Over there — the challenges facing the EU in these times

Thu, Nov 10, 2022

It’s Wednesday evening and I type these words in a quiet corner of the Berlaymont in Brussels. Outside the evening is a grey November, not quite frosty yet, but winter is on the way. And perhaps a sort of winter is on the way for the institution in whose building I am working.

Winter is here when the market lands

Thu, Nov 03, 2022

I always notice that temperatures in Galway seem to drop by about ten degrees when the Christmas Market is upon us. I used to think that those Siberian stallholders brought the cold over with them when they unpacked. As if a cloud of winter chilliness would escape from their crates of goods and envelope us all in a coldness, sated only by the mulled wines and the hot treats of the stalls.

Summertime, wintertime, and more drinking-time

Thu, Oct 27, 2022

It is perhaps appropriate that on the week that is in it, the end of summertime and the beginning of wintertime, that legislation should provide us all with a new time — drinking-time.

Galway needs to take a long hard look at itself

Thu, Oct 20, 2022

I’m a great believer in taking a look back to the past to understand the present and plan for the future. To see if a culture pervades that will enable you to set targets, to develop and to progress.

Passing of a mayor with a glint in his eye

Thu, Oct 13, 2022

Cities and places are the products of those who live there, who shape the communities, who by their deeds and actions influence the way things get done. Galway, having had its own makeover from a provincial trading town to a city of affluence and attitude, is a patchwork quilt formed from the colourful threads of all those who have come here and made an impact.

We all need heroes like Browne and Crean and Weekes

Thu, Oct 06, 2022

There was a strange juxtaposition in Galway Port this week. The Marine Institute’s shiny new super-bád, the Tom Crean purred its way out of the harbour, ready to shimmy its way down to Kerry where it will be officially unveiled today.

Abuse of match officials a symptom of changing society

Thu, Sep 29, 2022

When I started out in this game, and even as a kid, there were certain pillars of society that demanded and were given authority and respect. We were all taught to respect the guards, teachers, priests, nuns, the elderly, the doctors the vulnerable...the list went on.

A budget that matters more than most

Thu, Sep 22, 2022

By this time next week, we will all be fully au fait with the yins and yangs of the Budget which will be revealed in the Dail on Tuesday afternoon. It is probably safe to say that of all the budgets that we have experienced throughout our lifetime, this is one that will grab the attention of almost all of us.

The cool caress of the winds of change

Thu, Sep 15, 2022

Of course, there is nothing permanent except change itself. It is the law of life, it is that which adds to the yins and yangs of existence.

The need for art to hold up a mirror

Thu, Sep 08, 2022

Societies are imperfect entities. Composed of unequal parts, of unfair power struggles. They are misshapen, with nooks and crannies into which the most horrific of injustices can be visited on those who are afraid to come into the light.

A place that is welcoming to all

Thu, Sep 01, 2022

Over the next few weeks, Galway will one again thankfully feel the rush of fresh blood through its veins when thousands of students come here for an experience that one hopes will be a positive one, and will help them forge a link with this city that they will hold for the rest of their lives.

Are we set for another winter of rural raids?

Thu, Aug 25, 2022

Ageing and solace are comfortable bedfellows. When the hustle and bustle of midlife passes by, a sort of solitude is idyllic for those of advanced years. Some would see it as a vulnerability and for those of an evil bent, see it as an opportunity.

Watch the iconic Cong-Galway sailing race this weekend

Thu, Aug 25, 2022

The annual Cong – Galway Sailing Race, Europe’s oldest and longest inland water sailing race, will take place this year on Saturday August 27 2022.

Carty leads his players up the hill for Jack and Jill

Thu, Aug 25, 2022

Connacht Rugby players swapped their rugby boots for hiking gear when they lined out to support the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation this week.

The changing face of Shop Street

Thu, Aug 11, 2022

Nothing remains static in this dynamic world. In nature, we see growth, development and decay. Our very life would be an impossibility without this all-pervading law of change or motion. Nothing remains constant no matter how good it has been. To be wedded to the past and to shut eyes to the future is a form of mental slavery. Nostalgia is all very well, but we must always be unafraid of change.

Here, on the other side of everything

Thu, Aug 04, 2022

I’ve a great grá for this time of the year. Here, on the other side of everything. Here, with most of the Galway year behind us; the Races, the arts festival, the summer influx of event aficionados.

Our county teams created pride and a legacy — now support our clubs

Thu, Jul 28, 2022

I love the perspective you get a few days out from something. At a time when the emotion has dissipated, the becalmed excitement allows you to think freely, having cast away any conscious bias.

Every detail has been pored over, every decision analysed, every ‘what if’ exhausted, and we walk away with pride at the performance and the disappointment that it did not yield more. But there will be other days.

Galway, be emboldened by all who wish you well

Thu, Jul 21, 2022

So here you are, men of Galway; for the first time in a generation, back to a familiar field. And you are here because you have faced down every challenge laid in front of you....and this Sunday, will be just another.

The quest for that elusive ticket

Thu, Jul 14, 2022

Getting a ticket for an All-Ireland final is an art-form. One that might, in time, become to be represented in the sea of art in which we are all currently sailing here in Galway.

Tents and tackles — the signs of summer

Thu, Jul 07, 2022

Probably most of our lives, we have lived unaware of the Signified and the Signifier of semiotics, so beloved by the linguist Saussure. But these theories espoused in those studies are what make life worth living, as they spark memory and association.

There are sights and sounds and smells which trigger memories in us all; that bring us to happy or sad places; that the mere mention of which floods our brain with overwhelming images of blue skies or dark winters.

E-paper

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