Pallas Karting Christmas gift voucher - the Christmas present of 2019!

Tue, Dec 17, 2019

'Oh the weather outside is frightful', crooned Dean Martin and while the song is aimed at the prevailing conditions outside, the stanza could easily be applicable to the frightfulness of the throngs of stressed out shoppers looking for that perfect gift for their loved one.

Let this be their last winter there

Thu, Dec 12, 2019

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Fantasy Football round 17 preview

Thu, Dec 12, 2019

Game week 16 concluded at the London Stadium where Arsenal secured three precious points in a 3-1 win over the hapless Hammers. It was a huge victory for Freddie Ljungberg's men who had gone nine matches without a success; the club's worst run of form for 42 years. Elsewhere Liverpool and Leicester won again, Man United defeated City in the derby, and Duncan Ferguson inspired Everton to overcome Chelsea 3-1 at Goodison Park to take The Toffees out of the relegation zone.

Fantasy Football round 16 preview

Fri, Dec 06, 2019

Round 15 was considered an historic round of football as for the first time the Premier League would be streamed into the homes of fans thanks to Amazon Prime Video. That was the case of course if you were a football fan watching in the UK. Those watching on in Ireland had to contend with Premier Sports, a channel to which one can only subscribe by purchasing another channel - and they say football is for supporters?

Get unique hand-crafted gifts from the Ceardlann Craft Village this Christmas!

Thu, Dec 05, 2019

If you’re looking for something unique, hand-crafted & local to give this Christmas, look no further than the Ceardlann Craft Village in Spiddal. Only 20 minutes from Galway city on the shores of the Wild Atlantic Way, the Ceardlann is a one stop shop for your Christmas gifts. Featuring over 10 different artists and an award-winning Café- there truly is something for everyone at the Ceardlann Craft Village.

Yeah, I know where ya mean

Thu, Dec 05, 2019

What kinda person are ya? Are you an auld stock…or a new stock who thinks they’re auld stock…or a new stock who doesn’t knew they’re new stock. Are you a Moons or Brown Thomas person? If I said I’d meet ya at Moons in ten minutes, would I find ya there? Are ya someone who went to UCG or the RTC? And not NUI Galway or GMIT?

Fantasy Football round 15 preview

Mon, Dec 02, 2019

Game week 14 has concluded of the Premier League and it is the same old story at the top with Liverpool and Leicester grinding out 2-1 victories over Brighton and Everton respectively. Man City (draw) and Chelsea (defeat) lost more ground on the top two thanks to dogged efforts by Newcastle and West Ham. And Watford lost the battle of the basement sides on the south coast as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Southampton.

Helping those who live half lives in the half light

Thu, Nov 28, 2019

This city has changed much over the past 30 or 40 years. The type of people who live in it have a different perspective from those who once did. The buildings have changed, the public spaces, the street coverings, the ambience.

Yet, the one constant that exists is the cold breeze that lashes through the town, winds it way up the streets, finding every nook and cranny. It is a breeze that is as much a charm as a curse.

Fantasy Football round 14 preview

Tue, Nov 26, 2019

Game week 13's action concluded as Aston Villa secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Newcastle in Birmingham on Monday night. Elsewhere Liverpool's assault on the Premier League title continued unabated with a hard fought 2-1 success over Crystal Palace; Leicester strengthened their grip on second spot with 3-0 win over Brighton; Man City defeated Chelsea 2-1; and Man United made a Lazarus like comeback to secure a 3-3 draw with Sheffield United in south Yorkshire.

Don’t let insurance issues suck the life out of our communities

Thu, Nov 21, 2019

About an hour after I press the send button on this article, my fellow coaches and I will be stood on a muddy pitch while a band of determined U-12 girls will lash footballs at us for the betterment of their skills. For 90 minutes, we will attempt to pass on some of our perceived wisdom, until they go home, muddied, energised, happier for the participation, and hopefully, slightly better players.

The scene is replicated on pitches and community grounds and dimly-lit community centres across the country. People who are clerks by day become trapeze artists by night as they scale lighting rigs on century-old halls to set up for amateur drama productions; Saturdays are taken up by hardy souls having to line pitches, to repair football nets; to get ready for fetes and fairs.

Fantasy Football round 13 preview

Wed, Nov 20, 2019

It was ultimately a disappointing international break for Irish fans as the 1-1 draw with Denmark in Dublin on Monday night was not enough to secure a place at Euro 2020. Mick McCarthy's men will have another shot at qualifying for the continent's football jamboree next summer but that is at the end of March and we have plenty of Premier League action to keep us occupied over the coming months.

The never-ending lowering of that bar

Thu, Nov 14, 2019

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So here we are again, not that we ever thought that lessons had been learned. Here we are with utterances that are making life more horrible for people. Here we are, playing the same old card because maybe the lads said that this card worked wonders the first time it was played, the lads who said 'sure isn’t it just what everyone is saying', the words ringing in your ears, that it’s OK to say these things, to make these suggestions.

So here we are again, not that we ever thought that lessons had been learned. Here we are with utterances that are making life more horrible for people. Here we are, playing the same old card because maybe the lads said that this card worked wonders the first time it was played, the lads who said 'sure isn’t it just what everyone is saying', the words ringing in your ears, that it’s OK to say these things, to make these suggestions.

A mourning for an age of innocence

Thu, Nov 07, 2019

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In semiotics, there is the signifier and the signified.

Fantasy Football round 12 preview

Wed, Nov 06, 2019

Another round down and Liverpool look like they are in no mood to relinquish their best chance of winning a league title in 30 years. The Reds managed to complete another comeback with a late win against Aston Villa on Saturday thanks to a 94th minute effort by Sadio Mané.

The wonder of Galway's downtime

Thu, Oct 31, 2019

There is something nice about downtime. When you can throw off your work clothes, slip into your comfiest gear and lounge around the house secure in the knowledge that nobody will be calling, when effectively you're in for the night. Galway is a city that is built on downtime — its streets and clubs and restaurants and hotels are all based on soothing those who are on downtime, who come in search of it, to have their weary heads nursed back to an equilibrium of calm and resilience.

Fantasy Football round 11 preview

Thu, Oct 31, 2019

Game week 10 of the 2019/2020 Premier League season will be remembered for one thing; Southampton 0 - 9 Leicester City. Yes Brendan Rogers' charges equalled a Premier League record on Friday night as they eviscerated the 10-man Saints in front of their home faithful.

Let’s look after each other this wintertime

Thu, Oct 24, 2019

And so to wintertime. In a year when the seasons seemed in a hurry to pass one another out, we reach the stage where the clocks go back, where darkness becomes our constant companion, there when we leave home in the morning, there to greet us in the evening.

It is as if we are cocooned inside a large tea-cosy — slowly descending, preventing us from living our lives the way we want to. Everything seems much more of an effort in winter. Roads and paths are slippery, getting out and about to do the things we want is more involved. The escapes that you create for yourself in summer and spring are temporarily sidelined.

Fantasy Football round 10 preview

Thu, Oct 24, 2019

Game week nine's action came to an end with Arsenal's old frailties coming to the fore as they went down 1-0 to Sheffield United in south Yorkshire. Elsewhere, Man United produced a much improved display to earn a 1-1 draw against league leaders Liverpool at Old Trafford, Leicester extended their fine form with another three points via a 2-1 victory over Burnley, and Spurs' woes continued limping to a 1-1 home draw against bottom placed Watford.

Let the sea be a symbol of our openness

Thu, Oct 17, 2019

For too long we have looked away from the sea, been blind to its potential, to its possibilities. Even when JFK mentioned going to the Claddagh and seeing the O’Flahertys working on the docks in Boston on that clear day, we put it away with our misty-eyed memories and never gave it another thought.

But the sea, our sea, our ocean, laps right up to our coast here in this city. In times past, it brought many colourful and mysterious people to our shores, merchants, sailors, travellers. They brought with them ideas, and cultures and ways of living, that over the centuries went on to make Galway and its people a place and kind of its own. And to be fair, this difference has been maintained in the city and it is a difference that we try to implement.

Fantasy Football round nine preview

Wed, Oct 16, 2019

So the second international break has concluded and for Mick McCarthy and Ireland fans, it was one to forget. A drab 0-0 draw against Georgia in Tbilisi on Saturday was followed up by a meek 2-0 defeat in Geneva to Switzerland on Tuesday night.

E-paper

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