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Maldron Hotel owner sees profits reach €87 million

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Galway Daily news Maldron Hotel summer deal sees kids staying free

The Dalata Group, Ireland’s biggest hotel operator, saw a 13 percent increase in profits last year.

The Irish Independent reports that newly filed accounts show that the hotel group recorded pre-tax profits of €87 million in 2018.

Dalata, which operates both the Maldron and Clayton Hotel brands, saw its profits rise with increased revenue per available room go up 4.7 percent to €94.13.

Overall revenues last year also had a strong growth of 11.8 percent, reaching a total of €393.7 million.

Pat McCann, Dalata CEO told the Independent he was delighted that 2018 was a year for record earnings growth.

He added that he was pleased with “our performance and achievements which required a tremendous amount of hard work.”

During 2018 Dalata added 1,150 new rooms to its stock in Galway, Dublin, Belfast, Cork, and Newcastle.

Between now and 2021 it’s intended that the group also plans to deliver on 2,190 new rooms in the works.

Family Fun Day for aspiring engineers at NUI Galway

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Galway Daily news Family Fun for aspiring engineers at NUI Galway
Photo IMG 1531: NUI Galway getting ready for the full day family event during Engineers Week 2018

For all those young kids who love to see how things work or make something, anything, themselves, NUI Galway is hosting a Family Fun Day this Engineers Week.

The full day event ‘Engineering Our Future: Family Fun Day’ will take place on Saturday, March 2 at the Alice Perry Engineering Building from 10am – 4pm.

Young and older people alike can delight at the spectacle of Ireland’s Ingenious Engineers’ show by Scientific Sue and get a close up look at some of the feats of engineering made by Irish scientists in the past 350 years.

Designing (probably) the best drinking chocolate in the world, creating a cloud in a bottle, exploring colour changing vegetables, making ice-cream in a baggie and sending rockets sky high are just a few of the creative demonstrations that will be used by Sue on her historical scientific journey.

‘Focus on Forces’ will look at all the different forces that affect our lives, magnetic, electrical and more, and experiment with them in fun ways.

Families will get a chance to build their own wind turbine, perform flight experiments, or interact with the many chemicals in our lives and see where they end up. Hint, it’s usually the ocean.

Peter McHugh, Dean of College of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway said that they want to show people how engineering crops up in every part of our lives.

“It allows us to live, communicate, travel, work, play, stay safe and healthy,” he said.

“By taking maths and science from the lab, engineers dream of, invent, design and build things that change the reality and future of all human beings.”

And there are plenty of resources here to show how engineers at NUI Galway want to help young people change the world.

Trained CoderDojo Ninjas will be on hand to learn about programming, the GEEC team will be showing off their hyper-energy efficient car, or just relax at the LEGO play area.

A screening of the documentary ‘Dream Big: Engineering Our World’ narrated by Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges will celebrate the human creativity behind engineering marvels big and small.

From majestic wonders like the Great Wall of China and the world’s tallest buildings, to underwater robots, solar cars and smart, sustainable cities.

Each shows how engineers push the limits of innovation in unexpected and amazing ways.   

Dr Jamie Goggins from the School of Engineering said the great thing about having a family fun day is that children are natural engineers.

“They love to design and build things, using whatever they can get their hands on.”

“With knowledge, innovation and creativity engineers change the reality and future of all human beings.”

ALONE charity launches smart home tech for older people in Galway

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Galway daily news Day services in Loughrea remain in limbo

The charity ALONE launched a new programme of smart home technology in Galway this week, to keep older people connected to essential services.

ALONE, which is committed to helping older people to live independently at home, has launched a pilot programme for its BConnect smart home technology.

The goal is to install this tech in 60 homes in Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon to keep older people connected to services that will help them monitor their health, and feel secure.

Galway East TD Seán Canney attended the pilot programme’s launch at the Portershed.

He said that it’s hoped that the success of this pilot scheme will see this technology rolled out on a wider scale.

The BConnect programme’s smart home tech includes a personal alarm, motion, temperature, and door sensors in the home which will throw up an alert if they get worrying, and the BWell app that comes with a daily seven-question wellness test.

This new project is being funded by €169,365 from the Dormant Accounts Fund which was distributed by Seán Canney as Minister of State in the Department for Rural and Community Development.

It is being carried out in partnership with St Vincent de Paul West region and Clúid Housing.

Domino’s to give away free pizzas in Galway this Friday!

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domino's pizza free galway daily

Domino’s will give away 400 pizzas in four different locations across Ireland this week, with people in Galway being in with a chance of scooping a glorious free pizza on Friday.

The giveaway is to mark the launch of the popular pizza takeaway’s new GPS tracker.

The new GPS tracker will allow customers to track their pizza from the store to their front door.

To be in with of a chance of claiming a free pizza on Friday, you must spot a four-foot high ‘Domi-Pin’ in Galway between 2pm and 4pm.

The first 100 people to see the pin will get a free pizza on the spot.

The new GPS feature will see a live map appear when an order is placed online, so customers know exactly where their pizza is en route.

Galway scientist wins top prize at Cancer Society Awards

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Galway Daily news Galway scientist wins top prize at Irish Cancer Society awards

Dr Aideen Ryan won the top prize for her work at the 2019 Irish Cancer Society Research Awards.

The cancer society awards recognised some of the vital work being undertaken by researchers and support staff throughout the country in improving cancer care.

Kiltormer native Aideen won the top prize of Research Paper of the Year for her work on immunotherapy treatments.

Currently a lecturer in Tumour Immunology in the School of Medicine at NUI Galway, Aideen received funding for her research into bowel cancer in 2013.

She has been focusing on trying new ways to tackle the disease through immunotherapy treatments to the body’s natural defences.

“Bowel cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer deaths in Ireland,”Aideen said “so I feel privileged that my Irish Cancer Society funding has given me the chance to explore new ways to treat this disease and save lives.”

She has won this award for her research paper ‘Stromal cell PD-L1 inhibits CD8+ T-cell antitumor immune responses and promotes colon cancer’, published in the journal Cancer Immunology Research.

The paper was written by a team of authors, led by PhD researcher Grace O’Malley of NUI Galway.

Other Galway-based colleagues who contributed include Oliver Treacy, Kevin Lynch, Serika Naicker, Paul Lohan, Thomas Ritter, and Laurence Egan; and from Queens University Belfast, Philip Dunne.

Aideen was one of six people who talked about their work to a packed audience at the awards ceremony in Dublin’s House of Lords.

It was also announced at the awards that thanks to the generosity of public donations, the Irish Cancer Society expects to have invested €30 million into research by 2020.

Averil Power, Chief Executive of the Irish Cancer Society said, “This decade has broken all records for cancer research in Ireland.”

“Thanks to the generosity of the public, the Irish Cancer Society has invested more money in life-saving research than ever before, finding better ways to prevent, detect and treat cancer.”

In 2019 the Cancer Society expects to invest €2.3 million in research involving 100 scientists around the country.

Colemanstown FC progresses plans for all weather pitch

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A decision is due in the coming weeks for an a new all weather football pitch for Colemanstown, Ballinasloe.

Colemanstown United FC submitted a planning application with Galway county council last October for a 1000sq metre all weather pitch.

The synthetic grass pitch would also include perimeter fencing, netting, and four 12m high floodlights.

The Deaprtment of Arts, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht made a submission regarding the proximity of the project to Lough Corrib, a Special Area of Conservation.

Last November the county council requested more information from the club, asking for a Appropriate Assessment Screening Report listing any potential impacts within the conservation zone.

McCarty Keville O’Sullivan Ltd consultants prepared a report on behalf of the club which declared that the project would not impact conservation objectives in any way.

Included in the planning application is a letter from Frank and Bernadette Burke, owners of the land in question, giving their consent for the development.

No other submissions or objections have been made to the county council about this project.

The club has consulted with Kerry based company PST Sport about installing the all weather pitch.

Colemanstown United FC was founded in 1982 in the North east Galway village.

It quickly came to find its home in the field in front of Burke’s Bar where it remains to this day.

Frank and Bernadette have long been friends of the club, sponsoring the pitch, training grounds, and new clubhouse in use today.

A decision is due from the county council about the all weather pitch by March 3.

Coast Guard helicopter crew praised for Inis Mór rescue

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Galway Daily news Letterkenny to UHG was the busiest inter hospital Coast Guard route this year

The crew of a Coast Guard helicopter have been praised for performing a difficult rescue on the Aran Islands over the weekend.

Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115 was called out to Inis Mór after reports of people getting into difficulty at ‘The Worm Hole’.

This is a treacherous spot on the coast of Inis Mór where a deep pit is very exposed to waves on the slippery, rock shoreline.

The helicopter airlifted two people to safety under difficult circumstances and brought them to University Hospital Galway.

Gerard O’Flynn of the Irish Coast Guard said to the Examiner that it was an difficult mission with a good outcome.

He praised the entire crew, and in particular the winchman, for bringing two people to safety.

Galway to Limerick rail services disrupted 146 times in 2017

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The Galway to Limerick line the most frequently disrupted rail services in Ireland with 146 separate incidents in 2017.

The number of journeys either cancelled or delayed was even worse the year before with rail services disrupted 616 times.

According to the Irish Times there were 1,094 services disrupted nationwide in 2017, coming to three separate incidents a day.

Other badly hit rail lines include the Dublin to Belfast and Dublin to Dundalk routes with over 100 disruptions each last year.

Figures were obtained by Green Party transport spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe found that Irish Rail has spent €2.5 million on taxis and buses for stranded passengers in the past five years.

That breaks down to €791,000 spent on taxis and a further €1.7 million hiring buses for stranded passengers.

Deputy Cuffe said that this level of closures would be unacceptable of it happened on a motorway.

Chief executive of Irish Rail Jim Meadesaid said that line closures generally took place for scheduled engineering works, which are required for safety.

He added that these disruptions only make up a low percentage of more than 230,000 services that ran last year.

This morning passengers are dealing with major delays of up to 80 minutes on all rail services leaving Heuston station, and a 30 minute wait for all inbound trains.

Medtronic to close Crospon plant in Dangan

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Galway daily news Medtronic plans to make 1,000 ventilators a day in Mervue by the end of June

Multinational medical devices manufacturer Medtronic has announced that it is closing the Crospon manufacturing plant in Dangan.

The Irish Times reports that the company told staff last week that the plant will close in the next year, with operations moving to other Medtronic facilities, including elsewhere in Galway city.

The medtech giant bought Crospon in December 2017 for a reported €38 million.

Chief Executive Omar Ishrak said that Crospon had integrated very well with the rest of the company.

The company specialises in producing devices for diagnosing gastrointestinal conditions.

A spokesperson for Medtronic said that the factory at the IDA Business Park in Dangan currently manufactures the Endoflip imaging system, and Endoflip and Esoflip balloon catheters.

In order to maximise the efficiency of operations, the spokesperson said, that production will be moved to other locations.

Medtronic is the world’s largest manufacturer of medical devices, and has upgraded its sales forecasts for this year after better than expected quarterly results.

It was also confirmed that Crospon’s R&D operations will remain in Ireland despite this change.

Massive delays on Galway to Heuston rail service

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Galway Daily news Extra train services added for supporters going to Galway v Limerick semi-final

All rail services from Dublin to Galway are experiencing an 80 minute delay today.

Irish rail have said that all services via Heuston are being delayed due to a line fault between Sallins and Newbridge this morning.

However services to Heuston from Galway are still running this morning, though they will be experiencing a 30 minute delay.

In an earlier warning this morning it was said that services would experience an hour long delay, but that has evidently worsened.

While Irish Rail have been putting out updates via twitter this morning, there is no indication on their webpage about the delays.

Many passengers reacting to the news on twitter have expressed their anger at the lack of information.

One passenger who said she was stuck waiting at Newbridge to get to Heuston said “could you also please update your app to actual real time delay”.

Others said that board at Heuston station was not updating with the delayed times.

Irish rail is updating with fresh information, but there is no word yet when regular service is expected to be resumed without delays.

One type of seaweed could play a key role in coastal economies

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Galway Daily news One type of seaweed could be key to Irish aquaculture

Breeding one particular type of seaweed could be this secret sauce needed for Irish aquaculture.

Researchers at NUI Galway studied 50 different strains of seaweed to determine which produced the best yields and nutritional value for cultivation.

They found that strains of sea lettuce grew extremely quickly and produced crops with a very high value for animal feed and industrial uses.

It outperformed the seaweed currently cultivated in aquaculture, as those are usually the result of opportunistic gatherings, without any care spent selecting the most valuable strains.

Dr Ronan Sulpice from the Ryan Institute at NUI Galway was the lead author of this study.

He said that it was an important shopping stone towards “modern breeding approaches for seaweed aquaculture”.

For this project samplea of 50 different seaweed strains were gathered from beaches in Roundstone, Derrygimla, Dog’s Bay, Clifden, Tievegarriff, Ventry Bay, Lahinch, Bunowen Beach, Eastern Scheldt (Netherlands), Tolka and Courtmacsherry beach.

These were cultivated in the lab with their relative growth monitored by a special platform custom made by Dr Antoine Fort.

sea lettuce lab station credit: NUI Galway

The study found a massive range of growth with increases of between 9 and 37 percent recorded among the different strains.

One way the seaweed was found to be very different from land based plants is that it did most of its growing at night.

This sea lettuce was also unusual in that it wasn’t breaking down starch and glucose for food, also unlike other crops.

Instead it accumulated nitrates in its tissue during the night, and this was shown to correlate with the growth levels recorded.

The next step in this research will be to sequence the genomes of all the sea lettuce strains in the study to try and identify those genes responsible for rapid growth and its high nutritional value.

The scope of the project will also expand at this stage to include 300 strains of sea lettuce from around Europe.

Dr Antoine Fort said the study “paves the way towards the domestication and breeding of elite strains of seaweed blooms (Ulva) for aquaculture.”

This would be a massive breakthrough in the industry as it marks a shift towards practices similar to “what has been done for crop plants since the beginning of agriculture,” Dr Fort concluded.

Five days of roadworks at Oughterard to cause delays

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Galway Daily news Roadworks to disrupt traffic near Portumna on Tuesday

Traffic delays can be expected on the N59 from tomorrow as a week’s worth of roadworks get underway at Oughterard.

Resurfacing roadworks are being done on a stretch of road out from Oughterard village towards Oughterard Golf Club.

Work will take place each day from 9am to 6:30pm starting on Monday, February 25 until Friday March 1.

A stop and go system will be in place to manage traffic during the day for the duration of the works.

Galway county council has advised anyone who’ll be travelling on the N59 next week to give themselves extra time to allow for congestion.

Damning report a “wake-up call” to social media firms

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Galway Daily news Social media overload makes people susceptible to Covid-19 misinformation NUIG study shows

Galway West TD Hildegarde Naughton has said that a damning Westminster report into the spread of harmful content online should be “wake-up call” for social media firms.

The 108 page report compiled by the British parliament looked at the spread of fake news and harmful content on social media.

The report was particularly critical of Facebook’s practices and the refusal of CEO Mark Zuckerberg to appear before parliament to answer questions in person.

It described the social media giant as a group “digital gangsters” in their handling of privacy concerns and fake news.

Deputy Naughton, who chairs the Oireachtas Communications Committee has said this report shows the need for independent regulation of social media to handle malicious or otherwise harmful content.

“There is absolutely no doubt that social media platforms need to be regulated and harmful and illegal content removed as a matter of priority.”

The Fine Gael TD is backing a Digital Safety Commissioner Bill which would create an independent regulator with the power to issue a takedown order for online content deemed harmful.

However the bill has raised concerns about free speech and censorship, with particular issues raised over how “harmful content” is defined.

Communications Minister Richard Bruton said this week that such legislation can’t advance, or be enforced until a proper definition of harmful content is nailed down.

This process is likely to take some time working with the Attorney General, Minister Bruton said.

The Sinn Féin bill is currently before the Communications Committee for scrutiny before coming to the full Dáil.

Hildegarde Naughton said that the committee members are united in their position that regulations are required.

“The Government have accepted this position and have agreed that the days of self-regulation are over.”

Deputy Naughton is also the Irish representative to the International Grand Committee scrutinising social media and fake news which represents 170 million users in countries around the world.

The Committee will next meet in Canada in May.

Deputy Naughton said that it’s important that Ireland and the international community work together “to ensure children and young adults are protected while, at the same time,  safeguarding free speech.”

Ministers to attend ceremony to begin works to Meelick Weir

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meelick weir galway daily

An East Galway TD has said he is looking forward to welcoming Minister Sean Kyne to Meelick next Friday for a ceremony to mark the start of works to Meelick Weir.

Galway West TD Sean Kyne will be visiting Meelick next Friday, 1 March, to turn the first sod at 10am to mark the start of restoration works.

Minister Cannon said: “This will be wonderful occasion for the local community and comes soon after my colleague Minister Madigan committed some €3.1m to ensure that the project gets the investment necessary to see it through to completion and return this significant component of local built heritage to fully operational status.

“Furthermore, this major investment, coming in the same week as my colleague Minister Ring announced substantial allocations of funding to projects in Tuam, Athenry, Dunmore, Kinvara and Coole Park, continues to illustrate the Government`s commitment to supporting all aspects of rural Ireland`s economic development.”

Minister Cannon added: ” look forward to welcoming Minister Kyne to Meelick next week and in joining with the local community in celebrating the start of works to the Weir which will help increase visitor numbers to Meelick, to Eyrecourt and along the Hymany Way.”

Major ocean conference in Galway highlights maritime heritage

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Galway Daily news Major ocean conference in Galway highlights marine heritage
Irish Ocean Literacy Network members at the meeting held at the Marine Institute, Galway.

A major Ocean conference that took place in Galway this week highlighted Ireland’s maritime heritage and its role in our future.

The Irish Ocean Literacy Network held its sixth national meeting at the Marine Institute in Oranmore.

Keynote speakers Dr Easkey Britton, Postdoctorate fellow at NUI Galway and avid surfer, and filmmaker Ken O’Sullivan of SeaFever Productions spoke about the importance the ocean has on our lives as islanders.

Chairing the meeting Cushla Dromgool-Regan of the Marine Institute welcomed the two speakers, and praised the work they do in different ways to keep people interested and engages with the ocean.

“As an Island nation we are extremely lucky to have a wealth of experts from all walks of life willing to share their experiences with the wider marine community.”

He added that seeing a whale and calf up close in Ken’s films or learning to surf with Easkey “reminds us of the diversity and importance of our maritime heritage and looking after our ocean for future generations.”

Easkey Briton is a champion national and international surfer from Donegal and is currently completing a post-doctoral research fellow
with the EU-Horizon 2020 project Seas, Oceans and Public Health in Europe.

Growing in a family of surfers she developed a passionate connection to the water, and much of her work in science has centred on the environment and society.

Her current research involved a lot of community outreach and shows “how we all value the ocean in different ways, yet together we all seem to understand the importance of linking our ocean with human health,” Easkey said.

Ken O’Sullivan also grew up with a love of the ocean. The Kerry based filmmaker grew up in a family of fishermen.

But it was learning to dive that opened up new realms of discovery for him.

“Exploring the ocean as a child with no limitations was like living the life to what might be similar to Huckleberry Finn,” Ken said.

“Now making a career out of filming wildlife and creative documentaries in the most extreme environments has been a life of adventures.”

He set up Sea Fever Productions in 2006 with Katrina Costello to make marine documentaries, and last year they released ‘Ireland’s Deep Atlantic’.

This hugely ambitious project involved searching for Blue Whales and cold water corals in the North Atlantic, and documenting whale and shark behaviours in those habitats for the first time.

He said the public feedback from capturing those moments on film has been extremely gratifying, “particularly from those who are seeing marine life in Irish waters for the first time.”

The Ocean Literacy Network recruits ‘champions’ around Ireland to promote public interest and engagement with the ocean.

It now consists of more than 100 members representing individuals, businesses, community groups, NGOs, academic bodies, and sate agencies.

During a workshop during the conference, David Murphy of AquaTT noted that Ireland is in unique position to “increase peoples understanding and engagement about the ocean.” 

“We are all individuals who bring something new to the network, yet working together as a collective highlights the importance of creating impactful actions and messaging promoting our ocean from coast to coast.”

Loughrea Hotel & Spa expansion in the works

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Galway Daily news Public Consultation opens on Draft Loughrea Local Area Plan

A Planning application has been submitted for renovations to Loughrea Hotel & Spa to increase its bed space.

Atlantic Troy Ltd has submitted plans to the council to demolish an unoccupied dwelling on the site of Loughrea Hotel and replace it with a new wing.

The new addition to the hotel would consist of a new building adjacent to the main hotel complex with eight bedrooms along with amenity spaces.

The hotel operator also plans to provide new parking space adjacent to the hotel to cater for the expanded demand this new suite will bring.

Submissions related to this planning application can be made to the county council until March 13.

A decision on whether to allow this hotel development to proceed is due by April 3.

An Post to roll out zero emissions vans by 2020.

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Galway Daily news Kinvara post office

Postal delivery vans in Galway city will be making deliveries zero emissions by 2020.

As part of a modernisation of its fleet, An Post plans to have 750 zero emissions vehicles in its urban fleet by 2022.

The scheme is starting this year, with all deliveries in Dublin city centre going zero carbon emissions by the end of the year.

Two hundred new vans are expected to come online this year in the first phase of the change.

In the year after that, zero emissions vehicles will be rolled out in Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, Waterford, and Cork in 2020.

The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton announced the change this week as part of the ‘Post Eco’ plan to eliminate carbon emissions by 2050.

Other actions being taken under the plan include trialing electric car charging points at post offices and installing solar panels.

Altogether, its project that initiatives being introduced in 2019 will save 1,000 tonnes of carbon annually.

David McRedmond, CEO of An Post, said that as they make the shift in focus from old mail to e-commerce, “sustainability has to be the guiding principle for the business.”

An Post is transforming for generations to come: as a major employer with a huge fleet footprint, this demands responsible climate action with this commitment to carbon-free delivery.”

Announcing the plan, Minister Bruton said that state and semi-state bodies have to take the lead by showing they take sustainability seriously.

This announcement, he said “shows that An Post is taking the lead and recognising the urgency of taking action in adapting to the changes that are needed.”

Special health and wellbeing events to take place across Galway islands

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Tionól

A one-off series of free health and wellbeing events will be held on the islands in the coming weeks.

Healthy Ireland, a Government-led Health initiative, aims to create an Irish society where everyone can enjoy physical and mental health, and where wellbeing is valued and supported at every level of society.

The events will take place on Inis Oírr on 27 February, Inis Mór on 6 March, Inis Meáin on 7 March, and Inishbofin on 20 March.

Many community and voluntary organisations will be present including Croí, the Heart & Stroke Charity; Galway Rural Development, Healthy Ireland
at your Library; Western Drugs and Alcohol Taskforce; Galway Sports Partnership; Galway Citizen Information Centre; Irish Rural Link; Pieta
House; and AIDS West.

Suzanne Seery, Lead Dietitian at Croí, explained that this initiative is a coming together of diverse community groups all with a unified aim to promote health and well-being throughout the islands off County Galway.

“It is a great opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle across all age groups.

“The good news is that many health conditions such as heart disease and stroke are preventable and our aim is to offer individuals the opportunity to engage in risk factor screening along with offering practical advice in relation to healthy eating, physical activity, overall health and wellness and lots more,” said Suzanne Seery.

Exciting free activities and resources to promote health and wellbeing across all the islands will include; pulse and blood pressure checks; healthy cooking tips (such as a Q & A discussion with Croí Dietitian and residents of the islands about changing dietary habits and impact on health); yoga; relationship and sexual health education, including rapid HIV tests; resources on mental health and wellness; exercise and fitness tips; citizen information advice; and much, much more!

Máire Uí Mhaoláin, Manager of Inis Oírr Co-Op added: “Health is better than wealth! We welcome Healthy Ireland to Inis Oírr and we encourage people to
come out on the day and join us for this great event.”

Healthy Island dates and locations:
Inis Oírr, Feb 27th, 11am – 3pm, Halla Pobail Inis Oírr
Inis Mór, March 6th, 11am – 3pm & 7 – 9pm, Comharchumann Forbartha Árann
Inis Meáin, March 7th, 11am – 3pm, Coláiste Naomh Eoin
Inishbofin, March 20th, 11am – 3pm, Inishbofin Community Centre

Galway youth groups to benefit from €11m funding

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galway youth group galway daily

Youth groups across County Galway will benefit from new funding of €11.1m which has been announced for a variety of youth organisations across Ireland.

Minister Ciaran Cannon said that the funding will benefit organisations with branches in Galway including Macra na Feirme and Foróige.

The funding will go to Scouting and Guide organisations, sports, arts and environment groups, and other youth groups.

Minister Cannon, who welcomed the announcement, said: “These organisations provide exceptional engagement for the children and young people who are members nationwide and the funding ensures the continued promotion, growth and development of these organisations for young people.

“Given the formation recently of the Loughrea Greylakes Macra na Feirme branch, I`m very pleased to note that Macra na Feirme will receive more than €465,000 while other groups with Galway links are also beneficiaries such as Foróige which will receive €2,814,695 and which has branches in places in East Galway like Abbey, Carrabane, Craughwell and Athenry among other places.”

Four Galway science education projects aim to reach 100,000 people

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Galway Daily news four educational science projects aim to reach 100,000 people

Four Galway based projects have been awarded funding worth over €400,000 to achieve their goal of getting 100,000 people engaged with science.

The four science based public education and engagement programmes are based out of NUI Galway.

They’ve been awarded grants from Science Foundation Ireland’s Discover Programme that come to over €400,000 which were announced by Minister for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development, John Halligan 

The largest share of the funding went to Cell EXPLORERS, which received €297,778.

Cell EXPLORERS is programme that engages people with science through hands on activities at school visits and science festivals.

Developed by Dr Muriel Grenon at NUIG, it now works out of 13 Higher Education Institutes around the country and has reached 32,000 people since its beginning.

CÚRAM medical devices research centre’s ‘Strength in Science’ project was awarded €47,650 to work with teachers, and fitness instructors, to help get secondary students interested in both science and exercise.

In Ireland, physical inactivity is thought to be responsible for 8.8% of the burden of disease from coronary artery disease, and 10.9% of type 2 diabetes.

Despite this only one in ten secondary students in Ireland get the recommended 60 minutes of PE classes a week.

CÚRAM is creating four lesson plan kits that link their research with the effect exercise can have on reducing the chance of diseases in different body parts.

These are expected to launch later this year at participating schools in Galway and Dublin.

Galway’s most novel variety shoe Bright Club has also been recognised for its unusual way of bringing science to people.

Bright Club is a comedy show with a twist, lettering researchers from every field get a bit of training in humour before joining professional comedians on stage in a live show.

Having held 50 live events with 150 academics taking part over four years, Bright Club has been granted €49,797 to continue its fun work.

And lastly ReelLIFE SCIENCE has been €12,000 to further its science video competition.

Since being launched in 2013 by Dr Enda O’Connell, has engaged thousands of young people in more than 350 schools and community groups around Ireland.

Participants are challenged to produce a short, entertaining and educational STEM video for the public, while developing their communication and digital skills.

The best videos win €1,000 for their school or group and are screened at the Galway Science and Technology Festival in NUI Galway every year.

Professor Lokesh Joshi, Vice President for Research at NUI Galway, said the university is committed to education and outreach programmes for its STEM activities.

He added that these four groups “have provided these programmes to students, teachers and the wider public throughout Ireland to encourage interest in STEM in a fun and engaging way.”


Margie McCarthy, Interim Director of Science for Society at Science Foundation Ireland, said the SFI Discover programme has help countless people from all walks of life become more engaged with STEM topics.

“Through SFI Discover we harness the creativity of diverse engagement initiatives to motivate more people to explore STEM in meaningful ways, and we aspire to create a brighter future for Ireland together.”