Home Blog Page 808

Hospital overcrowding in Galway improves significantly

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news UHG overcrowding

The level of overcrowding in Galway’s hospitals improved significantly in May according to the latest figures from the INMO.

According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives organisation there were there were 502 people on trolleys in May, significantly less overcrowding than in April or the same time last year.

There were 454 patients on trolleys at UHG this month, down from 683 in April and 637 in May of last year.

In Portiuncula Hospital there were 52 people on trolleys in May, 20 more than the same month last year.

But it is also a colossal drop from 179 people on trolleys in Portiuncula in April.

Also an improvement, last month University Hospital Galway didn’t even make the list of the top five most overcrowded hospitals.

However INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha warned “We are entering the milder summer months, when predictable  seasonal illnesses are lower yet the level of overcrowding is worsening.”

“Overcrowding in May 2019 is now at the same level as January 5 years ago. Clearly this is a capacity deficit and requires immediate investment in additional hospital beds.”

Overall there were 9,015 people on trolleys in Ireland’s acute hospitals this month, down from over 10,000 in April.

The worst hit was University Hospital Limerick with 1,102 people on trolleys, followed by Cork University Hospital (824), South Tipperary General (661), Naas General (479), and Letterkenny University Hospital (477).

“Considering the evidence of this continued increasing activity in our public health service, it is simply unacceptable that the HSE and Department of Health have introduced a recruitment pause,” Phil Ní Sheaghdha said.

“We know that this will simply lead to a chronic understaffing and overcrowding problem without any regard to person-centred solutions.”

“Overcrowding and understaffing mean patients take longer to recover. That means worse care, higher costs, and greater risk of infection. Investment in beds and safe staffing is key to resolving this ongoing crisis.”

Maam woman is named Galway’s volunteer of the year

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Maam woman is Galway's volunteer of the year

Rosemary Hanley from Maan was named the Volunteer of the Year in Galway county at the Cathaoirleach’s Community Awards this week.

Over 230 people from Community and volunteer groups from all over the county gathered at the Connemara Coast Hotel in Furbo this week for the awards recognising the good they have contributed to the community.

More than 140 nominations were received for the nine different categories of Awards presented on the night from a wide spectrum of volunteering activity.

The awards were organised by Galway County Public Participation Unit in partnership with the county council and presented by retiring Cathaoirleach Councillor Seán O Tuairisg, who is leaving the Council after 15 years representing Connemara.

Winner of Volunteer of the Year Award, Rosemary Hanley, is a legend in her local community of Maam and the surrounding villages of Joyce Country, for her longstanding dedication to volunteerism and community work.

For over 25 years she has worked with the Maam Women’s Group where as Chairperson she has worked hard with the group’s committee in providing courses, classes and activities for the local women and has helped fundraise for numerous charities over the years.

Rosemary was instrumental in setting up the Maam’s Children’s playscheme and played a major part in making the film ‘Mná an Mháma’ with Galway Film Centre.

Throughout the years she has worked to unite her local community on matters of education, social issues, and much more that has helped to enhance the lives of people living in Connemara.

“Volunteering is at the heart of community life,” said Chief Executive of Galway County Council, Kevin Kelly, adding that “Helping others and giving time to your community is a big commitment but a very rewarding one”.

The Community Facilities Award, was won by Domestic Violence Response. Based in Oughterard this group provides a vital service to vulnerable individuals, mostly women and children, experiencing domestic violence or abuse.

The Environment Award was won by Abbey Community Development Association, established in the 70s to help maintain and improve the infrastructure of their village.

In the years since then the group has worked on the establishment of a community apiary, a Pallet for Pollination Garden, the development of a school and community garden and even a Community Hen House referred to as ‘Peckers Park’.

The Fit 4 Life group in Woodford took home the Sports award on Thursday for in creating alternatives to field sports in the past four years.

Winner of the Arts & Culture Award was Yeats Thoor Ballylee Development CLG where people volunteer to organise exhibitions and performances by writers, artists and theatre groups in the old home of W.B Yeats.

Recently, the group opened Yeat’s ‘garage’ as the newly refurbished ‘Studio at Thoor Ballylee’ which offers workshop space for Arts and Cultural activities.

Moycullen Heritage / Cumann Staire Ruaidhrí Ó Flaitheartaigh won the Heritage Publication Award, for their book Ruaidhrí’s Story – How Moycullen got its name’ and Fochoiste Dhumhnach na Leanbh was a deserving winner of the award for Best Contribution to Heritage for working to re-establish the old Children’s burial ground called “Dumhnach na Leanbh” which dates back to the years of the famine.

Club na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge was the winner out of the groups which promote and increase use of the Irish language in either the Gaeltacht or non-Gaeltacht areas of the county.

And lastly the Might Oaks Arch Club in Portumna  took home the Social Inclusion Award for supporting families with special needs in experiencing activities they might otherwise never have got the chance to try.

Speaking about the volunteer work he has witnessed in his time as Cathaoirleach Seán Ó Tuairisg said that he was “truly humbled by the dedication, hard work and determination that communities and individuals are involved in every day”.

 

photo: Galway County Council/Twitter

Month long roadworks to disrupt Oranmore traffic

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Traffic disruption expected from Galway City centre roadworks

Traffic in Oranmore will be disrupted by month long roadworks getting underway on the N67 in the coming weeks.

Galway county council has issued notice that roadworks will be taking place on a 1km section of the N67 starting at the Maldron Hotel roundabout from June 10.

John Maddens and Sons have been contracted by the county council to plane out an reinstate the surface of the road.

The work is expected to take roughly one month to complete according to the county council.

Traffic management will be in place while work is underway.

Approval granted for six blocks of apartments in Doughiska

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Planning appeal over 91 houses & apartments in Athenry

Planing approval has been granted for a residential development in Douhgiska consisting of 51 apartments.

JHL Property Holding Company sought permission to build six blocks of apartments from one to four storeys tall on a site that straddles Doughiska and Merlin Park on the Old Dublin and Coast roads.

The development will consist of a mix of one, two and three bed apartments and 2 one bedroom townhouses.

The layout of the site has been designed so the larger blocks are located on the boundary with the road while the smaller ones are at the north end facing residential sites.

The majority of three bed apartments included in the plans will be located on the ground floor of the larger blocks, with rear gardens.

“This is both congenial to family living and leaves potential for these units to be extended in the future if there ever might be a requirement.”

A number of recreational facilities were proposed in the designs including a multi-use games area, a playground, and a walkway.

A new entrance way will be created giving access to and from the site from the Coast road.

50 car parking spaces and 35 bike spaces are included in the plan, and while the council said this would not normally be sufficient for a project of this scale, it noted that the development offers direct access to high frequency bus services.

The proposed site is also adjacent to the Dublin Bus Corridor, and the developer says that residents will have easy access to the 404 and 409 routes

Permission had previously been refused for two residential developments in this area due to the potential impacts on the trees and Greenway route.

But in this instance Galway city council granted planning permission to JHL with 41 conditions attached.

Before work begins the developer must make a contribution of €494,167 to the city council to help provide the public utilities for the site.

The council also ordered a revision of the plans to incorporate a cycle lane on the footpath connecting to the Old Dublin Road.

The route of the Greenway passing through this site will also be reserved for the council, and the developer must submit a tree conservation plan for approval with a monetary bond to ensure the trees on site are not harmed.

Kevin Higgins’ ‘Sex and Death at Merlin Park Hospital’ poetry collection launching in June

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily arts & culture Call to local writers for the Over the Edge Fiction Slam

Sex and Death at Merlin Park Hospital, a new collection of poetry by local artist Kevin Higgins, is launching in Galway in June.

In his latest poetry collection, Higgins uses the blackest of humour to throw some occasionally bizarre but mercilessly honest light on the vexed, and often absurd, subject of his chronic illness.

The fifth full collection from Higgins, Sex and Death at Merlin Park Hospital gives readers everything they have come to expect from his work,

Steeped in the influence of Brecht, Swift, and Zbigniew Herbert, Sex and Death at Merlin Park Hospital includes the satire on the marriage of Tony and Cherie Blair which led to his suspension from the British Labour Party in 2016.

And in the final section, he presents us with a contemporary Dunciad which lacerates the poetry scene, both in Ireland and internationally, and takes out a couple of journalists along the way.

The collection is launching at yhe House Hotel, Spanish Parade, Galway on Friday, June 14 at 6pm and all are welcome.

The guest speaker on the night will be Molly Twomey, a student of Creative Writing in UCC, Winner of the Padraic Colum Poetry Prize and more who is now working on her debut collection.

Winner of the Padraic Colum Poetry Prize, Molly is a student of Creative Writing in UCC who has been published by The Irish Times, Headstuff, Windows Publications and elsewhere.

Praising Higgins’ work, the Irish Times has said “Readers might get the feeling that Kevin Higgins will say anything”, and they’re not wrong.

Galway’s Clean Cut Meals crowned the Best Start-Up Business in Ireland

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Clean Cut Meals crowned Best Start-Up Business in Ireland

Galway’s homegrown deliverers of healthy food Clean Cuts Meals have been named the Best Start-Up Business in Ireland at the 2019 National Enterprise Awards.

Founded in Clarinbridge in 2015 by two friends, Conor McCallion and Michéal Dyer, Clean Cut Meals creates creates and cooks healthy meal plans designed specifically to meet their customer’s needs.

Whether you’re trying to slim down, build some muscle mass, or just stay lean, they will create a menu of delicious, healthy meals for individuals and deliver them right to your doorstep.

In 2017 they were the winners of the Best Established Business award at Ireland Best Young Entrepreneur Awards.

Now, having delivered over 750,000 healthy meals to customers around Ireland, Clean Cut Meals is continuing to grow with a present staff of 14.

2020 is going to be a huge milestone for the Clarinbridge company as the make their move into the US market.

The grand finals of the National Enterprise Awards took place at the Mansion House in Dublin on Wednesday night.

Presenting the awards on stage Minister Pat Breen paid tribute to all the winners at this year’s competition.

“Their drive, determination and passion for building successful businesses and creating local jobs is what this competition is all about.”

“This year’s winners, like all those in previous years, represent the backbone of Ireland’s enterprise success and contribute hugely to the economic vibrancy of their respective regions.”

The overall winner was Pestle & Mortar, a global skincare company based out of Kildare.

This is the second year in a row that a Kildare company has taken home the crowing prize at the National Enterprise Awards following on from Terra NutriTech of Athy last year.

The Best Export Business award went to Kilkenny-based Mechanical Modular Solutions, while Cavan based ice-cream manufacturer, Ice Cream Treats, won the ‘Innovation’ award this year.

Galway has the second most infestations of bed bugs in Ireland

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Galway has the second most infestations of bed bugs in Ireland

Galway is the second most infested county in Ireland with bed bugs according to pest control experts Rentokil.

Rentokil are urging holidaymakers to keep an eye out for any bed bugs trying to hitch a ride home with them amid a 61% increase in callouts so far this year.

Galway accounted for 14% of cases they have been called to this year, second only to Dublin at 36%, and followed by Cork (10%) and Kerry (8%).

The pest control company said that common way for bed bugs to travel is in clothing and other baggage, “so a hotel’s bed bug problem can easily become an issue in your own home”.

Bed bugs feed on human blood, usually while people are asleep, and their bites can become sore and itchy.

It’s expected that the level of infestations will also get worse going into the summer months.

Richard Faulkner, Advanced Technical Field Consultant for Rentokil said, “Bed bugs lay eggs and multiply at alarming rates, and the size of these pests can make them difficult to spot.”

“At this time of year more and more people are enjoying a trip away, but unfortunately this increases their risk of returning home with unwanted guests.”

He added that hotels and B&Bs are high risk areas for picking up unwanted critters due to the large volume of people coming in and out.

People should do their research on where they are staying beforehand, Richard Faulkner said, and be vigilant in inspecting rooms.

“We also recommend that if hotels become aware of a bed bug infestation, they have it taken care of immediately”.

Some of the signs of a bed bug infestation are dark stains on the mattress and surrounding area from their excrement, an unpleasant, sweet, sickly scent in the room, and small dark blood spots on bedding known as ‘faecal spotting’.

Despite being just 4-5mm long it’s also possible to spot live bed bugs and shed skins.

Key areas to check include bed frames and mattresses, bedside cabinets, wardrobes, and skirting boards.

For holidaymakers who do unintentionally bring bed bugs into their home, Rentokil recommend that they wash and dry clothes at the highest possible temperatures, eliminate clutter, and vacuum thoroughly

Ryan Tubridy Show coming to Inis Mór to promote the Wild Atlantic Way

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Ryan Tubridy to broadcast from Inis Mor to promote Wild Atlantic Way

The Ryan Tubridy Show will broadcast from Inis Mór this summer as part of a new campaign to promote the Wild Atlantic Way.

Fáilte Ireland is bringing Ryan Tubridy and the RTÉ Radio 1 crew all along the west coast in their new marketing campaign to ‘Embrace the Wild Atlantic Way of Life’ this summer.

Inis Mór will be the last stop on the tour known as ‘Tubs on the Wild Atlantic Way’ with a live broadcast from the Kilronan Tourism Office on June 6.

During his time on the largest of the Aran Islands the radio and television presenter will explore Inis Mór by horse and trap and visit the stunning Dun Aonghasa.

“The Wild Atlantic Way is calling and we’re taking to the road to visit just some of the most beautiful and welcoming spots along the route,” said Tubridy, speaking about the upcoming tour.

“From Donegal, to Sligo, Clare and the Aran Islands we’ll be weaving a piece of the Wild Atlantic Way magic into our listeners days and, as ever, I’m looking forward to getting out and meeting the locals and characters along the way.”

The show on Inis Mór will involve interviews with local tourism businesses from the surrounding area and discussing some of the many activities and experiences available to anyone touring the Wild Atlantic Way.

Looking forward to the arrival of the popular RTE Radio 1 show, Joan Crawford, Wild Atlantic Way Manager, Fáilte Ireland, said that Ryan Tubridy makes a fantastic ambassador for the Wild Atlantic Way.

“He can really get across to his listeners what the Wild Atlantic Way is all about and how it captures people’s imagination.”

This is the sixth year in a row in which his shows has toured the west to promote one of Ireland’s most successful tourism initiatives.

“We are delighted Ryan will get to experience some of the great tourism highlights during his visit along the route and of course that fantastic Irish hospitality on the Wild Atlantic Way,” Joan Crawford added.

In the week prior to the Inis Mór show Ryan Tubridy will be visiting Donegal Town; Sligo Town; and Ennistymon, Co. Clare.

Met Eireann extends duration of Galway weather warning

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway daily news galway Weather warning for heavy rain in effect

Met Eireann has extended the duration a status yellow weather warning for rainfall in Galway

A weather warning was issued for Galway, Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo on Wednesday afternoon forecasting heavy rain with the risk of flooding.

It was originally issued to last until midnight on Thursday, but met Eireann has now extended the duration of the warning until 3pm on Friday afternoon.

Spells of persistent rain are expected to cause accumulations of 25mm to 35mm over the next day, particularly on high ground.

Leitrim and Sligo have also since been removed from the weather alert by Met Eireann.

A warning for small craft also remains in place along the south and west coasts from Carnsore Point to Valentia to Erris Head with force 6 southwesterly winds predicted.

An environmental warning is also in place saying that weather conditions conducive to the spread of Potato Blight will occur between Wednesday, May 29 and June 1.

Burst water main forces Oranmore road closure

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway daily news Seven week road closure in downtown Galway City

A burst water main in Oranmore has forced the Claregalway road to close this afternoon.

Irish Water first reported the burst main on the Claregalway road at Oranmore shortly before 9am this morning.

The R381 Claregalway road (the old N81) is closed from the N67 roundabout at the Maldron Hotel to the junction with the M6 motorway.

Earlier this morning motorists were being advised to seek out a different route, but the road has now been closed to traffic altogether.

According to Irish Water the burst main is causing disruptions to the water supply in homes and business throughout Oranmore.

Repair crews are working on fixing the burst water main, but no time has yet been given by Irish Water for when people can expect work to be completed.

Clifden beach remains on EPA list of unacceptable water standards

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Swimming ban imposed at Clifden Beach due to poor water quality
Photograph of Clifden Beach

Clifden Beach is one of five left in Ireland that still has ‘Poor’ quality bathing water according to the latest report from the EPA released on Thursday.

A ‘Poor’ classification means that the beach has not met the minimum level of bathing water quality standards and a swimming restriction will remain in place for the coming season.

Clifden has been on the EPA’s watchlist since 2016, with the main problems polluting the water being the public sewer network and a storm water overflow at the Clifden wastewater treatment plant.

Other potential sources of pollution include discharges from domestic and non-domestic septic tanks in the area.

According to the report the county council and Irish Water are co-operating to “minimise leaks, spills or overflows of untreated sewage” from the treatment plant.

Irish Water have also said they are planning further rehabilitation works on the local sewer network while the county council is inspecting private septic tanks.

However, there was also improvement in Galway as Ballyloughane Beach was removed from the ‘Poor’ quality list.

A swimming ban at Ballyloughane Beach in place for almost five years was lifted in early April after testing showed improvements in water quality.

Andy Fanning, Programme Manager of the EPA’s Office of Evidence and Assessment said “It is great to see local authorities identifying new bathing waters with excellent water quality.

But he added that “At the other end of the scale, we have five bathing waters that have been classified as Poor.”

“More intensive action needs to be taken by local authorities to address the issues and protect the health of bathers.”

The 2018 Bathing Water Quality in Ireland report showed that the overall number of beaches with unacceptable water quality levels declined from seven in 2017 to five last year.

Loughshinny and Rush beaches in Fingal were all removed from the ‘Poor’ quality list in 2018, but Lilliput in Westmeath declined from ‘Good’ to ‘Poor’ quality last year.

Ballyloughane and Grattan Road beaches in the city and Trá na bhForbacha in Furbo are currently classified as ‘Sufficient’ standard by the EPA, the minimum acceptable standard.

On Wednesday evening the city council issued an urgent notice that elevated bacteria levels had been found in Grattan road, Silver Strand, Salthill, and Blackrock beaches and put swimming bans in place while further tests are carried out.

According to the EPA 94 percent of beaches in Ireland met water quality standards last year, with the sunny, dry weather throughout much of 2018 a contributing factor to the improvement.

In Galway city Salthill and Silver Strand were both rated as ‘Excellent’ quality in 2018.

Out in the county ‘Excellent’ quality results were achieved at An Trá Mór, Inverin; Bathing Place at Portumna; Cill Mhuirbhigh, Inis Mór; Goirtín beach, Roundstone; Loughrea Lake; Trá an Dóilín, Carraroe; Trá Chaladh Fínis, Carna; Trá Inis Oírr; and Traught, Kinvara.

Two beaches in Spiddal, Céibh and Trá na mBan achieved a ‘Good’ rating and Trá na bhForbacha in Furbo was ‘Sufficient’.

 

photo: EPA/beaches.ie

NUIG construction ran €15 million over budget, delivered 45 months late

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news NUIG construction €15 million over budget, 45 months late

The construction of three research buildings at NUIG ran €15.7 million over budget and ended up being completed 45 months late.

A review of construction projects at higher education institutes carried out by the Comptroller and Auditor General identified three projects at NUIG that had a total cost overrun of €22.2 million.

Out of ten projects at six HEIs reviewed in this report the construction of a bundle of science, arts and clinical research buildings at NUIG, completed in 2015 at a final cost of €60 million, experienced the longest delay at almost four years overrun.

The Engineering building at NUI Galway finished €5.4 million over budget and one month late, while the sports complex cost €2.1 million more than its budget and was completed four months behind schedule.

The largest cost overrun on a construction project identified by the Comptroller and Auditor General was on the Trinity College Biomedical Sciences Institute.

Completed in June 2011 for €91.6 million, the TBSI ran €16.6 million over its initial budget and was completed six months late.

In total the ten projects examined at NUIG, UL, Trinity College, Athlone IT, DCU, and UCD for this review racked up cost overruns of €67.2 million.

The report said that tender evaluation was the most common weakness for at the pre-contract phase of projects.

Six of the ten evaluated used cost as their sole criterion for awarding the contract, with combined cost of €20 million.

Three of those later had to be re-tendered because the chosen contractor went under.

Once the project got underway, the report said that the biggest issue that kept cropping up was changes to the scope of the project.

It said that in several cases there were “a significant number of change orders,” made after a project began.

“Even though these should only be issued for essential requirements that were unforeseeable prior to tender.”

In other cases “ambiguous and incomplete documents” led to disputes between the HEI and the contractor which was hired.

Nine of the ten projects ended up going to a dispute resolution process which can involve “significant legal and professional fees” being incurred.

In one instance a contractual dispute ended up costing an unidentified HEI €3.3 million in legal and professional fees.

While individual institutes identified learning outcomes from theses issues that they could bring to future projects, the Comptroller’s evaluation doubts whether this knowledge is shared across the sector.

It suggests that overall, there may be a lack of capacity within the higher education sector to manage large scale capital projects.

The report recommends that more weight should be given when evaluating a tender to aspects other than cost.

It caution institutes to beware of “unrealistically low pricing” and the risk of conflict with contractor.

Once work has begun it says that “robust project management” is needed to measure progress and take timely corrective action on any issues, and to limit deviations from the scope of the project.

Flanagan, Carthy reelected in Midlands-North-West joined by Maria Walsh

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news Fine Gael take second seat in Midlands-North-West

The final count in the Midlands-North-West district went as expect with Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan returning as MEPs, joined by newcomer Maria Walsh.

The result marks a victory for Fine Gael who expanded their presence in the Midlands-North-West with Walsh joining her party colleague Mairead McGuinness.

McGuinness was comfortably reelected in the first count, securing 22.6% of first preference votes in a field 17 candidates.

The remaining three candidates had to wait until the 13th count before they were declared elected, though the final result became increasingly likely with each count.

Independent Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan took the top space as the only one of the three to make the quota with 121,824 votes in the final count.

It was considered probable from the start that the Roscommon man would be returned to his seat as the first count showed him with 14.29% of first preference votes.

Though she had been consistently polling for a seat with 10.84% of first preferences votes, Maria Walsh experienced a surge towards the end of the night.

The former Rose of Tralee passed Matt Carthy from fourth to third position for the first time on the second to last count after taking 15,825 transfers from the Green’s Saoirse McHugh on her elimination.

Walsh finished with 107,198 votes in the final count after the elimination of Fianna Fáil’s Brendan Smith and the redistribution of his votes.

Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy also retained his European Parliament seat with 79,437 votes in the final count after a strong start that saw him take 13.05% of first preferences.

It will no doubt be a relief for Sinn Féin that they managed to hold onto their MEP in this district after severe blows in the local elections that saw them reduced to once county councillor in Galway county and eliminated altogether from the county council.

Trailing in fourth place was Independent Peter Casey who ultimately finished with 78,362 votes after securing 9.52% of first preferences.

Casey did better in the final round of transfers than he had previously, securing 8,439 redistributed votes from Brendan Smith.

But ultimately it was not enough to narrow the gap which had opened between him and the leading candidates.

Urgent swimming bans at multiple city beaches due to high bacteria levels

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway daily news Vigilance urged as HSE investigates case of meningitis

Galway city council has issued an urgent Do Not Swim order for multiple city beaches after high levels of bacteria were found.

Elevated levels of Intestinal Enterococci bacteria were found at Salthill, Blackrock, Silver Strand, and Grattan Road beaches after testing earlier this week.

The city council has posted DO NOT SWIM notices at Silver Strand, Salthill, and Blackrock and a warning advisory at Grattan Road.

Testing carried out on May 26 found extremely high enterococci levels of 613 units per 100ml of water at Silver Strand, while the levels at Blackrock and Salthill were also alarming at 436/100ml.

Bacteria levels at Grattan Road were not as elevated but the council has said that it is still enough to merit an advisory.

The EPA bathing water compliance standards for Intestinal Enterococci in coastal waters state that 185/100ml is the highest level that can be considered “sufficient” for bathing.

Intestinal Enterococci is a bacteria commonly found in faecal matter and its presence in water is can be indicative of agricultural runoff, pollution from sewage treatment plants, or urban water runoff.

It can also be caused by the presence of animals near beaches as dog, bird, and other animal faeces often contains higher levels of bacteria than human waste.

The cause of the contamination found at these four beaches has not yet been determined.

Further testing is being carried out at the affected beaches but results will not be available until June 1.

The city council has said that in the meantime the swimming bans will remain in place until further notice.

New faces and new parties: A breakdown of the new City Council

By
Paul Kelly
-
0

The dust has settled after the drawn out local elections last weekend and a new Galway city council has been elected.

With new faces in the mix and some triumphant returns, some political parties falling from grace and others on the rise, we looked at how the different factions performed in their run for the city council.

Sinn Féin 

The first thing to note about the new look Galway City Council is that there is no more representation from Sinn Féin.

Sinn Féin lost all three seats on the Council obtaining a mere 5.4% of the first preference vote share. This was down 4.1% from 2014.

Another thing which will horrify Galwegian Sinn Féin supporters is that Sinn Féin’s vote in Galway was over 4% lower than the national average Sinn Féin vote which in itself was considered a big disappointment.

What this tells us is that the local Galway City branch of Sinn Féin have a lot of work to do in order to rebuild the heights they achieved 5 years ago.

This is certainly a mountain to climb and if a general election is called this summer it may mean this mountain will have to be scaled even faster.

Social Democrats

The Social Democrats are represented on Galway City Council for the first time ever.

The Galway City East Ward elected 23 year old Owen Hanley of the Social Democrats making him the youngest Councillor ever elected.

The Social Democrats obtained 6% of the first preference vote share in Galway City.

The Galway City branch of the Social Democrats will be happy to see that they polled 3% above how the Social Democrats polled nationally.

It must be noted that this can be put down to how the Social Democrats tend to be stronger in urban areas.

Green Party

The Green Party has a presence on the City Council for the first time since 2004.

In Galway  City West the Green Party’s Pauline O’Reilly was elected to the Council. She exceeded the quota on the first count while obtaining the second highest first preference vote shares with 1,304 votes.

Her fellow Green Party activist Martina O’Connor was elected to the Galway City Central Ward on the 11th and final count.

The Galway branch of the Green Party will no doubt be delighted to elect two Councillors on the back of the Green wave.

In Galway City, the Green Party obtained 9.4% of the first preference vote share which was nearly 4% higher than the national average for the Green Party (5.5%).

This disparity can be attributed to the fact that, like the Social Democrats, the Green Party tends to be stronger in urban areas.

It must also be noted that Pauline O’Reilly was a candidate with strong name recognition coming off her involvement in the Together for Yes Campaign last year.

Fianna Fáil 

Fianna Fáil activists in Galway will be no doubt ecstatic at becoming the largest party on the Council for the first time since 1999.

Fianna Fáil obtained 20.5% of the first preference vote share which is over 6% less than what the party obtained nationally (26.9%).

But despite still not matching what they achieved nationally, Fianna Fáil in Galway will be no doubt delighted to have increased their Council seats by two and have increased their vote share in Galway by 1%.

In Galway City West, Peter Keane was comfortably elected while John Connolly managed to take sitting Councilor Pearce Flannery’s seat.

In Galway City Central, Ollie Crowe was easily re-elected.

In Galway City East, Alan Cheevers and Michael Crowe were handily elected in what was Fianna Fáils’s strongest ward.

Fine Gael 

It was a mixed election for Fine Gael in Galway City.

Firstly they slightly increased their first preference vote share in Galway City Council by 0.1%.

Despite obtaining 15.8% of the first preference vote shares, Fine Gael ended up with 3 seats which was 1 less than they captured in 2014.

To add to this, sitting Councilors Pearce Flannery and John Walsh lost their seats.

It must be noted that there was a big difference between the vote Fine Gael received in Galway City (15.8%) and what they secured nationally (26.9%).

This can be attributed to the fact that Fine Gael tend to poll better in rural areas and country councils than urban city councils.

Despite this, Fine Gael in Galway will be no doubt happy to see first time candidates Clodagh Higgins and Eddie Hoare elected.

These two young new faces could be big hitters for the party in Galway in the future and will no doubt be balanced out by the experience that Frank Fahy brings to the table.

Labour 

This was easily going to be a tough election for Labour in Galway City as they were losing veteran Councillor Billy Cameron who has retired from politics.

This obviously affected Labour as their vote share in the City was 7% which was down 3% from 5 years prior.

Labour still managed to poll better in Galway City than they did nationally by over 1% (5.7%).

There is no doubt Galway based Labour members will be pleased to have seen them secure a higher vote than Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats in Galway City.

Overall Labour lost Billy Cameron’s old seat as his replacement John McDonagh lost out on transfers despite receiving the 6th highest first preference vote share.

They will be no doubt happy that in Galway City Central Niall McNelis easily retained his seat maintaining Labour’s presence on Galway City Council.

Labour now have one seat on Galway City Council as opposed to two seats in the five years prior.

Solidarity/People Before Profit

Solidarity/People Before Profit got a slight bruising nationally as their first preference vote share was down 2% to 1.9% compared to 2014.

Despite this hiccup, Joe Loughnane managed to double their vote in Galway City Central.

In 2014 People Before Profit received 2.01% of the first preference vote compared to Loughnane’s 4.7%.

An issue for Solidarity/People Before Profit is that they only seem to be strong in Galway City Central.

Solidarity’s Conor Burke only received 2.7% of the vote in Galway City East which brought Solidarity/People Before Profit’s vote down overall.

The Galway branch of People Before Profit will obviously have to regroup and start building a presence to both the east and west of the City.

Independents

Once again, the Independent vote remains the strongest vote in Galway City Council elections.

This was seen by the fact that in every city ward it was an Independent who topped the poll.

In Galway City West Donal Lyons topped the poll with 17.7% of the first preference vote.

In Galway City Central Mike Cubbard once again topped the poll with 16.2% of the first preference vote while Colette Connolly was also elected as an Independent.

In Galway City East Declan McDonnell was elected with 14.7% of the first preference vote share followed by Terry O’Flaherty with 12.6% of the first preference vote share. Noel Larkin was also elected in this ward as an Independent.

All in all Independents received a massive 30.1% of the first preference votes.

This is over 10% of the national average of what Independents received nationally (19.6%).

The Galway City East Ward was the strongest performance for Independents, with Independents receiving nearly 40% of the first preference votes.

Galway City Council Full Results:

Galway City West – Donal Lyons Independent 17.7% (-4%), Pauline O’Reilly Green Party 15.8%, Niall McNelis Labour 11.4% (+2%), Peter Keane Fianna Fáil 10.9% (-), Clodagh Higgins Fine Gael, John Connolly Fianna Fáil

Galway City Central – Mike Cubbard Independent 16.2% (+3%), Ollie Crowe Fianna Fáil 12% (-) , Eddie Hoare Fine Gael 10.7%, Frank Fahy Fine Gael 8.7% (-2%), Martina O’Connor Green Party 6.8%, Colette Connolly Independent 6.2%

Galway City East – Declan McDonnell Independent 14.7% (-1%), Terry O’Flaherty Independent 12.6% (-8%), Alan Cheevers Fianna Fáil 13%(+7%), Michael Crowe Fianna Fáil 10.2% (-2%), Noel Larkin Independent 9.1% (+2%), Owen Hanley Soical Democrats 5.6%

 

 

Midlands Northwest: Luke Ming Flanagan, Maria Walsh, and Matt Carthy likely to claim seats

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news EU elections hustings

Luke Ming Flanagan, Maria Walsh, and Matt Carthy look likely to be elected to the three remaining seats in the Midlands-North-West as the final count progresses.

Mairead McGuinness was the first MEP elected in the Midlands-North-West, passing the quota on the first count, and eleven more have gone by since without anyone else taking a seat.

Now Luke Ming Flanagan is just shy of the quota in the final count with 112,760 votes, picking up roughly 15,000 Green Party candidate Saoirse McHugh.

Maria Walsh passed Matt Carthy for the first time in this contest in the last count, taking another 16,000 of Saoirse McHugh’s transfers to jump to 96,163.

The former Rose of Tralee will likely become the second Fine Gael MEP for the Midlands-North-West, joining her party colleague McGuinness.

And Matt Carthy looks likely to retain his seat for Sinn Féin as well sitting in third place with 91,396 votes after garnering another 5,500 from the last count.

The three significantly widened the gap over Peter Casey who is currently in fourth place with 69,923 votes.

Casey collected just over 3,000 transfer after Saoirse McHugh was eliminated, not enough to close the gap.

The final count for the European Parliament district is now underway with the redistribution of votes from Fianna Fáil’s Brendan Smith before the results are known.

Sunny streak ends as status yellow weather warning issued for Galway

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily weather Weather warning for heavy rain and possible flooding now in effect

After a long streak of good weather Galway looks to be reverting to type this week as a Status Yellow weather warning has been issued.

Met Eireann has issued a rainfall weather warning for five counties along the west and north all through today and tomorrow.

Galway, Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo are expected to see heavy rainfall for the next two days with a risk of localised flooding.

Rain will be heaviest in coastal areas and on hills and mountains.

The rainfall warning was issued from 2pm on Wednesday and will remain in place until midnight on Thursday.

A small craft warning is also in place for boats cautioning of strong southwesterly winds along the west coast from Carnsore Point to Loop Head to Rossan Point, extending to Malin Head tonight.

An environmental warning has also been issued saying that weather conditions conducive to the spread of Potato Blight will occur between Wednesday, May 29 and June 1.

Temperatures tonight are forecast to reach lows of 12 to 13 degrees with outbreaks of mist and fog on hills.

Thursday is expected to remain persistently cloudy with more outbreaks of rain.

Mist and fog will again occur on higher ground and in some coastal areas.

It will be mild and rather humid, with highest temperatures of 15 or 16 degrees in moderate or fresh, southwest winds.

Multi-million push to get patients involved in healthcare research

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news PPI Ignite to get patients involved in healthcare research

NUI Galway has launched the latest stage of the multi-million plan to gets involved in healthcare research with the PPI Catalysts initiative.

PPI Catalysts will see prominent researchers across different departments with a hand in healthcare work to promote practices of public and patient involvement in the projects they undertake.

NUIG was one of five universities awarded funding under the Health Research Board and Irish Research Council’s €1.75million ‘PPI Ignite’ initiative to push researchers to get patients involved from the very start of the health research process.

Professor Sean Dinneen is heading the PPI Ignite programme at NUIG.

He said that these catalysts are working to set a standard within their departments and act as a force for change in the culture of research.

“They are setting a standard on meaningful involvement and their enthusiasm for PPI and their expertise will inspire others to follow suit”.

The four researchers, or ‘catalysts’ taking part so far are Dr Ruth McMenamin, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences; Dr Martin O’Halloran, College of Science and Engineering; Dr Oonagh Meade, College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies; and Dr Michelle Queally from the College of Business, Public Policy and Law.

Dr McMenamin works in the area of speech and language with people who live with aphasia, a language disorder experienced by up to one-third of the stroke population.

She said that promoting this kind of inclusive attitude opens researchers minds up to new ways of looking at their work.

“By doing involvement work researchers move away from thinking about ‘my research’ towards thinking about ‘our research’ and this leads to transformative experiences for all involved in the research process”.

Dr O’Halloran, Head of the Translational Medical Device Laboratory said this new approach is a radical shift in the traditional decision making process in healthcare that has the potential to deliver more targeted development of medical devices.

“The key opinion leader in device development has traditionally been the doctor. The patient voice is now becoming more important.”

“PPI gives us an insight into the patient perspective on what devices are needed and what problems devices should focus on solving.”

Prof Dineen added that patients are experts on the conditions that they live with, so hearing about their personal experiences provides valuable insight for healthcare researchers.

He added that the increasing number of partnerships between members of the public and institutional research shows the key role patients have to play in developing the future of healthcare.

Homelessness in Galway remains unchanged in April

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily news COPE Galway extremely worried at record homelessness levels

The latest figures on national homelessness in April show that numbers remained relatively unchanged in Galway as the number of people without a home rose nationwide.

According to the Department of Housing there were 302 adults living in homelessness in Galway last month, down by just seven people on March.

Across the west of Ireland there were a total of 341 homeless adults, down from 348 the month before.

There are 32 homeless adults in Mayo and 8 in Roscommon, but Galway still contains the vast majority if the problem in the western region.

Family homelessness in the west saw a slight reduction as there were 80 families without a proper home last month, five fewer than in March.

However the number of dependent children children living in emergency accommodation among those eighty families climbed by five to 218.

Nationwide the number of homeless people continued to climb in April with 10,378 people now without a proper home of their own, 73 more than in March.

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said that family homelessness continues to be very challenging, particularly in the Dublin area where almost 1,300 families are living without a home.

“So far this year we have exited more than 320 families out of emergency accommodation into a home, which is some progress, but clearly, we need to do a lot more”.

The Homelessness Financial Report End of Year 2018 showed that almost €6 million was spent on homeless services in Galway city and county last year.

The single largest expense among that was €2.2 million spent on private emergency accommodation by Galway city council.

Galway TD to propose bill exempting childcare providers from commercial rates

By
Briain Kelly
-
0
Galway Daily credit unions sport Television broadcast deal sidelines GAA fans says Rabbitte

Galway TD Anne Rabbitte has said that she plans to bring forward a bill which would exempt all childcare providers from paying commercial rates.

The Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs said that rising insurance costs and commercial rates are making it harder for many childcare providers to stay in business.

This at a time when there is already a critical lack of access to overburdened services for families with young children.

Commercial rates are set according to the Valuation Act of 2001. An amendment to that act in 2015 exempted all non-profit childcare providers from commercial rates.

Deputy Rabbitte has said she is proposing a Valuation (Amendment) Act 2019 which would exempt “buildings and land used exclusively by registered early years and school-aged childcare services providers from commercial rates.”

“Commercial rates represent a significant expense for childcare service providers, with many providers paying tens of thousands for commercial rates alone,” Anne Rabbitte said.

She added that this adds to the cost of the service which is already unaffordable to many.

Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone has said that the government has invested heavily in the childcare sector, doubling access to the ECCE-free preschool scheme from one to two years.

“We have also doubled the number of spaces for the zero to three age group. Baby and toddler places have increased from 13,700 in 2014 to over 31,000 in 2018, an increase of 128%”

“I am aware of the challenges providers face in offering services for babies and toddlers. The challenge is largely attributable to the cost of the higher staffing ratios required”.

The Minister added that the national childcare scheme being introduced later this year will provide subsidies of up to €5.10 per hour to service providers.

“The European Commission, in their country report 2019, warned that Irish families avail of a much lower rate of formal childcare for children enrolled for 30 hours or more,” Anne Rabbitte warned

She concluded by say that this bill is meant to tackle “soaring costs” and prevent businesses from closing down.

1...807808809...1,069Page 808 of 1,069