A party town for some, but not the homeless

Thu, Jul 27, 2017

In a month in which we in Galway thrive on festivals, tourists, and summer sunshine, we realise just how blessed we are to live in one of Europe's most engaging cities. As the most influential arts festival winds down this weekend, and the iconic Galway Races begin, we can feel a little smug that we live in a such a special place. Every day, every month, every year it seems Galway just marches forward - more visitors, more recognition, and more festivals.

Art is good for you

Thu, Jul 20, 2017

The arrival of the Galway International Arts Festival is a sure sign that it’s high summer in Galway, and this is a glorious time to enjoy all that our beautiful city has to offer.

Support ourselves by supporting local business

Thu, Jul 13, 2017

This is proving to be a good year for many Galway businesses. As one looks at the tourists wandering through the streets of Galway city, and the buzz in Shop Street and around the city centre, it would be easy to feel that all is well, and every business is benefiting from the increased numbers of visitors and the general feel good factor. This sense of a thriving city is particularly evident at this time of year, as the Galway Film Fleadh leads in to the Galway International Arts Festival, which in turn is followed by Galway Race Week. These festivals, and the many others which take place throughout the year, make a significant contribution to business activity in both the city and the county. We welcome the success of these businesses, which is fully deserved, primarily through the hard work, dedication, and level of customer service they provide.

Let SeaFest woo you with the magic of the ocean

Thu, Jun 29, 2017

If Galway Bay was covered with a sheet of strong glass, and if the skies reflected off it, like they do off the water on a summer’s day, you can be sure we would be out there all the time, slipping and sliding on it, falling on our arses on it, making up strange glass-bound games to play on this strange playground.

Let the longest day be your starting point

Thu, Jun 22, 2017

Last night, the stretch of the light pushing back the darkness eased up a little on the pressure. Proud at itself for stretching out the day for as long as it could, it stalled and said, ok, this is as far as I’m going to get this year. I’ve pushed the light as much as I can. I’ve thrown illumination on the land for as much of the day but now I’m weary, and I must give in to the inevitable and start to concede light and ground.

Galway Community College role in Jadotville campaign can be template for social change

Thu, Jun 15, 2017

When a teacher stands in front of their class, they know that they are like an arms dealer, passing on the most powerful weapon in the world — the weapons of knowledge and education. Education is what remains in your mind long after you have left behind your schooldays. Its role is to replace an empty mind with an open one. It is that process that continues throughout life in the race to become a better person. And when you see a class of young students enforcing change, it is most refreshing in this age of cynicism.

This week I am full of pride for the role in which a Galway school played in righting a half-century-old wrong. You are probably familiar with the story of Jadotville and the role played by heroic Irish soldiers when massively outnumbered in the Congo. The story of their struggle to be recognised as heroes is well known, but even with the advent of a major movie starring Jamie Dornan, the campaign seemed destined to run into the ground, until the intervention of fifth year history students at Galway Community College who informed themselves about the famous siege, asked questions, and driven by a motivating teacher, Philip Cribbin, they sought a way to draw a path to the corridors of power.

A week draped in blackness

Thu, Jun 08, 2017

A pall hangs over the west this week. It should have been a week where the main topic of conversation would be whether “Galway will bate Mayo” on Sunday next.

Allow asylum seekers the dignity of work

Thu, Jun 01, 2017

The most valuable possession any person has is his or her dignity.

Pushing back the boundaries of fear

Thu, May 25, 2017

It’s the empty beds that hurt the most.
You pass by them and you hope that one night again they will be filled, that there will be a shape under the duvet, a shock of darkness on the pillow.

Why not get out of Galway for the races?

Mon, May 22, 2017

If you are thinking of your well-deserved family break then look no further. The Athlone Springs Hotel has it all.

A look at some of 2017's must have gadgets.

Mon, May 22, 2017

2017 has seen yet more innovation in phones, laptops, TVs, games consoles, 3D printers and a whole host of other gadgets. Most of them do not come cheap, so obtaining your dream gadget can often be problematic. However, there are some affordable and very practical gadgets out there that can be just as enjoyable to use. Starting off with the cheapest and working up to the most expensive gadgets, classifieds.advertiser.ie is on hand to help you decide which one is for you.

Through four decades, the Arts Festival has shaped Galway

Thu, May 18, 2017

I love the smell of the Galway International Arts Festival programme.

Who started the fire that destroyed a generation of trees?

Thu, May 11, 2017

Imagine 2040 — and how much will have changed.

Never have we more needed empathy as part of our life

Thu, May 04, 2017

Sometimes you wonder if you could turn back the clock and relive elements of your life, just how far back you would go? And what elements would you change? And would you use this Benjamin Button power to enrich yourselves with things material or imagined?

Upping the ante on the speeding stakes

Thu, Apr 27, 2017

A few years ago I dreamt that I had kicked the bucket and ended up in Hell. I was in the middle of a recurring boring dream at the time and for me the idea of never-ending boredom was far worse than an eternity of fire and brimstone. It would have been my hell. And I got to thinking that maybe that’s what hell is all about if there’s a hell. It’s custom-made to suit the individual peccadilloes of the entrant. You see a person made of fire retardant material would have no bother at all with Hell. “Arragh I’ll do it on me back,” they’d have roared at St Peter as he directed them away from the pearly gates.

You see a punishment that isn’t really a punishment isn’t a punishment at all. Giving up avocadoes for Lent isn’t any bother if you never cared if you saw an avocado ever again.

Children - the forgotten mourners

Thu, Apr 20, 2017

When a loved one dies children are sometimes unintentionally left out of the grieving process. Families, too shocked and devastated by the passing of a family member, may not even be aware of how much a child is suffering.

The cost of a global voice on social media

Thu, Apr 20, 2017

Not that many years ago the media was the preserve of informed journalists and editors who were able to disseminate information for public consumption, and represent the public interest. All that has changed with the advent of social media where people can share their thoughts, their beliefs, their stories, their past at will. But they can also share ignorant and offensive behaviour. Worse, this week people witnessed a recording of an American announcing to the public his plan to kill, before posting another of him shooting a victim dead, via Facebook.

Orkambi decision will make CF sufferers feel like equal citizens again

Thu, Apr 13, 2017

CF sufferers are brave.
They have had to be.

Don’t let traffic strangle Galway

Thu, Apr 06, 2017

This morning, the city councillors convene a special meeting in City Hall to discuss the traffic problems that have been besetting the city for years, but which for some reason, other than the bus strike, seem to have escalated in recent weeks. A city the size of Galway should not be subject to the level of delay and confusion that reigns morning and evening.

Granted, traffic is one of the side effects of growth but the inconsistency of the flows in and out of Galway city are frustrating to even the most tolerant of commuters.

What are the guards doing to the guards?

Thu, Mar 30, 2017

I grew up around guards. I was born just two doors down from the barracks so my childhood friends were invariably the kids of guards. Peeler’s brats as they were colloquially known back in the day. They were my mates with whom I navigated childhood.

E-paper

Read this weeks E-paper. Past editions also available from within this weeks digital copy.