Through the glass darkly

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

In Act One of Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor, a play, so legend has it, Queen Elizabeth personally commissioned because she so enjoyed the character of Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV, 1& 2, we meet Master Abraham Slender who has come to court the young and lovely Mistress Anne Page. As he hesitates at the door, he laments, “I had rather than 40 shillings I had my book of Songs and Sonnets here.” The joke here, for Shakespeare’s audience, concerns the name of the book Slender mentions – Songs and Sonnets.

In 1557, Richard Tottell (d.1594), a London publisher and printer with an office in Fleet Street, published a small volume of 280 poems under the title Songs and Sonnets by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, Sir Thomas Wyatt, the Elder, Nicholas Grimald and Uncertain Authors. Reprinted nine times between 1558 and 1587, it is considered the most influential and important poetic collection of the 16th century.

Trailblaze to showcase artistic and business creativity in Galway

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

Trailblaze, the discussion, performance, and event forum, showcasing creative and socially engaged ideas and projects, with some of Ireland’s leading cultural provocateurs, is coming to Galway.

University of Limerick offers fitness instructor certification in Galway

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

University of Limerick will be running a fitness instructor course in Galway for people who would like to train to become a fitness instructor or personal trainer. The certificate in exercise and health fitness is awarded by the University of Limerick and is the only university accredited fitness qualification in Ireland.

This is a professional Level 6 award qualification and it is recognised as a gold standard award throughout the fitness industry for fitness instructors and personal trainers. Graduates will be educated and trained to design fitness programmes, conduct fitness assessments, teach a variety of exercise classes, such as body conditioning, step aerobics and circuit training as well as designing weight training programmes.

Lackagh all set for ‘The Gathering’ of Kearney clan for reunion

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

Descendents of the Kearney family will travel from far and wide this weekend for a massive family reunion at Lackagh.

Headfest gets ready to rock Headford

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

The August bank Holiday weekend will see Headford host the first Headfest community festival.

Funding secured for services for people with special needs

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

Funding for services for eight people with profound to severe disabilities, who are due to graduate from the Rosedale Special Needs School in Renmore, have been secured.

The uncertainty regarding the funding has been a source of stress for parents. However a breakthrough came following a meeting between the Minister for Health James Reilly and minister of state Kathleen Lynch, and Galway TDs Brian Walsh, Seán Kyne, Derek Nolan, and senator Fidelma Healy Eames. As a result, the money to continue providing the services was found by the HSE within the existing health budget.

Foróige to hold Youth Music Week in city

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

Foróige’s Galway City Youth Cafe on Fairgreen Road, will hold the Youth Music Week from Monday August 6 to Friday 10 for those aged between 12 and 18.

Woman killed when car hits wall near Kiltormer

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

Gardai in Ballinasloe are investigating a single vehicle road traffic collision which claimed the life of the female driver yesterday morning.

Cuddy calls for council to cut hedges and grass

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

The Galway County Council must immediately put a plan in place for hedge and grass cutting across the county, a local politician has demanded.

VEC to be patron of new Claregalway secondary school

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

County Galway Vocational Education Committee has been confirmed as the patron of a new second-level school in Claregalway, a move which has been broadly welcomed by public representatives and parents, who see this as vital to protecting the future of education in the area.

DERI researcher looks into Wikipedia’s brainpower

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

A study of the decision making processes which fuel changes to Wikipedia content is currently underway at the Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) in NUI Galway.

With almost four million articles, the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia is written collaboratively by largely anonymous Internet volunteers, and is the sixth most visited site on the web today. DERI-based PhD researcher Jodi Schneider is investigating the decision factors and arguments used in the often complex debates around article deletion.

Bonanza as Galway Arts Festival set to reach record numbers

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

With many shows sold out this year’s attendance at the Galway Arts Festival is well on its way to reaching record numbers proving that not even the recession can keep lovers of the arts away from an event which has gained national and international recognition.

Thieves target Oranmore tyre centre

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

Garda are seeking information in relation to a burglary at a tyre centre in Oranmore at the weekend where a large consignment of tyres, a tyre changer, wheel balancer, and wheel alignment equipment were stolen.

Anti-household tax campaign group hits out at Government guilt-trip

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

The Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes group has blasted the Government and local authorities in Galway for what it describes as attempt to “guilt” people into paying the controversial household charge.

Olympic opening ceremony with animals and country scenes may have Ballinasloe inspiration

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

This year’s Olympic Games opening ceremony may have an East Galway inspiration because it is being organised by film director Danny Boyle whose mother hails from Balliansloe.

Let the races begin, here and in London

Thu, Jul 26, 2012

And so as we enter Olympic week, we use Olympic parlance — the baton of craic that is perpetually on the move in Galway is passed on in the relay team of Johns. First John Killeen grabbed it and ran at a speed of knots, sailing through the field, the wind at his back to pass it on to John Crumlish who took it with a little artistic flourish, had it repainted while it was in his hand, juggled it through the air, airkissed it before seeing the third John awaiting on the cusp of the last 100, and with the white flag being hoisted into the air, he passed it on to John Maloney who will, with a ‘wild lep’, jump over the last fence and bring the Galway summer to the finishing line with the applause of the audience ringing in his ears.

And although we have been overwhelmed with audience figures over the last few weeks, 150,000 people will enjoy racing in Galway next week. They will come from all corners of the country to sample the Galway they know and love — the atmosphere, the smells, the accents, the craic, the bowdiness.

Stimulus roads programme to give Galway a 5,000-job boost

Thu, Jul 19, 2012

Galway is to gain about 5,000 jobs in the construction and related services sector over the next three years as a result of the initiatives announced on Tuesday as part of the Government Stimulus.

Galway to be showcased worldwide in IRONMAN 70.3 event

Thu, Jul 19, 2012

After successfully playing host last year, Galway is to welcome for a second time the IRONMAN 70.3 Ireland event which will attract a worldwide audience to showcase everything that the city and county has to offer.

Stimulus brings hopes to many tables

Thu, Jul 19, 2012

Even though you would not have thought it at teatime at Casement Park in Belfast last Saturday evening, everything Galway seems to touch at the moment seems to turn to gold. The eyes of the country are perpetually fixed on the perpetual parties and festivals that break up the rainy summer months for us, the VOR was a great success and this week, the city and county are grateful beneficiaries of the economic viagra for the economy — the much vaunted Government Stimulus which on Tuesday sent the guts of 4,000 jobs our way in the guise of several shovel ready infrastructural projects which when complete will change substantially the commuting and health care habits of a good proportion of our population.

Fined senator to meet Iarnrod Eireann about improving policies

Thu, Jul 19, 2012

A Fine Gael senator who was fined for boarding a train without a ticket is to meet Iarnrod Eireann officials next week with a view to “improving policy and practice”.

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