Two men of destiny meet on Tawin Island

Thu, Apr 01, 2021

In his interesting biography of Éamon de Valera,* Diarmuid Ferriter wrote that in December 2000 gardaí seized 24 love letters from de Valera to his young wife Sinéad, which were being advertised for auction by Mealy’s of Castlecomer. It was believed that the letters were stolen in the mid 1970s from the de Valera family home. The owners who had bought them in the UK some years previously in an effort to ensure their return to Ireland, were unaware that they were stolen.

Grow potatoes for a high yield from a relatively small growth space

Thu, Apr 01, 2021

Where would the nation be without the humble potato?

Potatoes can be grown pretty much anywhere, produce a high yield from a relatively small space and store well. No wonder they have been a staple diet for Irish families for centuries.

Inject hi-tech into your life with Triton HOST digital mixer shower

Thu, Apr 01, 2021

Technology is a huge part of daily life so it’s no surprise it’s finally reaching the bathroom.

Essential cleaning tips as barbecue cooking season fast approaches

Thu, Apr 01, 2021

Real barbecue masters know that it takes maintenance, but only little effort, to keep your barbecue in pristine condition.

Lawnmowers available at Ivors

Thu, Apr 01, 2021

When it comes to lawnmowers in Galway one name always stands out, Ivors.

Local hotels adopt safety first policy

Thu, Apr 01, 2021

‘If that goes well, then we can consider hospitality in June’, was the message on Tuesday from Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar, referring to the numbers for virus cases, in hospitals, new variants and vaccine rollout all going in the right direction in the coming weeks.

Gardenwise | Sitting Comfortably Whatever the Weather

Mon, Mar 29, 2021

If word on the grapevine is anything to go by, garden furniture has been eagerly sought after since the Christmas decorations were packed away. Last year taught us that we definitely need outdoor spaces to meet family and friends in, and since that’s likely to continue, everyone’s looking to make them more comfortable.

Galway family’s new cookbook helping to bring people on an adventure

Thu, Mar 25, 2021

Camping Soul Food, the bumper 60 meal cookbook with a difference, is restirring that sense of adventure through its pages as each recipe is paired with a soul song and playlist to listen and dance to while you prep and cook. The dishes can be cooked anywhere that your travel and adventure take you, even if it is to the back yard or a local park.

Become a founder member of McAllister Distillery Ahascragh

Thu, Mar 25, 2021

As construction on the new whiskey and gin craft distillery in the village of Ahascragh nears, McAllister Distillers has launched a founders cask programme for those who want to get on board with the venture.

Becoming a founder member by purchasing a cask will contribute to realising the vision for the Ahascragh distillery. Individuals, families, groups of friends, clubs, or corporate entities now have the opportunity to own their own cask of whiskey from McAllister Distillery Ahascragh and benefit from the growth and global demand of Irish whiskey.

Shaping the world through travel

Thu, Mar 25, 2021

Representatives of the pub, restaurant, and hotel trades will come before the Oireachtas Tourism Committee this week to outline the effects of the pandemic on their industries.

Contact lens hygiene tips to avoid putting health at risk

Thu, Mar 25, 2021

Hand hygiene has never been more important than now – especially when it comes to touching our face and eyes.

Great sleep starts with a great mattress

Thu, Mar 25, 2021

Did you know we spend up to one third of our lives sleeping? Sleep is a basic human need, much like eating and drinking, and is crucial to our overall health and wellbeing. Harvey Norman Ireland has information on the importance of sleep, sleep tips, and how to find the right mattress with the Harvey Norman sleep specialists.

Summer is coming - lose up to two stone in ten weeks

Thu, Mar 25, 2021

With total focus on fixing your metabolism, System 10 can transform your weight loss, energy, sleep, health, and much more. A good metabolism is the foundation of everything you are. A good metabolism gets you burning more fat every hour, 24 hours a day. Nothing can beat it for results. It is your weight loss master switch.

Spring cleaning essentials

Thu, Mar 25, 2021

With Easter quickly approaching it is time to give your home a spring clean, which could not be easier with the help of these tried and tested spring cleaning must haves, all available at your local Joyce’s Supermarket.

Inject hi-tech into your life with Triton HOST Digital Mixer Shower

Thu, Mar 25, 2021

Technology is a huge part of daily life so it’s no surprise it’s finally reaching the bathroom.

Ideal for injecting a little high-tech into your morning, digital showers blend first-rate performance with cutting-edge design, allowing the user to start their unit remotely for maximum control. Triton HOST™ Digital Mixer Shower (from €500, mix and match accessories sold separately) should be the first thing on the shopping list for tech savvy shower users. The stylish, contemporary digital mixer offers a wide range of mix-and-match accessories so you can create the look you desire.

The burning of the Sinn Féin hall, 100 years ago

Thu, Mar 25, 2021

Around the year 1890, this four storey building at the top of Prospect Hill was derelict. It was bought by the Sisters of Mercy and used by them as a ‘House of Mercy’, a training centre for girls. The nuns called it St Patrick’s House but their scheme failed due to lack of finance and staffing problems, so they let the building out on rent.

Tawin NS - a symbol of the gathering storm

Thu, Mar 25, 2021

‘To speak with justice, I would say this letter from Mr Casement is, for the most part, a string of falsehoods’ ….begins a letter of harsh criticism concerning the efforts of committed Irish language enthusiasts on the island of Tawin to build a new school where ‘Irish will be the language.’ It was to replace the English-speaking school, and its teacher, which was closed for years because the islanders refused to send their children there.

#MoreThanSchool campaign wants to hear how Galway students feel about returning to school

Thu, Mar 25, 2021

The Ombudsman for Children wants to know how students from Galway feel about going back to school and what school means to them. A year after schools closed for the first time, and with the phased reopening of schools under way, the #MoreThanSchool campaign is a chance for students to have their say.

Teachers and parents, unions and the Department of Education have had their say. Now it is the turn of children and young people.

International early childhood experts to address GMIT virtual conference on outdoor play

Thu, Mar 25, 2021

GMIT Mayo and the Children and Young People’s Services Committee, Mayo, will host a two-day virtual conference on March 26 and 27 on the theme of outdoor play, titled “Leave No Stone Unskipped”, for educators, parents, students, researchers and policy makers.

The event aims to highlight the value of free, unstructured, play outdoors and will be addressed by leading international experts in early childhood education and care such as Angela Hanscom (USA), author of Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children; Tim Gill (UK), independent scholar, advocate, and consultant on childhood; Áine Bird (Ireland), Burrenbeo Trust, Co Galway (since 2012); and Tristan Gooley (UK), bestselling author and “natural navigator” who set up his natural navigation school in 2008.

Gardenwise | Pretty little things – plants for woodland gardens

Wed, Mar 24, 2021

Some of the prettiest, most dainty flowering plants belong in the woodland category – think of native bluebells for instance – spectacular as carpets stretching underneath trees, but individually exquisite when viewed close up. Our native bluebell, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, needs lots of space to thrive and doesn’t particularly work well with other plants – so is perhaps best kept for larger gardens. The cultivated or Spanish bluebell, Hyacinthoides hispanica, should be used with caution – a sturdier, less elegant bluebell, it’s invasive and inclined to hybridise with the more delicate natives so I would avoid it.

E-paper

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