Search Results for 'Aran Islands'

Fine Gael TD, John O’Mahony, has welcomed the announcement by Minister for Education, Jan O’Sullivan that the Department of Education have approved an main stream classroom at Scoil Padraig Naofa, Cregmore, Claregalway and an art room for Gairmscoil Einne, Aran Islands.

Galway Bay golf course near Oranmore is one of the most scenic golf courses in Ireland. It overlooks Galway Bay, with Galway city and the Aran Islands in the distance. The course is very challenging, but a great test for the more gifted golfers. Or so I'm told, as everything I know about golf can be written on the back of a postage stamp.

NUI Galway Senior Lecturer, boards.ie/adverts.ie Co-Founder, Startup Advisor, ACE Fitness/WestBIC Boards

Some 15,700 attended the 19th Baboró International Arts Festival for Children over the course of the week-long festival, which ended last Sunday. This year’s festival came with a promise to ‘do your heart good’ and the rich and varied programme made sure of that. With shows catering for babies right up to ages 15, this year’s festival featured beautifully imaginative and inspiring shows from Ireland as well as Canada, the Ukraine, Italy, Belgium, and Spain.

The new contract awarding air services between the Aran Islands and the mainland is welcome but when the new contracts come up next year, the Government must listen to Islanders and not “make a dog’s dinner of the tender process”.

A motion has been passed by Galway county councillors that effectively prevents Carnmore Airport being used to provide an air service to the Aran Islands in future. A special meeting of the council took place yesterday to discuss the use of the airport site due to the ongoing controversy about air transport to the islands.

There was a ferry service to the Aran Islands in the 1960s, but the ship could only dock at Inis Mór. In 1969 Colie Hernon wrote a letter to The Irish Times complaining of the inadequate transport facilities to the islands, which prompted Hayden Lawford to conduct an aerial survey of Inis Mór. Meanwhile Ralph Langan, whose business was fruit wholesaling in Galway, and who had problems shipping fresh fruit to the islands, had also seen Colie’s letter.

One of the 5k races I ran in early summer was at Galway Airport. It was one of those rare nice Tuesday nights, when almost a thousand runners ran around the edges of  the runway, around and around, running one way towards Boston and then the other way towards Brussels — and when you are labouring up one length of the runway and then down the other end, you get a view of the place that only a few have ever had.  Normally you were only air-side of the terminal if you were embarking and disembarking. On this evening, we all had a privileged view of a facility that was crying out to be loved again.

Executive Helicopters have released a statement to address the ongoing issue regarding air transport to and from the Aran Islands. The company says helicopters are already the mainstay and air transport of choice to many offshore islands in open ocean conditions and give the example of the Tory Island service off Donegal coast, which has been operating since 1985 and is part-funded by the Department of the Gaeltacht. 

A special meeting of Galway County Council will take place next week to discuss the future of the Aran Islands air service. Up to 20 politicians from across Galway visited Inis Mór, Inis Oirr, and Inis Meáin yesterday for a series of meetings aimed at saving the service.