Access road row puts future of new schools in jeopardy

Thu, May 12, 2011

The building of two new schools on the east side of the city may be in danger of being delayed by up to 20 years if a dispute over an access road is not resolved in the coming weeks.

The primary and secondary schools due to be built on a landlocked site in Doughishka have been the centre of a protest involving residents of the Tur Uisce estate.

When the king came to town

Thu, May 12, 2011

King Edward VII was known as ‘Peacemaker’ for his role in fostering good relations between Britain and France, he was renowned for his politeness and good manners, and throughout the continent he was affectionately called the ‘Uncle of Europe’.

Sports stars converge on Clifden for charity cycle

Thu, May 12, 2011

Clifden will play host to some of the biggest names in Irish sport this week as the inaugural Tour de Conamara cycle gets underway. Former Irish rugby captain Mick Galwey, former Galway hurling captain Ollie Canning, double All-Ireland football winners Jarlath Fallon and Seán Ó Domhnaill, and former Mayo football manager John Maughan are among those taking part. The sportsmen are participating as part of their upcoming Race the Rás charity event.

US choir concert for St Nicholas church fund

Thu, May 12, 2011

An American university choir will perform a charity concert in aid of St Nicholas’ Collegiate Church Fund on Wednesday May 18 at 8pm.

Cinemobile comes to Portumna this weekend

Thu, May 12, 2011

The Cinemobile is coming to Portumna this Saturday and Sunday and in addition to its regular screenings, there will be a free screening for over 65s of Julie & Julia.

Taking out city roundabouts will prove to be a ‘failed experiment’ warns Naughton

Thu, May 12, 2011

Ridding Galway of most of its roundabouts and replacing them with signalised junctions, similar to that at Moneenageisha, is nothing more than a plan to repeat a “failed experiment”.

Gaeltacht day course returns

Thu, May 12, 2011

Gaelnua’s Gaeltacht day course returns from June 28 to July 15, on weekdays only, to allow children and teens attend a Gaeltacht summer course and return home each evening.

GAAW to hold ‘mock funeral processions’ protest

Thu, May 12, 2011

Mock funeral processions to remember “the innocent killed by the British and US war machines in their on-going illegal wars” are to take place in Galway.

Proposed water charges must be fair for those on low incomes says McNelis

Thu, May 12, 2011

Any water charge introduced should be fair and not cause undue hardship, especially for those on very low incomes.

RnaG on lookout for Gaeltacht village for TV ad campaign

Thu, May 12, 2011

RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta has started a search to find the perfect Gaeltacht location in which to record their upcoming TV promo in June. It is asking Gaeltacht towns and villages in Galway who think that their area might have what it takes to get in touch with them.

Celebrations as Joyces mark six decades in Galway business

Thu, May 12, 2011

Joyce’s supermarkets celebrated a landmark 60 years in business last weekend when they marked the 60th anniversary of the first store opening in Headford. The chain has grown markedly in recent years with further stores opening in Knocknacarra, Athenry, and Tuam, but owner Pat Joyce is quick to recall the genesis of the business.

Top cancer surgeon quits hospital in frustation over lack of theatre time

Thu, May 05, 2011

A leading bowel cancer surgeon at University Hospital Galway has quit his post after 15 months because of the hospital’s failure to make adequate theatre time available to him to carry out operations, the chairperson of the HSE West’s regional health forum alleged this week.

Cllr Padraig Conneely said the colorectal specialist’s resignation, which occurred last week, is a major setback for the regional hospital’s cancer care service.

Passing of a judge with humour and humanity

Thu, May 05, 2011

At the end of every year, one of the most time consuming duties of the junior hack is the compilation of the quotes of the year — a page filler in the news-starved time that fal ls between Christmas and the New Year, when people are too drunk or too busy to take time out to read newspapers. Every year that went by, you'd swear to yourself that the next year, you'd write down the quotes on a weekly basis to save yourself time at the end, but another year would go by, and you wouldn’t have taken your own advice.

However, in the newspapers in Galway on which I worked, the task was made all the easier by the presence of one man who was good for at least 10 per cent of the best quotes of the year. Judge John Garavan, who sadly passed away at the weekend, made that task al the easier because not a week went by without some form of witticism, common sense or honest to goodness dollop of fairness falling from his lips onto the harsh timbers of the courtrooms he served for more than two decades in Galway city and county.

Remembering some of the Garavan-isms

Thu, May 05, 2011

With the retirement and passing of Judge John Garavan our courts were robbed of a source of witticisms and off-the-cuff remarks that made his courtrooms enjoyable places to be. Here are some examples of the remarks of the late Judge Garavan that graced our pages in the past decade.

Education the key to removing ‘huge’ stigma surrounding HIV says NUIG lecturer

Thu, May 05, 2011

Education is the key to removing the “huge” stigma which continues to be associated with being HIV positive, a leading Galway based researcher into the condition said this week.

Claregalway woman pleads guilty to dangerous driving causing death

Thu, May 05, 2011

A 39-year-old Claregalway woman pleaded guilty to the charge of dangerous driving causing death at a sitting of the Galway Circuit Criminal Court this week.

Appearing before Judge Raymond Groarke on Tuesday, Marie Melia of Kilcahill, Claregalway, was arraigned and entered a plea of guilty to dangerous driving causing death at Drumgriffin, Corundulla, on August 3, 2008.

Man abducted and subjected to ‘horrific assault’ in Menlo shed, jury hears

Thu, May 05, 2011

A jury has heard how a man who had got behind on his debts to drug suppliers was abducted by two men and taken to a country laneway shed where he was subjected to the “most horrific” assault for more than an hour.

On the first day of the trial on Tuesday, the jury of 10 men and two women heard how pools of blood were discovered in the shed where the assault is alleged to have taken place and that a trail of blood ran the length of the laneway to the main road as the victim, 33-year-old Lithuanian Jaan Eemon, desperately sought help, finally collapsing in front of a local man who immediately alerted gardai.

Being there – thirty five years of Samaritans in Galway

Thu, May 05, 2011

Thirty-five years ago a small group of motivated people came together to consider the feasibility of starting a Samaritan Branch in Galway – among them three people who had been volunteers in Dublin and Belfast, the rest without any previous Samaritan experience but some relevant talents – a general practitioner, a businessman, another professional medical person, a psychologist and couple of willing workers without any special gifts.

IBAL calls for ‘adopt a road’ scheme for Galway

Thu, May 05, 2011

With the 2011 Anti Litter League being launched yesterday Galway city and Tuam will be looking to retain their litter free status and, according to the Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL), one way this task can be made much easier is by introducing the “Adopt a Road” scheme to the county.

Peter O’Toole cements his place among Hollywood’s greatest

Thu, May 05, 2011

Galway-born actor Peter O’Toole joined the ranks of Hollywood’s most celebrated stars at the weekend when he added his hand and footprints to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

O’Toole was joined by luminaries of the film industry including Angelica Huston and Rose McGowan, along with his son Lorcan, daughter Kate, and a crowd of wellwishers and fans, for the ceremony.

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