Home Renovation Incentive — a great opportunity for homeowners

Thu, Dec 05, 2013

Among the cuts and taxes announced in Budget 2014 was a great incentive in which homeowners will obtain a tax credit for any applicable home renovations completed in 2014 and 2015.

Spiddal craft village to hold fundraiser for local children’s cancer charity

Thu, Dec 05, 2013

Ceardlann, Spiddal Craft Village and Café will host a late night shopping event next week to help raise much needed funds for local children’s cancer charity, Hand in Hand.

The Conradh na Gaeilge Oireachtas and Ard-Fheis held in the Town Hall 1913

Thu, Dec 05, 2013

Conradh na Gaeilge, also known as the Gaelic League, was founded by Douglas Hyde and Eoin McNeill in July 1893. Their aim was to keep the Irish language alive and preserve the Gaelic elements of Ireland’s culture. It was open to all creeds, was non-political, and accepted women on an equal basis. It used a broad approach, organising classes and competitions in Irish music, dancing, literature, and games. After a sluggish six years in existence, it suddenly morphed into a mass movement.

Irish metal industries

Thu, Nov 28, 2013

Over the last few weeks we have been writing about the building on Earl’s Island which began life as a bleach and flax mill in the 1850s. It was then converted into a jute factory, became a bonded warehouse, a factory for making cannon shells during World War I, and was occupied by the 6th Dragoon Guards and the 17th Lancers during the War of Independence. After the British army left, it was vacant for a while before being converted into a factory known as IMI, or Irish Metal Industries.

James Michael Curley’s Last Hurrah

Thu, Nov 28, 2013

Despite all his bravura and political showmanship, his coarse humour,* a great fixer, a downright trickster and grafter, yet with a genuine kindness that endeared him to vast swathes of Boston voters, James Michael Curley’s personal life was unusually tragic. Following the death of his first wife ‘ Mae’ (nee Herlihy), he remarried a widow, Gertrude Dennis with two sons. This was on the last day of his term as Governor of Massachusetts, January 7 1937, “ to give her at least one day as first lady of the Commonwealth.” Between his two wives he had nine children; but incredibly seven of them predeceased him.

Shantalla village, 1945

Thu, Nov 21, 2013

This remarkable photograph of Shantalla village was taken in 1945 by Pádraic Mac Dubháin and is from the National Museum collection. You will sometimes see the place name written as Shantallow and you will hear it pronounced Shantla by people with Galway accents. It is derived from the Irish ‘Sean Talamh’, old ground, though why Shantalla should be older ground than that which surrounds it is a mystery. Maybe it is because some of the land was not being worked.

Boston - A tale of three cities

Thu, Nov 21, 2013

James Michael Curley - four times mayor of Boston, twice elected to the House of Representatives, one term as Governor of Massachusetts, and two terms in jail, was the son of County Galway parents who emigrated as children to the US in the 1860s. The stories told about Curley are proverbially legion. Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter rarely let an Irish politician go without asking if they had any stories about James Michael Curley. (The one president who shunned anything to do with Curley, was president John F Kennedy. But more about that in a moment).

Through chicanery, charm, bullying, and barroom brawls, with unashamed bribery and corruption, laced with brilliant and passionate oratory in a fine clear voice, James Michael Curley brought Tammany Hall politics to an art form. In the early decades of the 20th century, he mobilised his Irish Catholic constituents by doing what the best machine bosses do well: He gave them all municipal jobs, good, fat municipal contracts, and created a network of favours, which he called in on election day.

The 17th Lancers in Earl’s Island

Thu, Nov 14, 2013

When World War I finished and the National Shell Factory on Earl’s Island closed down, the buildings were taken over by the 6th Dragoon Guards who had a reputation for wanton brutality. This was unusual in that most well armed British army units, with few having a role in the intelligence conflict, were rarely attacked during the War of Independence in the west of Ireland. While individual RIC men became defined as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, it was army regiments, rather than individual soldiers, that became so defined.

ó’Máille’s - Telling the story of island life

Thu, Nov 14, 2013

Tourism in Ireland is changing. Yes, there will always be a market for the Book of Kells, The Ring of Kerry, the Aran Islands, and Paddy Reilly’s Fields; but we have seen this year how the call for The Gathering has worked a treat. Surely Galway has never had a busier summer? To achieve above average visitor numbers you clearly must offer more than the chocolate box Ireland.

Super charge your skin

Thu, Nov 07, 2013

Are you aged 60 plus and keen to look your best for the festive season? If so, check out No 7’s Restore and Renew serum, especially for this age group and available at Boots.

Clinically proven to target the first signs of ageing it claims to help minimise the appearance of pores, lines and wrinkles, protect against free radical damage and help maintain elasticity.

Saving face

Thu, Nov 07, 2013

When you look at your face sometimes do you groan inwardly at how drawn it looks? Maybe you have had too many late nights, drank a little too much at that going away party or are recovering from a nasty cold? Or perhaps your facial muscles are just bearing the signs of tension and stress created by mundane activities, such as chewing, grinding your teeth, straining your eyes, even laughing.

Now a new facial treatment available locally aims to bring about balance in your body generally and increase your levels of wellbeing and relaxation.

Classic chic

Thu, Nov 07, 2013

Need a quick refresher course in easy, classic chic with a touch of feminine styling? Then, turn your attention to Bellanisa, a collection with its roots in Italian styling and fabrics.

Caring for your neck

Thu, Nov 07, 2013

The neck seems to age faster than any other part of the body. While there are some definite reasons for this, one of the biggest causes is neglect, say skin experts.

Lose up to two stone in ten weeks

Thu, Nov 07, 2013

If you want dramatic results and a realistic and achievable weight loss plan, if you want to get at the stubborn fat on your stomach or hips and thighs and keep the weight off more easily, your metabolism is answer.

Ease anxiety and stress with Care Cure acupuncture

Thu, Nov 07, 2013

Overcoming the stresses and strains of daily life can be draining at best. Sometimes it becomes just too much and we feel anxious, frightened, and generally low. In times of great anxiety our qi (vital energy) cannot flow freely and is likely to become blocked.

The Chinese believe that qi is all around us – the world is made up of it. For example qi is the reason our blood circulates, our limbs move, our stomach digests food, and our hair grows. Care Cure practitioners use the age-old art of acupuncture to move the flow of blood, unblocking vital qi and revitalising the nervous system.

The Galway national shell factory

Thu, Nov 07, 2013

During the First World War, towns and cities throughout Britain and Ireland had factories producing munitions for the battlefield. Galway was not one of these locations and indeed many Galwegians were travelling to the UK to work in these factories. There was a lot of criticism over this and so the members of the Urban Council and some local industrialists began a lobbying campaign to attract such an industry to the city. It would create employment and would be beneficial to the community.

The Duke avoids a shootout at Ó’Máille’s

Thu, Nov 07, 2013

Tom Grealy, the well known Galway accountant and music aficionado, remembers as a schoolboy the day John Wayne rode into the town. In 1951 Wayne, probably the best known cowboy actor of his day, was in Cong filming The Quiet Man. The film, somewhat surprisingly, remains a world -wide favourite. More than half a century later, it is still regarded by many film makers as the ‘perfect told story’. The involvement of local people among its star studded cast, which included Maureen O’Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Victor McLaglen, and Arthur Shields, all at the peak of their careers at the time, won their lasting affection. The occasion is still celebrated in Cong today.

Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine treatments for fertility and pregnancy

Thu, Oct 31, 2013

Vera Deale is a practitioner at Alma Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Kilcolgan. Ms Deale has found that acupuncture is an effective means of treating many underlying gynaecological conditions in preparation for pregnancy. It helps in relieving stress and tension in addition to creating hormonal balance.

She has many years’ experience as a nurse and midwife. She is also a founder member of the Zita West Network in Ireland which specialises in reproductive health. This network facilitates the sharing of knowledge and expertise with other members in Ireland and the United Kingdom. It also provides an opportunity to keep up to date with new developments in fertility treatment.

Lose up to two stone in ten weeks

Thu, Oct 31, 2013

If you want dramatic results and a realistic and achievable weight loss plan, if you want to get at the stubborn fat on your stomach or hips and thighs and keep the weight off more easily, your metabolism is answer.

Your metabolism is with you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A good metabolism will burn more calories than anything else. Metabolism faults will limit or stop your weight loss no matter how much dieting or exercise you do.

Persse’s Bonded Warehouse, Earl’s Island

Thu, Oct 31, 2013

Two weeks ago in this column, we showed some photographs of the Jute Spinning factory in Earl’s Island, and what I thought were large stacks of turf beside the building. An eagle eyed reader has pointed out that these were not sods of turf, they were ‘jute butts’, stems of the jute plant from which the fibres were extracted. They were stacked out in the fresh air because they are easier to work when wet. The fibres that made up the rough jute products were extracted from the top half of the plant.

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