The world in union takes centre stage

Thu, Sep 15, 2011

Turning away from Galway’s on-going traffic chaos to the world of sport, rugby union has taken centre stage this week with the World Cup kicking off in New Zealand - 20 nations, having prepared for four years, will compete over six weeks to claim the highest prize in the sport.

Remembering Ann Marie who never came home

Thu, Sep 08, 2011

About 18 years ago when I was working in The Tuam Herald, word came to us that there had been an attempt to bomb the World Trade Centre. The plan involved parking a truck below the North Tower, near one of its corner crutches. The intention was to bring down one tower, possibly into the other, and kill thousands of people. The plan did not work, but unfortunately seven people were killed and thousands received varying degrees of injuries. The reason there was a Tuam connection is because there was a local woman who was working on one of the towers. Ann Marie McHugh came from a well-known local family — her parents Padraig and Margaret ran the Town Hall Tavern in the heart of the town — so news of her terror on that occasion was a story of considerable local interest. On the phone from New York (because there was no email or internet in those days), she told me how, as an asthmatic, she was terrified as she had to descend 80 flights of stairs to make it out from the smoke-filled building. It took her hours to make her way down the darkened stairwell and she spoke of her relief reaching the ground and seeing the light through the smoke.

A prayer for the Ironmen...

Thu, Sep 01, 2011

O come ye Ironmen and Ironwomen, let your sinewy legs find cushions on the hard concrete of our town, may your sturdy shoulders feel the welcome of the waves in our water as they drift you towards the shore, may our roads eat up the rotations of your cycles as your thighs pound at the pedals and propel you faster and faster, the western wind in your faces arcing around to gently push you towards your finishing line. May the pounding of your heart as it pumps the pistons of your body act like a gentle staccato soundtrack in the movie of your feat. May the isotonic blood flow through your veins pushing your skin as your body stretches into its fullness and makes you feel invincible. May the thoughts of failure appear as if bubbles, popping and dissipating in your line of vision, as you drive yourself on. May the hard disk drives of your mind become sponges to absorb all that is around you. May you hear every word of encouragement as being for yourself alone, may every barking dog be a mentor, ruff-ruffing out a message of goodwill. May every cat on a wall appear like a cheetah daring you to go faster, faster. May every face in the crowd be bearing a smile and a wink and a glad-eye. May every shallow puddle on the road be a cooling oasis to splash your ankles, may your hamstrings become lithe like an accordion in the hands of Sharon Shannon. May the sweat dripping off your brow be a sort of mead from the Gods to power you on. May you fill your lungs with all that is Galwayness and let that soak through your being. May the aches and pains of each day’s competition be worn by you like a medal, a souvenir of your effort, an appreciation to the being that allows you to partake in this endurance event...may you take a short moment to be thankful that you can and share a small thought for those who would love to but cannot for reasons of fitness, infirmity, ability and age. May your time among us be one of wonderment and satisfaction...may every piece of morsel that passes your lips detonate your taste buds and may every soothing drink spread its coolness throughout you. May you enjoy Galway and all that it offers you and your fellow competitors. May your families and supporters take great enjoyment and pride from your achievement and when it is all over and when the warm shower is washing away the sweat and effort of the day’s endurance, may you be happy and may you plan to come back again and do it all again next year. Welcome to Galway, Ironmen and Ironwomen. Enjoy yourselves.

Points for pints — they can’t take away our right to drive drunk

Thu, Aug 25, 2011

Thank God the Government has taken away the fear of the ban of the drink driving. Imagine what the country would be like if Paddy wasn’t allowed to drive home with a few pints on him, run the gauntlet of the local garda in the Fiesta squad car, making it in the door of his isolated cottage just in time for Oireachtas Report, his nightly joust with the law successful again. So he will be thrilled with the new “Just Above” category of drink drivers who have learned this week that they will not face a ban but some penalty points instead, and sure with insurance costs going through the roof anyway, what harm are the penalty points, but a badge of honour to show the lads down the pub. Remember, it is but a short year ago that this country was driven while drunk by our former leader.

Digging the dirt on Michael D — next stop for the Men in Black?

Thu, Aug 04, 2011

As the conspirators spit on their lands and rub them together with glee at the success of the campaign to oust David Norris esq from the presidential race, no doubt they are licking their lips at the prospect of trawling the world to find out the dirt on Michael D. Having failed to besmirch him with the notion that it was his camp that set out to shaft Norris with allegations and letters and incidents that went back ages but which were out-ed now, the focus of the Men in Black is turned westward.

Never mind the b......s, Bertie’s back

Thu, Jul 28, 2011

How the times have changed...ten years ago this week, we had Bertie Ahern in this building to bless the place, to give it his seal of approval, to cut the ribbon. Twas on the Wednesday of Race Week and getting Bertie was always handy around race time. You could get him for the opening of an envelope — and according to legend, many people did.

Whip out the clichés, the white flag has been raised

Thu, Jul 21, 2011

The white flag has been raised and every racing cliché is under starter’s orders in media across the country as the thousands of punters flock to Ballybrit to have a flutter on the geegees. Every socialite (ie, anyone who can afford a new gúna) will be heading west. As the luvvies ship out, having swooned at Cillian M for two weeks, the cheap suits will dash in and locals grin nervously in a “smile cos it’s good for ya” sort of way. Yes, next week gives the region the cash boost — the fat on which we’ll live for the long lean winter. Yes, folks, forget the pools of puke and public displays of urination, ignore the traffic jams, the forced holidays, the smell of stale ale that hangs like a cloud over our heads and say “yes, this is all good for us. Offer it up, offer it up.” This is part of what we are. This is the diesel which drives the Galway engine, so grin and bear it and smile the smile of all smiles.

We’re not buying the ‘misunderstanding’ yarn

Thu, Jul 14, 2011

Isn’t it about time we sent the Galway city councillors on a junket — no, not to far flung places from whence rich pickings of expenses can be plundered, but out the door of City Hall and around the Square to Prospect Hill where if they attend a meeting of their cousins in the County Council, they may be able to learn a thing or two about manners, arrogance and about how not to lose the run of themselves.

Festivals are good for our economic and spiritual health

Thu, Jul 07, 2011

Galway's festival season began in earnest this week, and the next couple of months will hopefully prove an economic driver for our local economy.

Community Picnic to hold referendum on EU/IMF bailout

Thu, Jul 07, 2011

The first Galway Community Picnic will take place this Saturday at 2pm to coincide with the visit of the IMF, EU and ECB to Ireland. The picnic is open to all and will have an inclusive and family friendly atmosphere with activities and entertainment for adults and children.

Search for missing person continues

Thu, Jul 07, 2011

Gardai are continuing their search for a Galway man who has been missing since the weekend.

One year to go — July 2012 can shape Galway for the next decade

Thu, Jun 23, 2011

Just one year from now, Galway city will be an even more happening, buzzing place than it normally is, because the eyes of the world will be thrust upon us as we prepare to host the end of the Volvo Ocean Race. The harbour will be full of impressive vessels, hotel space will be as scarce as hens’ teeth as the cream of world sailing come to the very edge of Europe for the the conclusion of a race that has fallen in love with Galway. World media organisations will not need the usual excuses to come here and Galway will once again be the envy of the country.

Something new to be good at...

Thu, May 26, 2011

In the same way that pre-Michelle Smith, the Irish Olympic swimming team used to hail a competition a success if none of them was drowned, let’s be honest, weren’t we glad when both the Queen and Obama got out of Ireland alive? Not that there was ever a serious threat to their respective healths while they were here, but there was always the fear that a member of the South Offaly-North Tipperary branch of Al Qaeda might attack him with a hurl or that that dissy-dent republicans might savage the Queen with a Turbot snatched from the shelves of the English Market. We all breathed a sigh of relief when their planes left the ground and rose into that part of sky that Cork radio presenters know as non-indictable international airspace out of our jurisdiction.

Taxi review is overdue and welcome

Thu, May 19, 2011

Not since Robert de Niro looked at us and asked ‘are you looking at me’ has the stock of the impoverished taxidriver plummeted as low as it has this week following the Prime Time Investigates programme on the industry. While nobody is surprised that there are rotten elements to all out of our professions, it is the scale of this decomposition that is the most alarming fallout from Paul Maguire’s fantastically researched and edited programme.

Jobs initiative is a just sticking plaster, but it’s a start

Thu, May 12, 2011

A lot of people have been left disappointed by what was announced by the Government this week regarding getting the country back to work. There is no doubt that what was finally released and announced was very different from that which was promised during the heat of the General Election, but then Government actions are always tempered by the reality of power.

Passing of a judge with humour and humanity

Thu, May 05, 2011

At the end of every year, one of the most time consuming duties of the junior hack is the compilation of the quotes of the year — a page filler in the news-starved time that fal ls between Christmas and the New Year, when people are too drunk or too busy to take time out to read newspapers. Every year that went by, you'd swear to yourself that the next year, you'd write down the quotes on a weekly basis to save yourself time at the end, but another year would go by, and you wouldn’t have taken your own advice.

Healy -Eames recovery shows she’s made of doughty stuff

Thu, Apr 28, 2011

With the amount of apathy that has surrounded this week’s Seanad Elections, there is no doubt that the biggest talking point last night was the (at time of going to press) almost certain re-election to the Seanad of local candidate Fidelma Healy Eames.

Finding it ferry hard to say goodbye

Thu, Apr 21, 2011

You know how hard it is to leave Galway. You know all the people who come here to study nuclear physics and sums at the oooniversity and the OrTeeSee and who end up 20 years later in the city, bating five shades outa bodhran on Quay Street, glad that they have found themselves, earning just enough to pay for the hummus and a fresh piece of string for the dog every year, but as happy as the day is long.

We have stood up, but how will we be counted?

Thu, Apr 14, 2011

So now everyone in the country should have been counted and accounted for, the real work starts in making heads and tail of the results to ensure our politicians and policy makers can make informed decisions.

Right, so who’s head of the household?

Thu, Apr 07, 2011

While John Denver had the bould Annie to fill up his census, there will be no such luxury for us this weekend when we will have to gather all the childers and auld wans and young wans, cats and dogs in the house on Sunday night and do a headcount for fear we should get it wrong. In censuses past, the job of gathering all in one room and filling out the forms fell to the person known as the Head of the Household.

E-paper

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