Make a Brigit’s Cross for local charities

Thu, Jan 29, 2015

Brigit’s Garden is inviting the public to make a Brigit’s cross for themselves and one for charity at a special event to celebrate St Brigit’s Day on Sunday (February 1).

Gaeltacht areas experiencing consistent employment growth - Kyne

Thu, Jan 29, 2015

Gaeltacht areas are experiencing consistent employment growth and the focus of this Government is to see that continue, according to Fine Gael TD for Galway West, Sean Kyne.

Table quiz in aid of Special Olympian

Thu, Jan 29, 2015

A table quiz takes place in The Kings Head bar on Wednesday February 4 at 8pm in aid of Special Olympian Martin Diskin.

Apply immediately, say CAO as application deadline is fast approaching

Thu, Jan 29, 2015

The Central Applications Office (CAO) application deadline for undergraduate courses in Irish Higher Education Institutions is this Sunday, 1 February at 5:15pm.

Where there’s muck, there’s money — the digging continues

Thu, Jan 29, 2015

Paddy has a digger. And his father had a digger before him. His grandfather had a digger too. The great-grandfather didn't have a digger cos it hadn't been invented but he told everyone who knew him that he'd have had a digger if the man who made the diggers had been born before him and not 50 years after.

Councillors express their unhappiness with ongoing broadband issues

Thu, Jan 29, 2015

A civil servant received one of the coldest receptions ever afforded to a visitor at a Galway County Council meeting earlier this week when he gave a presentation on the National Broadband Plan. Sean Griffin from the Department of Communications was handed the unenviable task of delivering an update on the plan, and how it would affect long-suffering internet users in rural Galway. But it was unlikely that Mr Griffin had reckoned on a chamber packed with 39 irate councillors, each of whom was awarded time to speak on the contentious issue. And it was not pretty. At one stage the department representative was even accused of pedalling “happy pills’’ to pacify a bunch that were anything but happy.

The Government’s ambition that every home and business in Ireland will have access to high speed broadband by 2020 was outlined. High speed broadband is currently defined as a download speed of 30 mb per second. This project requires the State to invest hundreds of millions of euro to build a broadband network, which can be used by more than 700,000 premises. These homes and businesses are in areas unlikely to be served by commercial broadband operators as they are too remote, or have too few people living in them to enable the operators to make a profit. Contracts for the project are to be awarded by the end of 2016.

President’s Ethics Initiative to discuss how human rights can inform healthcare

Thu, Jan 29, 2015

The issue of delivering healthcare fairly, using a human rights framework, will be discussed at NUI Galway on 6 February. The public event is part of the President’s Ethics Initiative and President Michael D. Higgins will open the event.

The event is being organised by NUI Galway’s Irish Centre for Human Rights and its College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. Speakers and panel experts will panels of experts come from medicine, law, ethics, international development, health policy and activism backgrounds.

Five fishermen plucked from stormy sea after trawler sinks

Thu, Jan 22, 2015

Four Galway based fishermen and a Romanian crewman are making their way home after a terrifying experience when the trawler they were fishing on sank off the west coast of Scotland on Tuesday.

‘Politicians are all the same’

Thu, Jan 22, 2015

“Politicians are all the same“ is a very common refrain these days, and although it may disturb the more idealistic candidates and their canvassers, it has more than a grain of truth. The two governments that have reigned throughout the Irish economic meltdown have pursued the same policies, making the people pay for a crisis that was none of their doing.

The Pub Landlord - twenty years of ‘behaving appallingly humbly’

Thu, Jan 22, 2015

IT WAS 20 years ago this year that Al Murray introduced the world to the Pub Landlord, his pompously loveable, slightly jingoistic, opinionated font of ‘common sense’, who espouses a ‘Thank God I’m an Englishman’ view of the world, and is hopelessly in love with being British!

City and county council merger a possibility under new report

Thu, Jan 22, 2015

Galway city and county councils may cease to exist as separate entities and instead be merged into one local authority for the entire county under a major new review of local government arrangements.

Fitness to practice enquiry hears Galwaywoman had both fallopian tubes clipped without consent

Thu, Jan 22, 2015

Consultant obstetrician/gynaecologist Dr Declan Egan, who practises at University Hospital Galway and runs the private Galway Fertility Unit in Rahoon, should have sought the consent of a Galwaywoman before he clipped both her fallopian tubes but argues his action was medically justified, a fitness to practice enquiry was told this week.

Four-fold increase in one-teacher schools in last four years , says O Cuiv

Thu, Jan 22, 2015

Fianna Fáil TD for Galway West Éamon Ó Cuív says the number of one-teacher schools has increased four-fold since this Government came into power, wuth budget changes have seen the number of single teacher schools rise dramatically from 11 in September 2011 to 44 currently.

Limerick objections to Galway Port redevelopment ‘spurious’ says Grealish

Thu, Jan 22, 2015

The Shannon Foynes Port Company’s objections to the expansion of Galway Port are “spurious”, “without any sound basis”, and motivated by “self-interest”, according to Independent Galway West TD Noel Grealish.

Remembering Anne Kirkbride’s trip to discover her south Galway roots

Thu, Jan 22, 2015

As millions of Coronation Street fans this week mourned the passing of Anne Kirkbride, we remember her roots in south Galway, and the time she visited the area to learn more about the life of her great grandfather, a farm labourer from near Gort.

Possibility of strike action by staff at Dunnes Stores

Thu, Jan 22, 2015

The threat of a strike by Dunnes Stores staff in Galway remains after workers balloted for industrial action. Mandate Trade Union shop stewards in Dunnes voted overwhelmingly in favour of commencing a process of balloting for industrial action at the company. The balloting process will begin in the coming weeks.

The action is due to a number of issues including zero-hour contracts. These contracts, which many Dunnes employees work under, force staff to be always available for work without a guarantee of a fixed number of hours.

Connaughton calls for Knockma lands to be bought and developed

Thu, Jan 22, 2015

Enhanced walking amenities on Knockma near Tuam could be developed if land at the top of the 170-metre hill is purchased by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Higgins proposes boardwalk from Kinvara to Dunguaire

Thu, Jan 22, 2015

Labour senator Lorraine Higgins is proposing that road safety concerns in Kinvara could be remedied by the introduction of a boardwalk for pedestrians from the town to Dunguaire Castle.

Renmore native presenting a new show on The Discovery Channel

Thu, Jan 22, 2015

A Galway man has found fame in the US presenting a show on the Discovery Channel. Michael Craughwell from Renmore is currently the face of Big Giant Swords, which premiered on the channel last week.

Olwen Dawe appointed President of Network Ireland

Thu, Jan 22, 2015

Galway native, Olwen Dawe has just been appointed President of Network Ireland for 2015. Olwen is a strategy and communications advisor, working predominantly in the economic development sector.

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