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Galway’s Loam restaurant named the best in Ireland

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily life & style Michelin Star Loam restaurant closing down permanently

Galway’s Michelin star Loam restaurant has been named the Best Restaurant in Ireland.

Loam received this honour, also taking home Best in Connacht, at the 2019 Irish Restaurant Awards which took place at the Clayton Hotel in Dublin last night.

Connemara Greenway Café & Restaurant in Oughterard was also named the Best Café in Ireland and Connacht.

In a post on facebook they said they were “Absolutely delighted and thrilled to have one Best Café in All of Ireland tonight”.

“Thank you to all our super staff past and present and to you our loyal friends and customers!”

Commonly known as the food oscars, the Irish Restaurant Awards recognise the businesses that best wine and dine us across 22 categories.

Galway took home several other awards on the night, with West restaurant at The Twelve Hotel taking home the Best Hotel and Guesthouse restaurant in Connacht.

The Park House Hotel on Forster Street won Best Customer Service in Connacht, and Le Petit Pois has the Best Wine Experience at its friendly French outlet in Victoria Place.

Speaking at the awards, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland Adrian Cummins said that these 11th awards were their biggest yet.

Over 90,000 nominations were received from the public in January, with over 2,000 competitors taking part in the Regional finals.

“Ireland may be a small country, but it boasts everything from fine dining to high quality gastropubs, from the comfort of traditional Irish food to exploring the world through exotic world cuisine, the Irish restaurant industry has much to offer.”

“We have an appreciation for what we eat and where our food comes from, as well as the dedication of those working in the food industry”

City council calls for boycott of Eurovision in Israel

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Galway city council calls for boycott of Eurovision in Israel

In its last meeting before the local elections this month Galway city council has passed a motion calling for a boycott of the 2019 Eurovision in Israel.

Councillor Collette Connolly proposed a motion for the city council to call for RTÉ to boycott the 2019 Eurovision in Israel.

The 2019 Eurovision song contest is taking place this week in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The text of the motion first said that it was recognising “Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian lands, its continued building of illegal colonial settlements in violation of international law and its human rights abuses and war crimes as highlighted by the recent UN Commission of Inquiry into killings in Gaza”.

The motion also claimed that “Israel’s hosting of the Eurovision will be openly used for political and militaristic propaganda purposes”.

It cited the provision of free tickets to serving military, the construction of the Eurovision Village on “forcibly depopulated” palestinian lands in Jaffa and “plans by Israeli authorities in illegal settlements to provide free accommodation to Eurovision fans as a means of promoting tourism in these illegal zones”.

According to the text of the motion it was brought forward in solidarity with Palestinian journalists, artists, and civil society groups and “noting the widespread Irish public support for a boycott”.

The final motion said “This council calls on RTÉ to boycott Eurovision 2019 as it is due to take place in Israel”.

The motion passed with nine councillors voting in favour, three against, three abstentions, and three councillors were absent from the chamber.

Claregalway primary school takes second run at extension with new funding

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Claregalway primary school planning extension

Bawnmore primary school near Claregalway is making a second planning application for an extension to the school facilities.

The primary school at Cloughan, Claregalway intends to improve its facilities with the construction of a new General Purpose room, multi-sensory room and a storage room for P.E equipment.

Galway County Council previously granted planning permission for an extension consisting of a G.P room and the equipment storage room in 2009.

However Bawnmore was unable to move ahead with the project at the time due to a lack of funding.

An extension of duration was granted to that planning permission in 2014, but the primary school was still unable to begin work during that period.

Since that extension to planning permission expired on April 6, Bawnmore NS has submitted a fresh planning application.

“Funding has now been granted to construct the G.P room extension but there is insufficient time left under the extension of planning permission to complete the extension,” planning documents state.

“Therefore the school are now submitting a new planning application to construct the G.P room and store.”

“The extension being applied for under this new planning application consists of a G.P room, multi sensory room and a store room.”

“This does not involve an increase in student numbers as these new rooms will be utilised by the existing student body.”

The gross floor space of the new extension being added to the primary school is 247.2m².

Bawnmore NS was founded in 1863 by the Richard Kirwan, one of the primary local landlords.

The first school was on the Corrundula road, roughly 100m from where the current national school stands.

The change to a new school facility was made in the 1960s when the original building began to show its age.

Since the opening of its last extension in 2011, Bawnmore NS has 6 mainstream classrooms, 3 Learning Support rooms and a hall.

Galway county council is due to make a decision on this planning application by May 27.

Social Inclusion Grant scheme opens in Galway city

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Grants available to community groups in Galway City affected by COVID

Galway city council is now accepting applications for projects under the Social Inclusion Grant Scheme.

This scheme provides financial support for voluntary, non-profit organisations with projects or programmes which promote social inclusion and diversity.

“This funding is made available to groups whose projects reflect Galway City Council’s values with regards to equality, human rights, dignity, participation and inclusion.”

“Projects should promote respect for others and encourage diversity,” the application guideline state.

Applicants should demonstrate how their projects enable and recognise the right of people, in particular those experiencing disadvantage and exclusion, to participate.

Application forms can be downloaded at www.galwaycity.ie.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 4pm on Friday, May 31.

Moycullen artist Pádraic Reaney captures the desolate beauty of Inishark

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Galway life & style Moycullen artist captures the beauty of Inishark

A new exhibition from local artist Pádraic Reaney is only display at NUIG with the beauty of Inishark there for all to see.

Inis Airc exhibition displays 23 paintings and graphics that capture the changing form of Inishark as evidence of the people that once called it home fades away.

The island off the west coast of Galway, which once supported a community of more than 200 people, has lain abandoned since 1960.

A Carraroe native, Pádraic Reaney studied Fine Art and now lives and works in Moycullen. His art has been displayed nationally and internationally, with collections in Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum, Quinnipiac University, USA; Siena Art Institute, Italy; and Urawa Wood-Cut Prints Association, Japan.

Since 2002 Pádraic has visited Inishark regularly, making studies in watercolour and drawing dilapidating houses and farmsteads, as all evidence of human impact fades away.

His oil paintings and graphics viscerally enliven these spaces once again in a blending of colour, physical landscape, and remnants of fishing communities.

This exhibition challenges the viewer to consider the history of our islands, and to critically examine the larger rural decline.

Inis Airc is now open in NUI Galway’s Hardiman Research Building, where it will remain on display until May 28.

The exhibition is hosted by the University’s Moore Institute and funded by the Discipline of Geography for the 7th EUGEO Congress international conference.

Council leases former B&B to COPE for homeless family hub

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news City council leases Corrib Haven to COPE for homeless family hub

Galway city council has approved leasing Corrib Haven to COPE Galway to operate as shelter for homeless families.

The city council bought the Corrib Haven B&B on the Upper Newcastle road last August for just over €1 million to put a roof over the head of a dozen homeless families.

The former guesthouse is now being leased to COPE Galway for two years from May 1 2019, with the option to extend that lease for another three years for a nominal fee of €5 a year.

The hub would serve as a temporary refuge for families without a home while they make the transition to other housing supports and find a permanent place to live.

Since last year work has been taking place on the B&B to make it fit for use as accommodation for families and it is expected to be operational in a matter of weeks.

It will serve as a better alternative to hotel and b&b’s for families without a home, with kitchen and laundry facilities, as well as play areas for the children.

There are currently 52 families in Galway living in emergency accommodation, and this hub will help to get them out of hotels and guesthouses which are not a fit place for children to live for any length of time.

It is also more cost effective as Galway city council is currently spending almost €300,000 a month on privately owned emergency accommodation.

Some concerns were expressed by local residents last year that accommodation options for the homeless population in Galway are being overly concentrated in this area of the city.

The council voted unanimously to approve the lease to COPE.

€250,000 fund to let Irish students live in the Gaeltacht

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Increased funding for Gaeltacht summer college accommodation providers

People studying Irish in higher education will get the chance to live in the Gaeltacht for three months with a new €250,000 fund.

Students who have Irish as a core subject in their degree or who require a high level of competency in Irish for their career will get the chance to live with a family in the Gaeltacht for a semester.

Minister of State for the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands Seán Kyne announces the quarter million funding scheme at NUIG’s Irish Language college Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, ÓEG in Carna today.

The scheme will provide a subsidy if €17 a day to Gaeltacht families taking part who qualify under the Department’s Irish Language Learner’s Scheme.

It’s expected that this programme will be able to accommodate 175 third level students.

Seán Kyne said this scheme would give people the chance to “enrich their Irish” by being immersed in it on a daily basis.

This partnership will benefit both the Irish language as a whole, and the Gaeltacht areas which are its primary domain Minister Kyne added.

“This will also help to further develop the state system’s capacity in attending to the extra demands on services that are provided through Irish at present and in the future.”

“For many years students learning languages have had the opportunity to spend time immersed in a target language while studying abroad on Erasmus.”

“A fund will now be available for the first time which will help students to spend an entire semester in the Gaeltacht”.

Its expected that this fund of €250,000 will allow 175 higher level students to live and study in the Gaeltacht according to the Minister.

Raise the Flag against heart failure with Croí

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Briain Kelly
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This month Croí Galway are asking people to take action and Raise The Flag on the symptoms and dangers of heart failure.

Heart failure is a disease that affects some 26 million people and is growing in prevalence Croí said.

As many as 1 in 5 people over the age of 40 will develop heart failure in their lifetime as a result of heart disease, high blood pressure, certain infections, or congenital conditions.

Croí warns that heart failure can take years to develop and or occur extremely suddenly, and that the early symptoms can be subtle, but a timely diagnosis is crucial.

Over the next three Fridays, May 17, 24, 31, Croí are asking people to Raise the Flag with the to highlight the danger signs and symptoms of heart failure.

Red flag symptoms include breathlessness, fatigue and swollen limbs, while other early symptoms include:

  • Coughing/wheezing
  • Extreme tiredness or no energy
  • Loss of appetite
  • More frequent urination, especially at night
  • Rapid heartbeat or palpitations
  • Shortness of breath
  • Shortness of breath, even when lying down
  • Swelling in the ankles/feet/stomach
  • Weight gain over a short period of time (>2kg over 2 days)

People who experience these symptoms should contact their GP to discuss potential health concerns they made have.

Raise the Flag will see Croí, the Heart & Stroke Charity, are joining with The Global Heart Hub and over 20 organisations across 15 counties worldwide.

Average cost to rent in Galway now over €1,200

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Briain Kelly
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galway daily news average rent in galway rooms for rent in galway city price

The average cost to rent a home in Galway city is now more than €1,200 as rental prices climbed by 1.7% in the first quarter of 2019.

Newly released figures from Daft.ie shows that the average cost of rent in Galway city is now €1,260, a growth of 11.4% year on year.

Prices also climbed out in Galway county, with the average rent standing at €906, up by 2.1% in the first three months of this year and 16.6% higher than in the same period last year.

Economist Ronan Lyons who complied this report said that the Irish rental sector remains “starved of supply” and that this is driving up prices.

On May 1 there were just 2,700 rental properties available in Ireland according to Daft.ie, the lowest number since the beginning of 2006.

“This is the lowest ever figure for stock on the market, in a series that goes back to the start of 2006,” said economist Ronan Lyons who compiled this report.

“The length of this series allows us to put the current rental shortage into perspective. During the Celtic Tiger period, rental stock bottomed out at just under 4,400 in early 2007.”

“Only once in the 41 months and counting since the start of 2016 has the number of rental homes on the market been above this Celtic Tiger low – and that was in December of that year, an atypical month in the rental market.”

Nationally rents rose by 1.5% in Q1 2019 according to Daft, with the average cost to rent a home in Ireland now standing at €1,366.

For people in Galway renting a room in a home, it now costs an average of €453 for a single bed room in the city centre, €396 in the suburbs, and €380 across the rest of Connacht.

A double bed room will set you back €502 a month in the city centre, €465 in the suburbs, and €429 in the rest of Connacht.

Ronan Lyons warned that prices will not drop until the shortfall in supply is addressed, but that some economists are making a dangerous argument that new builds aren’t helping.

“Supply cannot be the answer because newly built rental supply, for example in the form of purpose-built student accommodation or more recently “PRS” built-torent homes – is expensive.”

He warned that this argument misses the point that the more new builds come on the market, the more it drives down prices in older accommodation.

NUIG competition has school children cooking up clinical trials

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news school children create clinical trials for START competition

Primary school kids from around Ireland will be coming to Galway this week to show off the medical clinical trials they have created in the final round of the START competition.

Now in its fourth year, the Schools Teaching Awareness of Randomised Trials (START) competition aims to educate students about why we need randomised trials to improve healthcare nationally and globally.

Earlier this year primary schools from all over the country were invited to dream up their own fun, randomised clinical trials on a topic of their choice.

The three schools which made the shortlist are coming to NUIG to present their work this Friday, May 17 where a final winner will be chosen.

Gaelscoil an Eiscir Riada NS of Tullamore, Co. Offaly asked ‘Does listening to the same music while studying for and completing a test improve your scores?‘

While Ovens NS, Co. Cork decided to find out ‘Does watching TV while doing written homework cause you to lose concentration?’.

And Scoil Mobhí NS in Glasnevin, Dublin carried out a trial to answer ‘Does positive encouragement and praise affect running speed?’

The START competition is run by the Health Research Board – Trials Methodology Research Network at NUIG to celebrate International Clinical Trials Day, and the anniversary of the first clinical trial which was carried out in 1747 in the British Navy.

James Lind carried out a controlled trial on a group of sailors with scurvy, giving one group vinegar and cider with their diet and the other lemon juice to see who recovered best.

Dr Darrin Morrissey, Chief Executive at the Health Research Board, praised the school pupils for their “ingenuity” in designing their own clinical trials.

He added that he hopes that taking part in this competition and sharing what they’ve learned with friends and family will help “demystify” clinical research and “encourage more people to ask about what trials are available to them in relation to their own healthcare”.

The three shortlisted schools were selected by a group of judges: Kinvara NS teacher Aisling Murray who was the teacher of last year’s winning class; Dr Andrew Oxman, Research Director of the Global Health Unit at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health; and Ms Sarah Chapman, Knowledge Broker at Cochrane UK.

Dr Sandra Galvin, HRB-TMRN Programme Manager said that this competition has “captured the children’s imagination and creativity”.

But more than that, she said that the approach these kids have taken to their work in helping people to understand “complex and challenging” issues and information is an important aspect of improving healthcare.

Work on Spiddal wastewater treatment plant causing water outages

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

Work being carried out on the Spiddal wastewater treatment plant is causing disruptions to the local water supply today.

Irish Water have said that scheduled work taking place on the treatment plant will cause water outages in Spiddal and the surrounding areas until it is finished.

The work is currently expected to be complete by 3pm this afternoon.

Water network repairs are also taking place in Shantalla in Galway city today, as well as in Tuam.

Work in Tuam is expected to be completed by 6pm this evening, while repairs in the city will continue overnight until 6am on Tuesday morning.

Anyone who is without water as a result of these issues today should expect it to take 2-3 hours after work is completed for the full water supply to return.

Show off your blooming best in the Galway City Tidy Towns and Garden Competition

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Entries open for Galway City Tidy Towns and Garden competition 2021

Entrants are now open for people who want to show the effort and pride they put into their home for the Galway City Tidy Towns and Garden Competition.

Categories in the 2019 Galway City Tidy Towns and Garden Competition include best front garden, best residential estate, best shop-front, best community project and best school.

For the front garden category the city will be divided into three areas and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places will be awarded in each area.

The overall best garden will win the Alderman’s Cup, the best front garden in a council estate will be awarded the Lydon Cup, and the Madden’s Novice Trophy will go to the best first time entrant.

In people’s houses the Councillor’s Cup is for the best window box/floral display and the Galway Crystal Trophy is for the best lawn.

Entries for a residential area must be made by a resident’s association, with prizes being awarded in the categories of 0-50 houses, 50-200 houses, and 200+ houses.

Trophies will also be awarded for the best gardens in a residential estate and council estate, and for the best flower or shrub beds in a residential area.

Public and commercial buildings will be competing for prizes for the best shopfront/floral display, with judges also paying attention to the level of litter in the vicinity.

Community or youth groups can also enter into the competition for a garden project they have undertaken such as an organic garden or planting initiative.

The Environment Awards category is sponsored by the city council to recognise individuals, schools, businesses, or estates that have gone the extra mile to make their gardens and open spaces environmentally friendly.

There are two categories for schools; best garden and best floral display/window boxes.

Prizes for the winning schools are sponsored by Dangan Nurseries.

More information and entry forms can be downloaded at galwaycity.ie or collected at reception in city hall.

Completed entries for the 2019 Galway City Tidy Towns and Garden Competition should be submitted to the environment depart at the city council by 4pm on May 31 at the latest.

Anyone who won last year and is competing again this year is going to get a five point handicap.

It’s hoped that judging will start in early July, but that is of course at the whims of Galway’s weather, with winners announced in August/September.

Older people’s creativity is Burning Bright with the help of Galway Arts Centre

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily life & style Older people are Burning Bright with the help of Galway Arts Centre

Galway Arts Centre has been working with older people in nursing homes and day units around Galway city to help them with their creative expression in the Burning Bright programme.

Burning Bright is an artistic programme for older people run by Galway Arts Centre which is part of the Bealtaine Festival, the national arts festival celebrating creativity as we age.

Established 14 years ago, the project encourages participants to celebrate and engage in their own creativity, and Burning Bright brings together work from three projects that have been running this year.

Facilitated by professional artists working in nursing units, day centres and hospitals across Galway City, this visual arts project enhances opportunity for self-expression.

In The Charms of Mervue artist Louise Manifold has been working with people at Sonas Day Centre Mervue to create art based on the value of old objects and heirlooms belonging to participants.

They have been working to create a small living museum of the first residents of the Mervue estates back in the 1950s.

As part of this project the people creating art have worked with an antique collector on the historical and product value of individual items as well as looking at the personal, sentimental value that makes them so important.

Over at the St. Francis Day Care Centre Amantine Dahan has been helping a group working in a context of geometries that reminds the of happy times, other context and histories in Happy Geometry.

Commonly looking at shapes and how they take us to other places in time, Amantine explored the sentimental value even a simple shape can take on.

Over at Croí na Gaillimhe artist Cliona Ryan has been working with a group of people on Hospitality, looking at the hospitality that naturally occurs in nature.

Their work combines the frailty of paper flowers offset against the strength found in growths of wood.

These patches that have been incorporated in the paper hearts are a contemporary twist on traditional crafting methods and again reinforce the healing aspect of human nature.

It is housed in Croi na Gaillimhe with the influence being on how people, both volunteers and attendees alike, pull together to offer warmth and hospitality to all who are housed within the walls of the building and the surrounds.

Burning Bright is being launched at Galway Arts Centre on Monday, May 13 at 2pm and will run until May 25.

 

photo: Aoife Frehan

Welcome to Work programme helps hundreds of migrants find employmemt

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Welcome to Work programme helps hundreds of migrants find employment

Almost 200 migrants in Galway, Castlebar, and Monaghan have been helped on their path to finding long term employment by the Welcome to Work programme.

Since June 2017 migrants legally residents in Ireland have been taking part in this 13 week course in Galway, Castlebar, and Monaghan run by Seetec.

This programme is intended to increase people’s ability to find employment or go into further training by helping them with language training, social skills and close mentoring.

This week saw three migrants resident in Galway graduate from the programme, with the remainder or people enrolled finishing up in June.

Georgina Murphy, Seetec Operations & Supply Chain Director said the Welcome to Work helps to change the lives of people in Ireland’s new communities.

“Our teams have worked hard in the last two years supporting our participants and giving them the best possible chance to boost their employment opportunities.”

“This has a positive impact on the community with more people ready to enter the workforce and businesses now able to recruit from a larger pool of potential employees”.

Welcome to Work began in June 2017 and is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Social Fund (ESF) as part of the Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning.

According to Seetec, since the programme began 193 resident migrants have enrolled in it.

23-year-old Suleiman fled his home in Syria and came to Ireland as part of Ireland’s refugee resettlement programme.

He said that he has secondary level education and experience working as a waiter, but he needed to improve his CV and other areas to become more employable.

“I was given support with writing a CV, practicing interviewing techniques, improving my digital skills, speaking conversational English, learning about Irish culture, cooking and music, and I met some lovely people,” said Suleiman, who has since found work in a hotel.

Patrycja, who participated with her husband, said that the programme helped her to integrate into the community here in Galway.

“From lesson to lesson I realised that this programme helped me to settle well into Galway, to get to know people, improve my English and give me confidence.”

Galway’s famed Dough Bros headed to Dublin for one week only

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily Dough Bros closes its doors amid coronavirus pandemic

Galway’s mouthwatering pizza makers the Dough Bros are headed to Dublin this month to show them how its done for one week only.

The Dough Bros have teamed up with Birra Moretti to bring a slice of heaven to Dublin in a pop up shop for one week later this month.

To honour the occasion and their new partnership the pizzeria have created a new recipe, ‘The Baffo’ pizza.

This mouth water dish has Crushed San Marzano Tomato, Parmigiano Reggiano D.O.P, Fresh Basil, Buffalo Mozzarella D.O.P, Double Guanciale, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Pecorino Romano and Post Oven Pepper.

If you’re passing through the capital and crave an authentic pizzeria experience then the Pizzeria Birra Moretti with The Dough Bros will be there for you on Camden Street from May 22 to May 28.

For one week only, this pizerria will be open for the following hours:

  • Wed 8pm-10.30pm
  • Thurs 4pm-10.30pm
  • Fri 1pm-10.30pm
  • Sat 1pm-10.30pm
  • Sun 2pm-10.30pm
  • Mon 4pm-10.30pm
  • Tues 4pm-10.30pm

photo: Facebook/DoughBros

Motorway traffic to be disrupted by week long roadworks

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Roadworks to disrupt traffic near Portumna on Tuesday

Motorway traffic in Galway will be disrupted throughout next week by roadworks taking place on M6/ M17-M18 Interchange at Rathmorrisey.

One land at the motorway interchange roundabout at Rathmorrisey will be closed from Monday to Friday to allow roadworks to take place.

Galway county council has ordered the lane closure to allow for new signage installation and road-marking works.

During the day time from 9:15am to 4:15pm a single lane will be closed to facilitate signage erection works.

All lanes will be open to traffic during rush hour in the evening, then one lane will close again from 7:30pm until 5:30am the following morning for road marking.

These roadworks will take place from Monday, May 13 through to Friday, May 17, with night time works expected to last three day.

One lane will be kept open at all times to allow motorway traffic to proceed.

Should these works finish ahead of schedule the county council will update.

NUIG student societies rake in awards nationwide

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news NUIG student societies awards

It’s been a very good year for student societies at NUIG, with awards piling up on the shelves at the end of the academic year.

This year saw societies at NUIG take home awards from the Board of Irish College Societies (BICS) National Society Awards, Musical Theatre Intervarsities, Irish Student Drama Awards (ISDA) and the Dance Intervarsity.

NUI Galway has over 125 student societies with over 1,000 committee members and 12,000 members in total.

Riona Hughes, Societies Officer at NUI Galway said that it’s been a “bumper year” for societies with over 3,000 events organised and numerous awards won.

“They have invited the wider community onto campus and engaged with partners throughout the world, it is a joy to see their efforts rewarded at a national level.”

NUI Galway now currently holds the record for the most awards since the BICS’s Awards inception with 50 awards won over the past 19 years.

NUIG’s musical society GUMS hosted the fourth annual Musical Theatre Intervarsities here in Galway in March where it won three awards including Best Direction for Patrick Conneely, Best Musical Direction for Katie Feeney and Best Overall Show.

The Drama Society (Dramsoc) won a record-breaking six awards and received a further 18 nominations at ISDA 2019.

The awards included Best Costumes, Best Hair and Make-up, Best Supporting Actress, Best Lighting Design, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Ensemble.

The Dance Society Irish troupe, choreographed by student Matthew Gardner, also won first place in their category at the Dance Intervarsity.

Planning permission extended for Headford Housing estate

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Planning permission extended to build 113 houses in Moycullen

More time has been granted to complete a housing estate in Headford consisting of 54 homes.

An extension of duration to planning permission was sought to complete the housing development on the Cong Road in Headford.

This is the second EOD granted by the county council since planning permission was first awarded in 2009 for an original design consisting of 110 houses and a creche.

That decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála by An Taisce in the same year.

An Bord Pleanála decided to refuse permission for the northern half of the development, but allowed planning permission to stand for 54 houses on the southern end of the site.

Work began on site on February 21 of this year. According to the developer work that has taken place so far includes securing the site’s boundary and erecting Heras fencing to the public road.

Four houses have been built up to the foundation level, and vehicular access has also been laid out for construction.

With the extension of duration granted planning permission to complete this housing estate will now last until December 31, 2021.

The developer is required to lodge €296,000 with the county council to secure the provision of public lighting, road, footpaths, sewerage and other infrastructure.

Demands for explanation as Tusla employee pleads guilty to possessing child porn

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Galway Daily credit unions sport Television broadcast deal sidelines GAA fans says Rabbitte

Demands have been made for an explanation from Tusla after an employee of the child protection agency pleaded guilty to possessing more than 2,000 image of child porn.

Denis O’Donovan, who worked in an administrative role with Tusla at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Court this week to possessing more than 2,000 image and 12 videos of child porn.

Galway East TD Anne Rabbitte, who is the Fianna Fáil spokesperson for Children and Youth Affairs, said this is “disturbing revelation” which requires an immediate response from Tusla.

“We need to be able to trust Tusla with the protection of our children and young people,” Deputy Rabbitte said, adding that the case highlights the need for “vigilance and caution”.

“We know that people who want to abuse children will do their utmost to gain access to children and young people,” Deputy Rabbitte said, and asked what vetting processes are in place in Tusla to stop such people from entering the agency.

Anyone who is seeking employment that will have them in contact with children or vulnerable adults must undergo garda vetting under the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012–2016.

According to a Garda witness who spoke in court, O’Donovan did not have any contact with children in his job at Tusla.

O’Donovan is no longer employed with the child protection agency.

Gardaí became aware of the child porn in O’Donovan’s possession when they were alerted to it by the National Child Exploitation Co-ordination Centre in Canada.

Deputy Rabbitte concluded by saying that Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone “Must immediately lay out how she intends on dealing with this issue and the extra measures Tusla will be putting in place in order to ensure that this type of thing does not reoccur.”

Three Galway seafood companies benefit from multi-million grant scheme

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Briain Kelly
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Galway Daily news Three Galway seafood companies share in €2.5 million grant programme

Three Galway seafood companies have benefited from grant programme which has awarded almost €2.5 million to support investment in the marine sector.

Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, Michael Creed today announced that 17 seafood enterprises in nine counties have been awarded  €2,369,801 in grants under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Operational Programme.

These grants are in support of companies which are making their own investments to expand their facilities and reach new markets.

Michael Lydon of Maam has been awarded an EMFF grant of €18,039 to help upgrade his shellfish longline system, supporting a total investment of €45,099 under the Sustainable Aquaculture Scheme.

Breizon Teo shellfish producers in Rossaveal are receiving a grant of €5,004 under the Seafood Innovation & Business Planning Scheme supporting a total investment of €10,009 for a R&D project to pack Irish prawns for the French market.

And the Connemara Producers Group have been awarded €100,571 for market development in Asia as part of the Seafood Scaling & New Market Development Scheme, with the total investment coming to €201,143.

In total the grants announced today will support total investment in these companies of €6.5 million in the aquaculture and seafood processing sectors.

“Despite uncertainties created by Brexit over the past 2 years, there is still strong confidence in our seafood sector about its future growth prospects,” Michael Creed said.

“These companies are seizing the market opportunities that are there in abundance for quality Irish seafood products.”

The EMFF programme is providing €240m in funding to the seafood sector (fisheries, aquaculture and seafood processing) over the period 2014 to 2020, and is co-funded by the EU and the government.

It consists of five separate grants schemes, three of which awarded funding to local companies this year.

The Sustainable Aquaculture Scheme supports capital investment by licensed aquaculture enterprises to sustainably grow production and reduce the environmental impact of aquaculture.

The Innovation & Business Planning Scheme provides up to 30 percent of the funding for seafood businesses to improve their production capacity.

And the Scaling & New Market Development Scheme provides up to half of the funding for businesses which are trying to create new export products.

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