The testbed will be used to evaluate advanced manufacturing of two types of biomedical product concepts – smart medical devices and tissue-engineered organs on a chip device.

Smart medical devices leverage new technologies with diagnostic and therapeutic functions like a woundcare device that can asses the status of a wound an administer a drug accordingly.

The testbed can also create artificial tissue that mimic human organs, something that is important in evaluating new medical therapies.

Dr Gerard O’Connor at the School of Physics in NUIG is leading this laboratory, which was set up in partnership with UK manufacturing system integrator *M-Solv Ltd.

He said that being able to integrate new technologies into medical devices “will be transformative – changing the way we connect with, and use, future healthcare products.”

The Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory at the College of Engineering features a suite of state of the art 3D printing technologies.

Led by Dr Noel Garrison it will advance research and testing of sustainable technologies and materials.

With NUIG’s first metal based 3D printer in-house prototyping and experimental manufacturing.

Last month the lab received a licence to manufacture cementless orthopaedic medical devices for the Galway medtech startup Loci Orthopaedics.

Dr Garrison said that many industries are now looking for graduates with experience in 3D printing, and this lab will be an excellent resource for students.

Professor Mark Ferguson, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland said that the two labs will “support researchers by ensuring there are superb technologies and supports in place for them, ultimately facilitating excellent and impactful scientific research.”

Multi-million upgrade underway on “victorian” city sewer network

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news €2 million being invested in upgrading antiquated city sewer network

Galway city centre’s ancient and failing sewer network is getting a €2 million upgrade to address many issues.

According to Irish Water the “Victorian” sewer network in parts of Galway city is one of the oldest and most antiquated in the country.

That age has brought with it a litany of issues including odour complaints, frequent blockages, and flooding in buildings.

Work has begun the installation of a new lining inside the existing sewers on Shop Street, William Street, High Street, Cross Street and St. Augustine Street.

It comes after extensive work removing over 330 tonnes of grit, fats, oils, greases from the old sewer.

This €2 million Sewer Rehabilitation Project is a partnership between Irish Water and Galway city council.

Eunan Canavan regional lead with Irish Water said this is an important project for Galway city which will result in a “much improved sewer network in the city center”.

He said that the improved sewer network will address the “flooding and odour issues which have been prevalent in the past.”

“We will be keeping residents and businesses updated in advance of works commencing through letter drop and we will be available to answer queries at any stage during the project.”

In order to reduce the impact of this work on businesses and shoppers, work will be carried out at night time on Shop Street with day-time works to take place on St. Augustine Street.

All works are due to be completed by October 2019.

Irish Water are also replacing a number of sections of collapsed sewer along Middle Street which are causing the sewer to block up.

To facilitate this Middle Street will be closed from 7am on Monday, June 17 until 7pm on Thursday, June 20.

Expansion of Claregalway quarry rejected after overwhelming opposition

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Planning approval sought to reopen quarry near Tuam

Plans to expand the operation of a quarry at Ardgaineen, Claregalway have been rejected by the county council after massive public opposition.

Harrington Concrete & Quarry sought a 25 year planning permission to extract rock from the 4.35 hectare site down to a dept of 5m using using explosives.

The extracted material would be transported to a nearby crushing and screening plant.

An Environmental Impact Assessment report prepared by the developer was submitted with this application which said that project could have no effect on Lough Corrib, the largest nearby body of water that could be at risk of pollution.

The application by Harrington stated that landscaping and restoration works would be carried out on the site and for all associated facilities.

In total the county council received almost 80 submissions about this project, the vast majority of which were opposed to any expansion of the quarry.

Residents were concerned about health and safety issues arising from the dust produced by the quarry, as well as the traffic hazard posed to children walking to school in the area.

One objection by a resident of Kilchill, Claregalway says that the added dust pollution from the quarry would be a health hazard to her son who is receiving treatment for leukemia.

The Corradrum District and Residents Association contended that the quarry is an unauthorised development and that current extraction activities there have been happening without proper planning permission.

They organised a public meeting in September to discuss the plans which was attended by roughly 50 people from the area, as well as local councillors Mary Hoade, Peter Roche, and James Charity.

According to Association the prevailing mood at the meeting was that “The local community in attendance would like to stop all further development at Harrington’s quarry.”

“It’s time for the intrusion to stop so that we can have our community back to live in peace and safety.”

Local residents also expressed deep fears that the blasting from the quarry is already causing structural damage to nearby homes, which this development would only make worse.

On October 8 of last year the county council made a request for further information from the developer which was answered on April 16.

The council said that a Road Safety Audit must be carried out and that the developer must provide more information about the potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures.

The Corradrum District and Residents Association said that their objections to the project are “fundamental to the nature and location of the development” and could not be resolved by amendments or further information.

In rejecting permission the count council said that the local roads infrastructure couldn’t handle a development of this scale.

The council also said that it is “not satisfied based on submissions received that the proposed development would not endanger the health and safety of persons occupying or adjoining the site”.

A lack of information on the threat this project could pose to the local Peregrine Falcon and identified sites of archaeological interest were also cited in the rejection.

Galway Simon Community in more demand than ever after 40 years

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Galway Simon 40th anniversary

Demand for the services of the Galway Simon Community tackling homelessness is greater than ever on the group’s 40th anniversary.

In 2018 Galway Simon supported 550 local households through their accommodation and homelessness prevention services.

This is a larger number than any seen in the organisation’s history since being founded in 1979.

Launching the group’s 2018 report, Galway Simon marked the occasion by inviting founding member Mary McPartlan and local historian Tom Kenny to take a look back over their 40 years of work in Galway.

Mary McPartlan, well-known local singer and educator, gave an insight into what it was to be involved with the Simon Community around the time it was founded.

In the early days, she said, the Simon Community was deeply involved in caring for homeless men in Galway.

People who had found themselves on the streets through alcohol problems or “through coming from broken homes, through becoming homeless in London and coming back to Galway”.

“We’re all totally aware of the horror, 35 years later, of homelessness and the health services but back then we were outraged that there weren’t special services for homeless people at that time.”

“The Simon Community in Galway, to me, became the conscience of the people”, she said.

Tom Kenny said that one of the biggest changes that has taken place in the past 40 years is the perception people have of the homeless.

He talks about how homeless people back then were thought of as  ‘Vagabonds’, ‘alcoholics’, ‘down and outs’ and ‘skid row people’ and other judgmental terms.

Tom’s research into the organisation, including personal accounts from those involved over the years, will be formed into a publication as the charity marks its 40th anniversary and will acknowledge the work of the local community in helping to combat homelessness.

Speaking at the launch of the report at the Mick Lally Theatre CEO of Galway Simon Karen Golden talked about how the number of people using their services has jumped from 91 at the end of 2014 to over five hundred in December 2018.

She said that while there figures are “chilling” they don’t take into account the number of rough sleepers, couch surfers and others who are involuntarily sharing.

Karen emphasised that the vast majority of people supported by Galway Simon Community are not included in the national emergency accommodation figures.

“We have found it very challenging to work with some of our clients in the last couple of years because in the past, it was easier for us to help people to find a way out of homelessness when there was more accommodation available for them to move onto. ”

“Unfortunately, because of the housing crisis, that is no longer the case and it is now extremely difficult to move individuals and families out of homelessness”.

She acknowledged that progress is being made, but said that the slow pace of new social housing coming on stream is contributing to the homelessness crisis.

Council rejects application to retain Pearse Stadium signs

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Planning appeal over 91 houses & apartments in Athenry

An application by the Galway County Board to retain four independent advertising signs at Pearse Stadium has been rejected.

Galway GAA sought retention permission from the city council for several signs which were erected at the Eastern Terrace End of Pearse Stadium late last year.

The signs were put up in August of last year and a complaint was made to the council by the local residents shortly afterwards.

Residents of Rockbarton Road, Rockabarton Green, and Reveagh Road made a joint objection to the city council against this application.

The objectors said that the signs were put up without permission and are against conditions laid down by the council restricting the size and positioning of signage at Pearse Stadium.

The signs as they are have a negative visual impact on locals residents according to the objection, overshadowing neighbouring houses during the evening.

“The purpose of these signs from the applicants point of view is to gain commercially through sale of advertising,” they said.

“This can be achieved by placing the signs elsewhere within the stadium grounds in a position not visible from the Rockbarton Road/Dr Manix Road or elsewhere outside the stadium.

The city council ultimately rejected the County Board’s application to keep the signs up.

 

Therapy Dog ‘Cody’ starts his rounds at Portiuncula University Hospital

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily life & style Therapy Dog Cody makes his debut at Portiuncula Hospital

The newest staff member at Portiuncula University Hospital, therapy dog Cody, is proving a big hit with patients.

Cody is a 6 year old Golden Retriever who comes through the doors of Portiuncula Hospital once a week to act as a therapy dog proving a calming and comforting influence for patients in the ICU.

“A patient in ICU faces a potentially scary and dread-filled environment,” said Charlotte Carter, Clinical Nurse Manager.

“The isolation and loneliness of not being able to interact with their own natural support system, family and friends can have a huge impact on their physical and psychological status.”

She said that the hospital thought that bringing in a therapy dog would act benefit the body and mind of patients and create a more “humanised” environment at the ICU.

Cody recently made his first appearance at the ICU to meet staff and patients and lap of everyone’s attention.

“He is such a welcome visitor, bringing with him so much warmth,” said Charlotte Carter, “You can stand back and simply watch as the positive energy fills the room.”

Cody will be coming by Portiuncula Hospital for one hour every Thursday to visit everyone at the ICU.

His owner and handler Gary Mullin said that he found Cody abandoned by the side of the road at five weeks old.

“From that moment he has continued to bring so much joy into my life and into the life of others. He has such a unique way with people, they just gravitate towards him.”

“I felt there was an opportunity to share the impact that Cody has on me with more people through becoming a volunteer of the Irish Therapy Dogs who have been having a fantastic impact throughout Ireland for many years.”

After they passed the application process and became registered, Portiuncula reached out to the organisation seeking a therapy dog.

Brenda Rickard, CEO of Irish Therapy Dogs said that the “whole atmosphere in a room changes” when a volunteer walks in with their dog.

“And it’s the dog that does it. If you think about it, dogs are probably the best therapists in the world because people feel they can be themselves.”

She added that problems don’t go away, but “people can forget them for a while” when they’re rubbing a dog.

While he’s on the job and in the wards Cody knows that hygiene is essential and clean paws are a priority.  After a busy day he heads home for a well-earned rest and perhaps a little treat or two.

Ceremony marks 100 year anniversary of the first transatlantic flight

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Briain Kelly
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Galway daily news ceremony marks 100 year anniversary of first transatlantic flight

A ceremony was held in Clifden this morning to mark the 100th anniversary of the first transatlantic flight.

John Alcock and Arthur Whitten-Brown made the first non stop transatlantic flight in history in 1919, setting off from Newfoundland, Canada on June 14 and dropping out of the sky at Derrigimlagh Bog on the morning of June 15.

A ceremony was held this morning at the memorial marking the exact spot of their landing at 8:40am, the same time as they touched down after more than 16 hours in the air.

A.J.H. Alcock, Group Captain with the RAF and nephew of John Alcock, addressed the crowd at the memorial and said he was humbled by the number of people who had come out to mark the event.

The centenary festival marking this milestone in aviation history is taking place in Clifden from June 11 – 16.

A play commemorating their voyage Those Magnificent Men is being performed at the Station House Hotel in Clifden both this evening and Sunday.

Described as a “nail-biting, side-splitting true story of this daredevil flight”, Those Magnificent Men is written by award winning duo Brian Mitchell & Joseph Nixon and produced by The Foundry Group.

This morning also saw a number of planes take part in a fly over of Clifden and a joint landing at Cleggan airstrip.

A street parade commemorating the transatlantic flight will take place in Clifden this afternoon from 3:30pm to 4:30pm.

An Post have commission a memorial stamp and an Alcock and Brown commemorative coin has been minted.

The famed statue of the two men which normally sits at Heathrow has been loaned to Clifden for the duration of the festival.

Best of all, Clifden’s Bridewell Brewery has made two special edition craft beers in honour of the pilot and navigator.

More events will be taking place over the weekend for this festival which can be seen at the Alcock and Brown 100 programme here.

Traffic lockdown plans for Salthill during Connacht finals

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily sport Galway v Armagh: All-Ireland Final on the Big Screen in Pearse Stadium

Gardaí will be enforcing a traffic management plan in Salthill tomorrow for the junior and senior Connacht football finals.

A traffic cordon will be in place around Pearse Stadium from midday as large numbers of people are expected to crowd Galway for the two matches.

Galway are playing Mayo and Roscommon in the Junion and Senior Football Finals with the throw in at 1pm and 4pm on Sunday.

Pearse Stadium is opening at 12pm and from that point on vehicular access in the surrounding streets will be restricted to local residents and permit holders until 7pm.

Barriers will be in place on either end of Dr Mannix Road, at Rockbarton Road, at Dalysfort Road and on Rosary Lane.

There will be no through traffic on any of these routes between the times indicated.

Galway GAA are advising anyone coming to either of the matches on Sunday to arrive early in order to avoid congestion.

Car parking is available at St. Mary’s College on St. Mary’s Road and at St. Enda’s College on Threadneedle Road.

The 401 Bus from Eyre Square to Salthill will operate every 20 minutes throughout the day and extra services will run to Salthill serving a stop less than 10 minutes walk from Pearse Stadium.

Only buses that depart Salthill at or before 18:00 will guarantee connection with the 19:25 train to Oranmore, Athenry, Attymon, Woodlawn, Ballinasloe, Athlone, Roscommon and Castlerea.

Normal Bus Eireann city service fares will apply on the route.  Outside of 13:00 to 19:00, the normal scheduled route will operate on 401.

New Athenry dog park gets the go ahead

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Planning approval granted for Athenry dog park

Approval has been given for the construction of new dog park in Athenry for the joy of our canine friends.

The Athenry Dog Park Committee is planning to build a place where dogs and their owners can socialise and play on a 0.52 hectare site at Knockaunglass field on the Esker Road in Athenry.

The dog park will be divided into three separate, contained areas: One are specifically for small dogs, one unrestricted area for dogs of all sizes, and a socialisation area.

The Committee was granted the use of this site by the Athenry Community Council to create an area “where dogs can socialise, exercise, and play as well as provide an area where dog owners can socialise”.

Each of the three areas will include equipment such as tyres, planks, tubes and other items to stimulate the dogs at play.

For the owners, the design includes two shelters where people can sit out of the rain and still keep an eye on their dogs.

The park will be surrounded with a 1.8m high chain link fence, with each of the separate areas for the dogs also fenced in.

Access will be controlled by an entrance gate with a keypad lock, the access code for which will be distributed to dog owners by the developer through their website and social media.

Parking would be achieved through an existing 20 space car park adjacent to the site.

The Athenry Tidy Towns Committee have been enthusiastic in their support for the dog park, saying that it would help keep the area clean.

The committee also said in a letter of support that they are planting plant trees around the boundary of the Knockaunglass site and will continue to do so.

One submission was made to the county council concerning this development by Athenry Boys’ School, situated adjacent to the site of the dog park.

The school noted that there are currently no warning signs or lights along the road indicating that there is a school ahead.

It was also noted that there is no footpath on the road and “our school assigns a staff member to assist the pupils to cross the road prior to and after school”.

“We feel that to allow a further development that will attract additional traffic in such proximity to the school without addressing the dangerous nature of the road and the lack of a footpath may be premature”.

Concerns were also expressed about how the dogs would react to the large volume of noise generated from the school during lunch times.

Galway County Council granted planning approval with four conditions attached, including that no floodlights are allowed at the park without further planning permission.

Three days of roadworks to disrupt traffic near Loughrea

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Galway allocated over €42 million for local and regional roads

Traffic to the south of Loughrea will be affected by three days of roadworks getting under way next week.

Galway County Council is carry out resurfacing overlay roadworks on the R351 at Kylebrack, Loughrea.

Work will get underway on 7am on Monday and is expected to take three days to complete.

“In order to facilitate these works a Stop/Go temporary traffic management system will be in operation on the section of the R351 in question between the hours of 7.00 a.m. & 7.00 p.m,” the county council said.

“As a consequence users of this road are requested to expect delays and as such should allow additional time for their journeys.”

The contract for these works has been awarded to Lagan Asphalt Ltd.

NUIG scientists join revolutionary space mission studying gravitational waves

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news NUIG scientists join space study of gravitational waves

A group of scientists from NUIG have been chosen by the European Space Agency to be part of a space based study of gravitational waves.

The group from NUIG’s School of Physics will be studying massive stars rotating each other, or black holes spiralling into each other, to try and detect gravitational waves.

This study is taking place as part of the space mission LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna).

The European Space Agency is planning on launching three revolutionary spacecraft in 2034 to make up the first space-based gravitational wave observatory.

Gravitational Waves

Gravitational Waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime caused by colossal masses travelling at incredible speeds.

They were first detected in 2015 by the LIGO array (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) based in the US by observing two black holes merge.

However ground based arrays like this are always going to be impacted by vibrational interference thrown off by everything from earth tremors to distant trucks.

Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA)

The European LISA mission will place three spacecraft 2.5 million kilometres apart in a triangular formation, following the earth in its orbit around the sun.

The three spacecraft will be connect to one another by lasers and will try to detect the presence of gravitational waves by minute changes in their distance caused by the ripples in creation.

The size of the changes is 1 ‘pico-meter’, which is 100 times smaller than an atom.

Dr Nicholas Devaney and Dr Fiona Kenny, School of Physics, NUI Galway with their successful prototype Active Optics system, photo: Conor McBrierty

Measures changes this small requires advanced optical techniques, and for that the ESA has turned to scientists from the Applied Optics group at NUIG.

They will be working to find out if it is feasible to measure changes so precisely.

It’s hoped that without earth bound interference, the LISA array will be able to detect gravitational waves more clearly and from a wider variety of sources, opening up new realms of astronomy.

Dr Nicholas Devaney and Dr Fiona Kenny are writing software to precisely calculate the transmission of light between the LISA spacecrafts.

They said that it is a “fantastic opportunity for Irish scientists to be involved in this exciting mission.”

“It recognises the expertise of NUI Galway scientists in the field of space optics and we plan to build on this work to expand Galway activities in this area.”

Their work will include the optical design of the telescopes and determine the effect of errors in the telescope optics, something that is vital to that array’s design and the success of the mission.

 

Banner Image Credit: ESA

Weekend weather – sunny spells bookended by showers

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily weather Sunny spells bookened by showers this weekend

Met Eireann is forecasting the weather to see-saw this weekend with sunny spells on Saturday in between showers tonight and Sunday.

The weather will mellow headed into tonight with showers becoming more scattered, though Met Eireann have said there is a chance of the odd isolated thunderburst.

Lowest temperatures tonight of 5 to 8 degrees, in light to moderate variable winds.

Skies will clear headed into tomorrow for a mostly sunny day with some cloud cover, though some showers will persist, mainly in the west of Galway.

Highest temperatures tomorrow of 13 to 15 degrees with moderate variable winds.

Met Eireann is forecasting that the weather will break for the worse on Sunday, with sun giving way to cloudier skies.

Scattered showers will persist throughout the county becoming heavy at times in the mid afternoon and early evening.

Highest temperatures on Sunday of 12 to 14 degrees celsius and lows of 7 to 9 degrees.

Galway childcare providers awarded €600,000

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Planning permission for Bullaun preschool

Early Learning and School Age Childcare providers in Galway have been awarded almost €600,000 in grant funding announced this week.

Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone said that €6.25 million is being invested in creating new places for 0-3 year olds, new school age childcare places, and essential fire safety improvements for community-owned services.

In Galway 19 separate organisations were awarded a total of €564,871 in grant funding, with Pobal in the process of notifying successful applicants.

The Early Learning and School Age Capital funding for 2019 will be made available to childcare centres, crèches and other childcare facilities across three strands.

Strand A covers creating new places for 0 – 3 year olds at Early Learning and Care services, Stand B is for fire safety improvements at Early Learning and Care services, and Strand C funding goes towards creating new places for School Age children in childcare services.

Minister Zappone said that €6.25 million announced this week will contribute towards creating 3,600 new places for children up to the age of 15.

One of the notable groups included in the Strand A funding is Mountbellew Childcare Centre which applied for a Pobal grant for a desperately needed expansion.

It’s been reported that demand is so high that the 50 places open at the Centre are booked up in advance with children who haven’t even been born yet.

The centre applied for a €70,000 Pobal grant. The Early Learning and School Age Capital Scheme is providing €50,000 under Strand A, leaving a €20,000 shortfall to be addressed.

Galway East TD Sean Canney welcomed this news saying that “Working parents are under enough pressure without having to worry about a lack of available places.”

“It is also great news for the successful groups who engaged in a highly competitive application and appraisal process.”

The full list of successful applicants for funding in Galway is:

Strand A Total – €330394

  • Aoife O Driscoll Limited – €48,267
  • Ionad Cúram Leanaí An Spidéil Cuideachta Faoi Theorainn Ráthaíochta – €50,000
  • Once Upon a Time… Childcare Limited – €21,826
  • Edel Hyland – €50,000
  • Ballinderry Childcare Creche Limited – €49,998
  • Mountbellew Community Childcare Centre – €50,000
  • Comhar Naionra Na Gaeltachta Cuideachta Faoi Theorainn Ráthaíochta – €40,576
  • Mary Margaret Gilligan – €19,727

No groups in Galway were awarded grants under Strand B covering fire and safety improvements for Early Learning and Care Groups.

Strand C Total – €234477

  • Michelle Cannon – €20,000
  • Sarah Grogan – €17,643
  • Aoife O Driscoll Limited – €20,000
  • Samantha Geaghan – €20,000
  • Oranmore Childcare Limited – €11,000
  • Edel Hyland – €20,000
  • The Cortoon/Lavally Community Development Company – €20,000
  • Oranmore Childcare Limited – €20,000
  • Valerie Byrnes, Noeleen Smith, Emma Hammond – €20,000
  • Denise Rabbitte – €10,215
  • Beoga Preschool Limited – €15,739
  • Scoil Bhride Menlo National School – €19,880
  • Lawrencetown Community Development Group – €20,000

Young people encouraged to unleash their creativity at Cruinniú na nÓg this weekend

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Briain Kelly
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Galway daily life & style Young people getting creative at Cruinniú na nÓg

Young people in Galway city are being encouraged to fire up their imaginations and take part in some of the many creative activities on for Cruinniú na nÓg this Saturday.

Cruinniú na nÓg is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme’s Creative Youth plan to enable the creative potential of children and young people.

Now in its second year, Cruinniú na nÓg celebrates and encourages participation by children and young people in creative activities in their local neighbourhoods and communities.

Activities on in Galway this year include everything from fantastic wall art and murals, circus performances, live music performances, puppet making to coding and robotics.

With a strong emphasis on participation, activities are specially designed to spark an interest and encourage the inner creative in children to try something new or fulfil a secret ambition.

All events are free and activity based with opportunities for young people to get involved in ‘doing’, ‘making’, ‘creating’ and trying new things.

This one day festival is led by the local Creative Galway Team in the City Council, with support from Youth Work Ireland Galway, local artists, arts organisations, creative practitioners, and libraries.

Speaking at the programme launch Cllr Niall McNelis, then Mayor of Galway, said that he was particularly pleased that all events are free to encourage as many people as possible to take part.

“I would encourage everyone to check out what is happening in your local area and to avail of the opportunity to make this year’s Cruinniú na nÓg the spark that ignites your child’s imagination and adventures in creativity.”

“There are opportunities for participation and self-expression through creative activity. This is very important for our youth and we encourage parents to get involved also.”

Highlights of this year’s festival on Saturday include:

  • Get Your Circus On! – Workshop event by the Galway Community Circus in Ballinfoile, Castlegar Neighbourhood Centre from 9:30 am – 12pm for kids to try out circus skills.
  • Drama Workshops – Galway based Morgan Theatre will facilitate drama workshops with children aged 7+. Children will learn the art of theatre and drama. 11am – 12 pm Westside Library.
  • Coding & Robotics – Corrib Kids coding will facilitate coding workshops for children aged 6-12. Children will engage with technology and learn basic coding. 10.20 – 12 noon & 2.30 – 4pm in Westside Library.
  • Clár Techspace will also host a BlaiseTeic/Tech Taster session for children over the age of 13, where they can try out a choice of two STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) workshops through the medium of Irish. 10am – 1pm & 2pm – 4pm Áras na n Gael, Dominick Street.
  • Livefeed, a Galway 2020 project for young people (aged 13-18) interested in music performance, production and promotion where participants will take part in a live music event from 2pm – 4pm in the Galway 2020 Office on Merchants Road.

The full programme of events taking place for Cruinniú na nÓg in Galway city this Saturday can be downloaded here.

 

photo credit: Galway City Council/Facebook

Permission refused for Claregalway housing estate that attracted heavy local opposition

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news

Galway county council has refused to grant planning permission for a proposed housing estate at Lakeview, Claregalway that attracted heavy opposition from the local community.

DWK Ltd was planning to demolish an existing single storey house on a large plot on the Lakeview Road and build a 30 unit housing estate in its place.

The two hectare site is bounded by Cuirt na hAbhain residential development to the north, Claregalway Community Centre and GAA pitch to the west, and Coláiste Bhaile Chláir 400m to the south.

The design submitted was for 20 four bedroom semi-detached houses, 4 three bedroom semi-detached units, 3 four bedroom detached homes, 2 three bedroom terrace houses and 1 two bedroom terraced house.

Planning documents state that the development would have contributed to “a significant response to Galway’s housing needs”, noting that the County Development Plan calls for the construction of 100 new homes in Claregalway by 2021.

As Claregalway is in the Gaeltacht, 6 of the proposed units would have been reserved for Irish speaking members of the community.

Other work involved in the project included the provision of communal and private open spaces, onsite and visitor car parking, and creating access from the Lakeview road.

Local opposition

A large number of objections were submitted to the county council from individuals and groups such as the Lakeview Residents Association, Claregalway Community Development Association, and county councillor Jim Cuddy.

Councillor Cuddy noted in his submission that a similar planning application at this location was rejected by An Bord Pleanála last year.

A total of 20 submissions concerning this project were made to the county council, all of which objected on multiple grounds.

Many objectors said that despite what was said in a Flood Risk Assessment submitted by the developer, these lands are prone to flooding.

There were also concerns expressed about the decision to build housing on land zoned Residential Phase 1 when there is still Phase 1 land left untouched in the area.

Allowing this would be poor planning according to the objectors, with CCDA saying it is “in contravention of the principle of phased sequential development”.

Claregalway Community Centre and Claregalway GAA said that this land should be zoned for amenity use instead, noting that “Claregalway GAA and Claregalway Community Centre have plans to develop and upgrade their grounds which are adjacent to this site”.

The other main area of concern to local residents was the increase in traffic this development would bring, with many saying that it would pose a safety hazard for pedestrians on the Lakeview Road.

Of particular concern regarding traffic was the number of children who walk to school along this road daily.

In refusing permission the county council said that the development would materially contravene core objectives in the Gaeltacht Plan.

The council also said that “type and scale” of the proposed housing estate would be “premature pending the upgrade of the road network” in the area.

Limerick defender Jack Lynch signs with Galway United

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Briain Kelly
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Galway daily sport Jack Lynch signs with Galway United

Galway United have announced that Jack Lynch has become their newest signing, with the young defender signed up until the end of the 2019 SSE Airtricty League season.

The 21 year old is making the move to Galway United from Limerick Junior side Regional United.

Limerick is where the Lynch began his League of Ireland career, playing as a centre-back or central midfielder on the U-17 and U-19 sides before making the move to Waterford in 2017.

He was part of the Waterford squad that won the First Division title in 2017, making a total of 11 appearances for the Blues’ before departing for a short spell with Cobh Ramblers.

As part of the University of Limerick side Lynch helped them reach the Collingwood Cup Final in 2019, but they lost out to UCC in the final at the Markets Field.

“Jack has a bit of experience at this level,” said Galway United manager Alan Murphy. “He’s trained with us for the last month or so and fits in well in terms of his hard work, application and technical ability.”

Murphy said that Lynch is determined to make an impact in the League of Ireland, saying that the Waterford native is “raring to go”.

He added that Lynch is a versatile player who could slot into three or four different positions on the field.

“He’s comfortable on the ball and a good defender. He makes good recovery runs and has a little bit of pace also.”

“We feel he’s definitely worth his chance and he’s going to have to hit the ground running too because it will be just 10 league games remaining after the mid-season break.”

Galway United are hoping to have Jack Lynch cleared in time for Friday’s trip to St. Colman’s Park to face Cobh Ramblers.

Aran Islands lifeboat evacuates injured tourist on Inis Mór

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Aran Islands lifeboat performs double medical evacuation from Inis Mór

The Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat was called to yet another medical evacuation this week for an injured tourist.

The Coast Guard called the volunteer lifeboat crew at 6pm on Thursday to evacuate an American tourist from Inis Mór.

The tourist had fallen on rocky terrain and sustained a suspected fractured ankle.

The all-weather lifeboat was deployed and proceeded to the scene where the casualty was assessed and then brought to Rossaveal harbour.

Speaking after the call out, Aran Islands RNLI Coxswain John O’Donnell said: ‘Medical evacuations are a routine part of the lifeboat’s work here on the islands and our volunteers are always willing and ready to help.

He added that “We would like to wish the casualty a speedy recovery.”

This is the third time this week the Aran Islands RNLI crew have deployed after being called out twice overnight on Monday.

The lifeboat crew responded to another medical evacuation on Inis Mór at 11pm on Monday, and were called out just hours later to a yacht which ran aground in Kilronan Harbour at 4:50am on Tuesday.

Galway shares in €450k boost for HIV treatment and testing

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Galway joins new €450k programme for improved HIV testing and treatment

The government has announced this week that an additional €450,000 will be allocated for HIV testing and outreach in cities around Ireland.

Speaking on Thursday, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that Ireland is signing up to the international HIV Fast-Track Cities initiative to help accelerate the response to Ireland’s HIV crisis.

The Fast-Track Cities initiative operates in over 300 cities around the world. In Ireland the scheme will be used to improve treatment and testing in Galway, Limerick, Cork, and Dublin.

With this new funding it’s hoped that Ireland will be able to hit a target of 3,250 rapid tests in 2019.

2018 was the worst year on record for new HIV cases in Ireland with an 528 people diagnosed with the virus last year.

Niall Mulligan, Executive Director with HIV Ireland welcomed the government’s commitment to the Fast-Track programme.

“It is now time for Ireland to join forces with cities and regions across the globe as part of the Fast-Track Cities Initiative, in order to play a proactive role in combating the continuing HIV crisis, not only in Ireland, but globally”.

This week Ireland has signed the Paris Declaration which pledges to reduce new HIV infections, end AIDS-related deaths, and eliminate barriers faced by people affected by, and living with, HIV, including stigma and discrimination.

Galway, Cork, Limerick, and Dublin has now committed to eliminating AIDS by 2030.

Minister for Health Simon Harris said the €450k funding was “specifically for developments such as community-based HIV testing and outreach services, as well as public campaigns on stigma reduction and promotion of the new PrEP programme later this year.”

Patrick Mallon, UCD Professor of Microbial Diseases and a Consultant at St. Vincent’s University Hospital said that the government needs to prioritise early access to PrEP and increase access to community based “education, testing and support services”.

“In doing so we can join our European neighbours who are finally seeing reductions in new diagnoses with introduction of these measures’.

Baby born on Galway to Dublin train gets 25 years free travel

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Briain Kelly
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An unusually stressful trip which saw a baby born on the train from Ceannt to Heuston has worked out well for the girl as she will be travelling free for the next 25 years.

A young woman was forced to give birth on the Galway-Dublin train at Kildare on Tuesday with the help of several passengers on board.

Kids under five normally travel free, but a spokesperson for Irish Rail said that this particular will be able to get the train for free until she’s 25.

The surprise birth happened at around 5pm on the 3:05 service from Ceannt to Heuston station.

Staff quickly located the help of two nurses and an older American woman, who were joined by Donegal GP Alan Devine.

Dr Devine said that he was on his way to a medical conference in Dublin and was watching Chernobyl on his iPad when the woman next to him asked if he was a doctor.

The GP added that it “wasn’t really my field at all” and that he hadn’t practiced delivering a child since his medical training, but went ahead to help the nurses anyway.

One of the nurses was newly qualified Ellen Kennedy who works at UHG. She said they helped, but that it was the mum who did all the hard work.

The baby girl was delivered safe and healthy aboard the train at Kildare Station after an 80 minute wait.

The mum and her newborn daughter were brought by ambulance to Coombe Hospital almost immediately after.

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