The white flag has been raised... and we’re off

Thu, Sep 25, 2025

After months of speculation, party posturing, and a few failed bids, the race to Áras an Uachtaráin is on. It’s a modest field: just three names will appear on the ballot, making this the first presidential election with so few contenders since 1990 — when Mary Robinson made history. The stakes are high nationally, but perhaps nowhere more so than in Galway, where the outcome could trigger a seismic political shift.

A child lost, a system in crisis

Thu, Sep 18, 2025

As the search for young Daniel Aruebose continued over the past few weeks, culminating in the discovery of remains yesterday, the slow, painful unravelling of another Irish tragedy has begun to expose far more than the grim possibility of a child lost — it is unearthing, once again, the stark failures of a child protection system stretched too thin, and too often blind to the quiet disappearances of vulnerable children.

A child lost, a system in crisis

Wed, Sep 17, 2025

As the search for young Daniel Aruebose continued over the past few weeks, culminating in the discovery of remains yesterday, the slow, painful unravelling of another Irish tragedy has begun to expose far more than the grim possibility of a child lost — it is unearthing, once again, the stark failures of a child protection system stretched too thin, and too often blind to the quiet disappearances of vulnerable children.

The discovery of human remains on a site along Portrane Road, outside Donabate, has cast a pall not only over a community desperate for hope but over a country asking itself an increasingly urgent question: how could this have happened?

Sleepwalking into history – again

Wed, Sep 10, 2025

History rarely repeats itself in the same form, but it has an unnerving way of rhyming. When we look at the events unfolding across the globe — from drone strikes in Poland to devastation in the Middle East — there’s a growing sense that we are, once again, sleepwalking into the kind of global crisis we swore we would never repeat. And this time, the consequences could be even more far-reaching.

Behind every great school is a secretary and a caretaker

Thu, Sep 04, 2025

We hand our children over to schools every morning, trusting them to be safe, supported, and educated. We picture classrooms, teachers, and books. But behind every bell that rings, every lesson that begins, and every school door that opens, stand two or more often-overlooked figures: the school secretary and the caretaker. These are not just peripheral roles; they are the beating heart of every school in this country.

The Shortt story uplifts us all

Thu, Aug 28, 2025

In a world where the headlines too often bring grief or gloom, it’s not just refreshing—it’s deeply healing—to celebrate the triumph of one of our own. This week, Roscam’s John Shortt returned home to Galway not just as a young man who sat his Leaving Cert, but as a triple medalist and double world champion at the World Junior Swimming Championships in Romania. And what a homecoming it was.

From golfgate to Gaza — the benefit of perspective

Thu, Aug 21, 2025

Five years ago this week, the eyes of a locked-down nation turned to Galway. “Golfgate,” as it came to be known, stirred up national outrage. There was shock and fury at the flouting of Covid-19 restrictions by politicians and public figures. News bulletins were filled with questions: Who was in the room? Who sat beside whom? Who ate the dinner? The event ignited a firestorm—resignations were demanded, apologies made, careers dented temporarily. Even Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, became indirectly entangled.

Transformation of historic waterworks building into water sports hub to commence next year

Thu, Aug 21, 2025

Galway City Council has announced the redevelopment of the Old Galway Corporation Waterworks building on Dyke Road into a modern, all-weather water sports activity centre will commence next year. This exciting project will see the historic site revitalised to support Galway’s growing outdoor recreation scene while also enhancing its appeal as a year-round tourism destination.

A season turns with silver in hand

Thu, Aug 14, 2025

There’s a welcome in the light these days—a golden haze in the early mornings and a gentle cooling in the evenings that speaks of a season in flux. August, perched between the defiance of summer and the inevitability of autumn, has always been a time of transition. But this year, it’s brought a strange harmony of opposites: the heat of high summer clinging to the skin, while the rustling of leaves hints at the long descent into winter.

Here in Galway, we know how to read the signs. The city has a rhythm all its own, and we mark time not only by the calendar but by the mood of the streets, the hum of the Claddagh breeze, and, lately, by the roar of celebration. It has been a week to remember—our women of steel showed the nation just what mettle looks like, claiming glory in the All-Ireland senior camogie final and bringing a curtain of success down on a sporting season full of twists. They have earned their silverware, and they have earned our pride. There is something special about heading into the darker months with that kind of joy tucked under the oxter.

Women of Galway, women of steel

Thu, Aug 07, 2025

This Sunday, in the great theatre of Croke Park, under the endless sky of Dublin’s northside, the women of Galway take to the field once more. Maroon and white hearts beat faster as the clock ticks toward the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Final—a familiar yet sacred moment, nearly 30 years on from that first crowning glory in 1996.

When nature puts smacht on us: a world at war, tamed by the elements

Thu, Jul 31, 2025

In a world that seems to teeter perpetually on the brink—gripped by war, conflict, division, and environmental degradation—perhaps the greatest reckoning won’t come from diplomacy or force, but from nature itself. We often forget how small we are until nature reminds us. And when the world misbehaves, there comes a moment when the earth, sea, and sky conspire to put smacht on us all.

Galway in a time of witnessing

Wed, Jul 30, 2025

Here in Galway, we measure the year in rhythms — not so much by the weather or the ticking of clocks, but by the sequence of festivals and the shifting colour of the streets. July turns, and with it, the city shifts mood. The stretch in the evening begins to draw in. The Galway International Arts Festival takes its final bow, and almost immediately, the echo of hooves rises from Ballybrit. The handover is complete. Art yields to spectacle. The Races are upon us.

Galway in a time of witnessing

Thu, Jul 24, 2025

Here in Galway, we measure the year in rhythms — not so much by the weather or the ticking of clocks, but by the sequence of festivals and the shifting colour of the streets. July turns, and with it, the city shifts mood. The stretch in the evening begins to draw in. The Galway International Arts Festival takes its final bow, and almost immediately, the echo of hooves rises from Ballybrit. The handover is complete. Art yields to spectacle. The Races are upon us.

This is a pattern we know well — a choreography of the city’s own making. From the dazzle of performance art to the drama of the racetrack, Galway moves not with the calendar, but with its passions. First, the imagination. Then, the tradition.

A sea-shaped legacy – Galway’s candidates and the Presidency?

Thu, Jul 17, 2025

As the presidential race tentatively takes shape, there is a current of quiet excitement rolling out from the west — and not just for the political theatre ahead. For the first time, there is the distinct possibility that two of Galway’s most remarkable political daughters, Dr. Máire Geoghegan-Quinn and Deputy Catherine Connolly, could feature prominently in the contest for Ireland’s highest office. In a race that is often framed by personality and geography, there is something deeper stirring here: the opportunity for two extraordinary, sea-shaped lives to bring Ireland a story it sorely needs to hear.

How Druid Theatre gave Galway its sense of purpose

Thu, Jul 03, 2025

This week, fifty years ago, in a modest room in Galway, three young visionaries came together—Garry Hynes, Marie Mullen, and Mick Lally—to establish something that would forever alter the course of a city’s cultural, economic, and social destiny. They were not seeking glory or attention; they simply believed that great theatre could—and should—exist outside of Dublin. What they set in motion that day was the foundation of Druid Theatre Company, an act that would not only revolutionise Irish theatre but also redefine Galway’s very identity.

Guarding the gate — why we need a western naval base

Thu, Jun 19, 2025

Times have changed. There was once a time when we, on this wind-lashed rock at the far edge of the Atlantic, could keep our heads down and our noses out of trouble. We enjoyed the luxury of obscurity. But that time is over. The world has changed—and not in subtle ways. We are entering a new era of geopolitical instability, technological vulnerability, and organised criminal sophistication. Ireland, and particularly our western coast, can no longer afford to remain a blind spot on the strategic map of Europe.

Tuam excavations an act of humanity and delicacy

Thu, Jun 12, 2025

Next week, beneath the quiet skies of Tuam, shovels will meet soil. It will be no ordinary act of excavation—it will be an act of love, of memory, of finally listening to voices long silenced. The ground at the former Mother and Baby Home, where 796 children were interred without names, markers, or dignity, will open not only to archaeologists, but to a nation’s grief.

Can Galvia statue kickstart an era of doing?

Thu, May 29, 2025

After several millennia of waiting—give or take a few centuries of myth-making, hair-washing, and river-drowning—the city of Galway has decided, at long last, to honour a woman in bronze. Yes, Galvia, the mythical princess presumed to be the namesake of the city, is getting a statue. And not just any statue: one that may, planning permission and divine intervention permitting, actually be installed in a public place before the next ice age.

Starvation is not a strategy—it is a crime

Thu, May 22, 2025

In the chaos of conflict, there are supposed to be red lines. International law—built on the ashes of past atrocities—demands that civilians be protected, aid be allowed, and the most basic of human needs be met, regardless of the flags flying overhead. Yet in Gaza today, we are witnessing a flagrant betrayal of these principles. Food is being used as a weapon of war. And the world is, once again, watching in silence.

Port is gateway to regional renewal and economic resilience

Thu, May 15, 2025

At a critical moment for Galway’s future, a transformative opportunity sits tantalisingly close—yet continues to stall. The relocation and expansion of the Port of Galway is not merely a maritime infrastructure project; it is the single most important investment in the city’s ability to thrive economically, socially, and environmentally over the coming decades. It must be supported—urgently and unequivocally.

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