Every community needs a Martin Horgan

Thu, Jan 18, 2024

As was the norm, the last time I spoke with Martin Horgan, one of us was either coming or going to a football pitch. Trudging off with a bag of balls, shoving singlets into a box, making some arrangement for the pushing of some project or others, the complexion of sporting satisfaction evident in our visage. Perhaps because it was always in places like that that we encountered each other, my memories are so precious and so sad. Pitches were a playground in our youth, and in our more mature years, they still represent a leap from the reality of life. Perhaps that is why I love them so much. That reality hit home this week when Martin passed away, his death sending shockwaves throughout the sporting community in Galway and his wide circle of family and friends.

A man who kept the story of Galway alive

Thu, Jan 11, 2024

The great stories have always found their way down to those who appreciate them the most. The cave writings, the hewed and smoothened tablets, the leathery books that fill the most treasured libraries; the tiny lead-made print of the 18th and 19th century newspapers.

Leave your mark on the city’s built environment

Thu, Jan 04, 2024

Everything happens for a reason. Everything leaves a footprint in its wake.

Playing it by year — who knows what 2024 holds?

Thu, Dec 28, 2023

They say that an optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. So it will be for many of us this Sunday night when we bid a glad farewell to another year and welcome in the latest instalment — another chapter in the book of life.

We can never trust a new year — every new year is the direct descendant, isn’t it, of a long line of proven criminals? Ones that have let us down, having promised so much.

Look after the little things this Christmas

Thu, Dec 14, 2023

Look after the little things in life. Because one day the time will come when you realise they are the big things.

Our train station is getting a facelift — now the trains must follow suit

Thu, Dec 07, 2023

They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. For the vast majority of visitors to Galway those who come to shop to visit, to study, or to stay, the first impression for many years has been the dour greasy uninviting Ceannt Station. Ostensibly an impressive building in its day, for decades now, it has been outdated and unable to cater for the tens of thousands of people who use it weekly.

The need to keep our spaces safe

Thu, Nov 30, 2023

It must be the goal of every city or town that it makes its spaces safe. As each place developed over the centuries, it aimed to leave behind the areas within each which were determined to be wild or unsafe; places where you would be discouraged to be by nature of their design or wildness.

What might have been...

Thu, Nov 23, 2023

It is not often that the one story dominates all the world’s headlines. We got a sense of it a few years back when we were all under the curse of Covid. For the first time, perhaps ever, the entire globe was at the mercy of the one ailment; the entire global news cycle carrying the same, but localised versions of the same story. We all had variations of the one restrictions; we lived our lives in the manner that the regulators dicated.

This day 60 years ago, the world’s media was also carrying the one story with the news of the previous day’s shooting in Dallas reverberating around the globe. It was that first moment in time when people recalled an engagement with media, whether it be radio, newspaper or TV. Decades on, people can recall where they were when they heard that news.

When the calm waters turned against us

Thu, Nov 16, 2023

Communities are made up of many factors. The teams that represent us. The societies we form for the betterment of us all. The hostelries where we gather in sorrow and joy...and the businesses that light up our streets; that sponsor our football teams, that give employment to our teenagers, that provide us with the goods and services we need.

Putting the brave face on the darkness of November

Thu, Nov 09, 2023

There’s a welcome inherent in us for the bright lights of winter. A place in our souls for the gaily coloured lamination that heralds the impending season. It is just a few weeks since that the dark curtain of winter darkness has fallen upon us.

Why are we so helpless in the face of evil?

Thu, Oct 19, 2023

There is a pain deep in the pits of our stomachs this week. With the winter rains and dark clouds marking the time of year when nature resets itself for the renewal of the growing cycle, the light that gives us hope and energy is in scarce supply. It is a time when sadness is accentuated, when you grapple to find the good in things.

...and the killing still goes on

Thu, Oct 12, 2023

If one was asked to construct an essay on the reasons behind the rising murder rate in this country, you would probably feel like laying the blame at the feet of the gangland criminals who facilitate the peddling of death through the toxic poisoning of our communities. The high profile nature of their internecine battles is what fuels the coverage of crime.

The need for our worthy organisations

Thu, Oct 05, 2023

Back in the days when I used to buy albums, there was always that first-play thrill of finding out just how many single-quality tracks were lying there between the grooves on the vinyl. I might have been aware of a headline track, but hidden beneath would be tracks that were wonderful, but which might never see the commercial light of day, and would go on to become life-long personal favourites.

Drawing cities and conclusions

Thu, Sep 28, 2023

At different times of the year in this city, we have a juxtaposition of people whose objectives and daily pursuits may not seem the same. There is the rollover from the Galway International Arts Festival into the Galway Races where the punters/performers in both are quite keen on dressing up and pretending they are something they are not. There is the crossover of the Solemn Novena and the fringes of Rag Week where sometimes the pursuits of one are not entirely compatible with the other.

Our on-field successes can boost sporting tourism in Galway

Thu, Sep 21, 2023

Tomorrow night, on a field in Kerry, there exists the potential that Galway United will capture the First Division title and with it, seize the sole guaranteed promotion ticket back to the Premier Division. If it happens, and if not, there is another chance at home to Finn Harps next Monday, it will represent a return to the top tier for the first time since the club has dined at the main table under the new ownership.

Only policing and respect can alter street behaviour

Thu, Sep 14, 2023

There has been only one topic of conversation in the city this week — and that is the fall-out from the incidents that took place over a few days last weekend. Because individuals have appeared before the courts in relation to those events, I am precluded from commenting specifically on them. However, my points this week will be based on the generality of the decline of behaviour on the streets of our main cities and towns, and what we need to do to make sure they are the exception rather than the norm. There is a real fear that someone’s life may be lost, whether a participant or an innocent bystander, as some incidents spill over into the public domain.

That lovely end of season feeling

Thu, Sep 07, 2023

There is a lovely end of season feeling to Galway over the last few weeks. Consigned to memories now are the heady days of the Arts Festival and the Races, there is one eye firmly on the autumn, and how blessed have we been with the wonderful weather of the last few weeks.

New boundaries aim to right electoral wrongs

Thu, Aug 31, 2023

As if it hadn’t happened already, the next General Election campaign kicked off in earnest yesterday morning with the publication of the new electoral boundaries across the country. For politicians, it’s a bit like the World Cup where you know you’ve qualified but you find out the hotels you’ll be staying in and most importantly, the pitch you will be playing on.

Remembering the forgotten women of honour

Thu, Aug 24, 2023

A petition is gaining momentum to name the city's new pedestrian bridge in honour of Julia Morrissey. Who? Some may well ask.

Morrissey, a 1916 veteran, has been the subject of several historical accounts, not just because of her friendship with Liam Mellows and her passion for politics, but her steadfast support of Irish independence. Having founded an Athenry branch of Cumann na mBan, Morrissey was an Irish republican to the core, and is just one of thousands of forgotten women who helped pave the way for Ireland’s freedom. Few are recognised for their part, and the slings they have suffered.

A half century of excavation and provocation

Thu, Aug 17, 2023

There is a cyclical nature to the life of a town or city that is fascinating to monitor from afar. When I say afar, I mean in terms of time. There is nothing like a dollop of wisdom, hindsight and context to bring meaning to any aspect of our lives that we may choose to revisit from time to time. Perhaps this is why I love local news, the humanity of it, the rawness, the pomp and the circumstance; the stories and events that are important because of their grandiosity; or their relevance because the stakes are so low.

E-paper

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