Gardaí seized cash, cocaine, cars, and designer watches in multiple raids across Galway City and County targeting organised crime today.
Raids were carried out in seven locations as part of Operation Tara in Galway on Friday.
During the course of these searches, suspected cocaine worth €47,000 was seized in addition to €39,490 in cash and ten designer watches (Rolex and Hublot).
Two cars and one van, all 2022 registered, were also seized during the operation.
Two men in their 30s have been arrested in connection with this seizure, and are currently detained at Garda Stations in Galway.
This operation was targeting drugs and organised crime in Galway.
It was conducted by the Galway Divisional Drugs Unit with support from the Galway District Drug Unit, the Armed Support Unit, the Divisional Search Team, the Galway Crime Unit and the Garda Dog Unit.
The number of families living in emergency accommodation in the west of Ireland increased in July, figures from the latest homelessness report show.
The Department of Housing’s figures for July show 101 families living in emergency accommodation in Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon, up from 97 the previous month.
Those families had a total of 212 child dependents, a monthly increase nine kids in emergency accommodation, and 58 of them are single parent families.
In Galway City & County there were 272 homeless adults last month, one more than was seen in June.
Of the 355 total homeless adults in those three western counties in July, 194 of them were men and 164 were women.
The greatest number of those without a home were aged from 25 – 44 years old, accounting for 172 of the total. Another 100 people aged between 45 – 64 years old were also homeless, 75 were between 18 – 24.
There were eight people aged 65 or even older living in emergency accommodation in the west last month.
Funding of €330,000 has been allocated for the continuation of drugs and inclusion health services by community groups in the west of Ireland.
Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton has today announced €3.5 million in annual funding to maintain existing level of drugs and inclusion health services.
From this CHO2, which is made up of counties Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon, will receive €330,000.
Minister Naughton said that this funding, “The recognises the important role of community and voluntary groups in providing drugs and inclusion health services, and acknowledges the increased costs of providing these essential services.”
These services, “meet the health needs of socially excluded groups, such as people who use drugs and people who are homeless,” Hildegarde Naughton added.
Eligible services by community and voluntary groups for this funding includes: drug services, primary healthcare projects for Travellers, healthcare for the homeless, and healthcare for refugees.
Between €330,000 and €445,000 is allocated to each CHO per annum to fund existing services, with the level of funding set based on the population of the area.
In addition, €500,000 extra is being allocated nationwide for cocaine and crack cocaine health services, with the Western Region Drug and Alcohol Task Force (WRDATF) & HSE Community Healthcare West Drugs Service (CHWDS) leading in Galway.
Galway County Council has given the green light for the construction of a new playschool in Clifden.
The planning application by Clifden Community Play-School Ltd is for the construction of a playschool on the grounds of Scoil Mhuire.
This is meant to replace the existing premises which have been in operation since 1992, and are no longer suitable according to the planning documents.
Planning permission was granted by the county council with 10 standard conditions attached, several of which were related to the management of traffic on sight.
The car parking layout for the site must include a properly demarcated set-down area, while also maintaining circulation of traffic.
There has been very strong local support for the project, with 14 letters of support submitted by local organisations, and no objections to the plans.
The Galway Childcare Committee’s letter stated that allowing this playschool on the grounds of Scoil Mhuire will, “reap ongoing benefits in terms of continuity of relationships for families, will ease transitions for children between settings, and will enable the creation of more places for families to avail of in early years services.
The Racecourse Lawns Residents Association said that over half of their homeowners are families with school aged children who would benefit from this development.
“The proposed plans for the new community playschool offer an exciting and much needed opportunity to provide a modern early years childcare facility plus wrap around services for school aged children in Clifden and surrounding areas.”
The Board of Management of Scoil Mhuire said that the school “fully supports” the application by the Community Playschool to move onto their grounds.
Forum Connemara, a local development company aimed at tackling rural decline, wrote that they “wholeheartedly endorse” the planning application.
“This project will allow Clifden Community Playschool to broaden their support services to families with small children by facilitating parents in their working lives and giving access to Early Years Education for their students.”
Other letters were also received from the Archdiocese of Tuam, Children’s Disability Network Team in Spiddal, Clifden Town Hall, and more.
With just over 80,000 inhabitants, Galway may not be a big city, but on a cultural level there is always something going on in The City of Tribes. This is mainly thanks to the city’s ongoing festivals, events, and celebrations which has added to the city marketing of Galway.
Labelled the European Capital for Culture in 2020, the harbour city is one of the best places to visit when in Ireland. This also true for those with a strong interest in gambling activities are there are different brick and mortar gambling venues found in the city.
In this short list we’ll go through a few of the top-rated casinos in Galway. If you’ve got Galway on your bucket list make sure to include the casinos as found below.
The Eglinton Casino & Card Club
The city’s most popular casino is definitely The Eglinton Casino & Card Club which most locals will confirm. Established in 2007, this venue has managed to promote itself as the first casino in the western part of the country. One of the good things about this casino is that it’s easily accessible as the venue is found at Eglinton street, which is right in the city centre. Both on foot and by car or public transport, you won’t have to worry about finding this casino as it’s hard to miss The Eglinton Casino & Card Club.
With a vast range of fruit machines and different table games, all sorts of players will enjoy themselves as they can count on differently themed fruit machines and table games like blackjack and poker. The latter is also one of the casino’s most important attractions as there are frequent tournaments. These tournaments focus on Omaha Hold’em and Texas Hold’em which are two of the most popular poker variants out there.
Players on the casino floor will get complimentary alcoholic beverages from the house as well as snacks and other drinks like coffee or tea. Fizzy drinks will be charged, which is sometimes to take into account during your visit. For those that want to grab a bite in Galway, there is also a restaurant that offers both local and international specialties. This venue is open 24/7 which means that players can go there at any time to make their real money wagers. Make sure to visit their website to check out the casino’s latest events and tournaments.
Caesars Palace Casino
Within a 15 minute drive from The Eglinton Casino & Card Club, visitors of Galway can also try their luck at Caesars Palace Casino which can be found at the Upper Salthill Road, which is located at a short two-minute walk from the Claude Toft Park. The Caesars Palace Casino is also a midsize gambling venue that manages to attract the crowds thanks to its well known bingo hall. The bingo hall offers space to more than 200 players, offering both electronic bingo and traditional bingo.
Other than that, there is also an arcade hall to be enjoyed. This is where all sorts of fruit machines can be found as well as electronic versions of roulette and video poker. Unlike The Eglinton Casino & Card Club, there are no table games to be found at this establishment which means that blackjack, baccarat, and poker enthusiasts will need to try their luck elsewhere. Alternatively, you can find numerous websites dedicated to comparing casinos that offer a diverse selection of real-money casino games with accompanying offers.
Visitors of Caesars Palace Casino can count on coffee and tea from the house whilst the same is true for small snacks. Sports fans will be delighted to find out that major sports games are broadcasted live on the TV’s found across the establishment. Caesars Palace Casino is also open 24/7 and gives its frequent visitors the opportunity to become part of the loyalty club. Interestingly, this venue also offers an online gambling platform that includes a bonus upon online registration.
See You Soon in Galway
The number of two casinos in the city of Galway may not sound impressive to some, but for a city with a population of around 80,000, having more than one casino is actually not bad at all. Add the countless landmarks, squares, festivals and other cultural attractions in the city to the gambling entertainment and we’re sure that all visitors will have the opportunity to entertain themselves at any time of the day. There are about 20 casinos and gambling establishments found in the country with Galway once again playing an important role.
Finlay Bealham and Mack Hansen will be among the starting XV for Ireland in the final Rugby World Cup warm up game this weekend.
The full matchday squad has been named for Ireland’s face off against Samoa in Bayonne on Saturday evening.
Representing Connacht, Bealham will be among the forwards and Hansen is starting in the back three.
Saturday evening’s match comes just two weeks ahead of Ireland’s world cup opener against Romania, in what promises to be the most highly anticipated tournament in a long time.
Iain Henderson returns to the second row to captain Ireland on Saturday night, having done so against Italy in Dublin at the start of the month.
Jimmy O’Brien, Mack Hansen and Keith Earls, fresh from winning his 100th Test cap last weekend, start in the back three, withRobbie Henshaw and Stuart McCloskey in midfield.
There is an all Munster half-back pairing as Jack Crowley and Conor Murraystart at out-half and scrum-half respectively.
In the pack, Cian Healy and Finlay Bealham are selected either side of Tom Stewart, who is set for his first Ireland start having made his debut off the bench against Italy.
Henderson partners Tadhg Beirne in the engine room, with Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris completing the starting XV.
Saturday’s match will kick-off at 7:45pm Irish time, and will be broadcast live on RTÉ 2 and Amazon Prime.
Ireland v Samoa matchday squad:
15. Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster/Naas)(6) 14. Mack Hansen (Connacht/Corinthians)(15)
13. Robbie Henshaw (Leinster/Buccaneers)(64)
12. Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor)(13)
11. Keith Earls (Munster/Young Munster)(100)
10. Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution)(5)
9. Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen)(106)
1. Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf)(124)
2. Tom Stewart (Ulster/Ballynahinch)(1) 3. Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers)(31)
4. Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy)(captain)(73)
5. Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne)(40)
6. Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University)(12)
7. Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD)(51)
8. Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College)(30)
Replacements:
16. Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch)(36)
17. Jeremy Loughman (Munster/Garryowen)(2)
18. Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch)(10)
19. James Ryan (Leinster/UCD)(54)
20. Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution)(95)
21. Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon)(11)
22. Ross Byrne (Leinster/UCD)(20)
23. Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD)(51).
The nail-biting wait is over for Nearly 3,500 young people in Galway who are receiving their Leaving Cert Result this morning.
There are 3,274 pupils in Galway who sat the regular Leaving Cert this year, and a further 131 who took the Leaving Cert Applied.
Across the country, some 58,006 took the standard Leaving Cert this year, and another 3,730 are getting their result for the Leaving Cert Applied.
The results being provided to candidates today are the product of adjusted examinations and a post-marking adjustment.
The post-marking adjustment has resulted in boosted results to bring them closer in line with the past two years, rather than pre-pandemic results.
This came after the Minister for Education confirmed in February that there would be no ‘cliff-edge’ return to pre-pandemic grade profiles this year.
The State Examinations Commissions later confirmed that results for 2023 should be on the aggregate no lower than 2022.
The SEC has said that no marks were adjusted downwards as a result of this process, and that the relative positive of students to each other was maintained.
Minister for Education Norma Foley congratulated the 62,000 students who are getting their exam results today.
“Today brings enormous reward and recognition for all your hard work and dedication over the past number of years, including through challenging times.”
“This is an exciting occasion in your life, filled with the prospects of the many great and varied opportunities that lie ahead. To all of you receiving results today, I wish you every success and happiness as you embark on the next stage in your life.”
“Whether the next step on your journey will take you to work, an apprenticeship, further or higher education, or other possibilities, I hope you can enjoy today and reflect on all that you have achieved so far to bring you to this point.”
Respond, one of Ireland’s largest approved housing bodies, is on track to deliver more than 100 new social housing units in Galway.
The approved housing body has 101 homes currently under construction in Galway, after completing 87 new social homes across the county in 2022.
Respond now owns and operates 375 homes here in Galway, accommodating a total of 681 tenants in the city and county.
Respond is on track to triple the number of social and cost rental homes it has in construction nationwide to over 4,100 in the coming months, expanding its construction programme over the next 12 months to €2 billion.
These figures were announced as Respond’s Annual Report 2022 was launched by the Housing Minister this week.
Respond Spokesperson Niamh Randall said, “Our Annual Report details the ongoing effort and commitment of our development and housing teams to help alleviate the urgent need for more social and cost rental housing across the country.”
“Our focus is on adding to the national housing stock, and the Fixed Price Contracts we have agreed with several developers mean we could quickly triple the number of social and cost rental homes we have in construction to 4,100 with Government support.”
“These are large scale, development projects which will provide the volume of homes desperately needed, while also building inclusive, long-term sustainable communities.”
Respond has begun construction on 3,347 homes since March 2018, and now manages 7,084 properties providing homes for 16,541 tenants.
Last year it delivered 484 new social and cost rental homes and commenced construction of a further 460 homes, despite rising construction costs.
Respond focuses on building new social housing, rather than buying existing properties, which they estimate saves up to €60,000 per unit compared to a housing acquisition model.
Minister Darragh O’Brien said, “Through the hard work of Approved Housing Bodies like Respond, our social and cost rental housing supply is increasing and we are going in the right direction.”
“Increasing supply is at the heart of Housing for All and is key to ensuring families can secure accommodation at affordable prices and that our housing market functions effectively. Respond’s work is critical in helping us towards achieving these aims.”
In addition to social housing, in 2022 Respond provided early learning and school aged care services for 638 children; emergency accommodation for 161 homeless families; integration assistance for 150 refugees; and helped 244 older people live independently.
Santiago Cordero will be out of action for Connacht for the foreseeable future due to a knee injury sustained this week.
Cordero suffered a knee injury during a training session with the club earlier this week, which is taking him out of play.
The Argentinian international will see a specialist over the coming days to the determine the appropriate rehabilitation plan.
Head Coach Pete Wilkins said that this was disappointing news for everyone, adding that Santiago has made a great impression with everyone during his first few days at the Sportsground.
“In that short period he has fully embraced his new life in the province and has already been taken with the warmth of the welcome he has received.”
“His injury is a cruel blow for him personally and we’ll do everything as a club to support him and his young family in the weeks and months ahead, while he undergoes his rehab.”
“I’m sure the news will also be disappointing for the supporters, but Santi is a resilient character who will be determined to come back even better and stronger.”
Connacht announced the signing of the full back/winger back in March, bringing him on in a two year deal.
The Argentinian moved to the west from Bordeaux Begles, where he scored 29 tries in 67 appearances for the club across four seasons.
Prior to his move to France, Cordero spent two seasons with the Exeter Chiefs, where he scored 10 tries in 33 appearances.
While there, he also took home the Gallagher Premiership Player of the Month award, and was nominated for the prestigious RPA Player of the Year award in 2019.
On the international scene, the 29-year old has made 45 appearances for Argentina. His performances at the 2015 Rugby World Cup earned him significant plaudits across the world, helping his native country to a 4th place finish in the tournament.
He beat 31 defenders, more than any other player in the tournament, and also came 2nd in clean breaks and 3rd in metres run.
Galway City Council has confirmed traffic management plans ahead of Rahoon Graveyard Mass on Sunday, 10 September.
Gates will be open from 8am to 8pm between Monday 4 and Friday 8 September to allow for preparations for Cemetery Sunday.
On Sunday 10 September, due to space restrictions, only vehicles carrying persons with restricted mobility or displaying a Disabled Person’s Parking Card or Permit will be permitted access to the cemetery grounds.
Galway City Council has reminded the public that the gates will close to all traffic at 11am sharp for traffic management purposes.
For safety reasons, vehicles will not be permitted to leave the cemetery for 30 minutes following the Mass to allow for pedestrian exit in the first instance.
Local TD Seán Canney has called on National Broadband Ireland (NBI) and the Government to accelerate the rollout of the National Broadband Plan.
He said that they need to accelerate the rollout if they are to achieve the target of 96% of all houses and premises to have access to fibre optic broadband connection by 2026.
In a reply from NBI, Deputy Canney said he received confirmation that in July, the plan fell short of the initial projection of having 250,000 houses passed.
He accepted that Covid was a delaying factor, but said we are way past that issue and are now into the fourth year of a five to seven-year project timescale to deliver the National Broadband Plan.
“The state led intervention aims to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the intervention area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in over 560,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with some 679 schools,” said the Independent TD.
“With 4 years of the plan period gone and 3 years left there is just 27% of the 560,00 premises passed now is the time to evaluate progress and put the necessary implementation plan in place to ensure with react our targets which were set out in the Plan.”
Eimear McAllister, Tourism Ireland; Ruairi Lehmann, Galway City Council; Cllr Liam Carroll, Cathaoirleach of Galway County Council; Cllr Michael Maher, Galway County Council; Cllr Frank Fahy, Galway City Council; and Paul McDonagh, Tourism Ireland, at the Milwaukee Irish Fest.
Pic – Tourism Ireland
Tourism Ireland and a delegation of tourism enterprises including Kylemore Abbey, Galway City Council and Galway County Council attended the four-day Milwaukee Irish Fest in the US.
The festival – the largest celebration of Irish culture and heritage in the United States – has a huge audience of more than 130,000 visitors and was an ideal opportunity to showcase Galway and Ireland as a superb holiday destination.
Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said that the Milwaukee Irish Fest provides a great platform to showcase Ireland, including our rich heritage and culture, to prospective American visitors.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to invite some of the many people of Irish descent living and working in the US, as well as those with Irish connections or an affinity for Ireland, to come and visit,” she said.
“The United States remains an extremely important market for tourism to the island of Ireland. In 2019, we welcomed 1.7 million American visitors, whose visits delivered €1.6 billion for the economy.”
Martha Begley Schade’s ‘Galway Fairytales’ will represent Local Enterprise Office Galway at the Local Enterprise Village at the National Ploughing Championships this year.
One of Galway’s best small businesses will get a chance to exhibit their business to almost 300,000 people at the National Ploughing Championships next month as part of the Local Enterprise Village.
Galway Fairytales, who are supported by Local Enterprise Office Galway, is a publisher and author of educational Irish storytelling books for children aged 5 -12 years.
They all focus on children’s wellbeing and social issues, such as bullying, friendship and kindness, teamwork, coping with anxiety, family break up and much more.
The Renmore-based business is run by Martha Begley Schade, who has written 12 books, all of which are currently being translated into the Irish language.
The initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) will see over 30 small businesses from across the country take a stand in the Local Enterprise Village in the heart of the Ploughing Championships, opening their businesses up to almost 300,000 prospective customers across the three days of the event.
The initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices was launched by Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Neale Richmond TD and will be open as part of the Ploughing Championships taking place in Ratheniska, County Laois from 19 to 21 September this year.
Acting Head of Enterprise at LEO Galway, Valerie Kelly, said the National Ploughing Championship is one of the biggest occasions on the Irish calendar and there are very few events that draw a crowd as large as this over 3 days.
“For our small businesses this is a huge opportunity to engage with thousands of prospective customers every day and this could have a significant impact on their business,” she said.
“We have been working with them all across the summer on their products, marketing and merchandising for the event so they can maximise this amazing opportunity. There’s something for everyone in the Local Enterprise Village.”
The Emergency Department (ED) at University Hospital Galway has been extremely busy over the past few days with high numbers of people attending.
Many of the attendances patients are very sick and need to be admitted to the hospital for treatment.
Some 201 people attended the Emergency Department yesterday, and there is ongoing pressure on bed availability in the hospital.
Saolta has said it regrets that many patients are currently experiencing long waiting times to be admitted from the ED to an acute bed in the hospital.
There are currently 49 people awaiting admission at the hospital.
The hospital is also dealing with a significant increase in COVID-19 presentations and admissions. There are currently 16 COVID-19 positive patients being treated at GUH with 2 wards affected with COVID-19 outbreaks.
Saolta said they are committed to treating everyone who presents at the ED but they do so strictly in order of medical priority.
The hospital acknowledges that these delays are very difficult for patients and their families and apologises for the inconvenience and distress these delays cause.
Lidl has submitted plans to demolish their existing supermarket in Gort, and build a larger replacement store in its place.
Lidl is seeking planning permission to demolish the existing supermarket on Crowe Street, Gort, as well as the two storey building adjacent to it.
In its place they intend to build a single storey supermarket with a total floor space of 2,529m², up from the current building’s 1,795m².
According to the application, it is estimated that the enlarged store will cate for an additional 5-10 full time jobs on top of current employment levels.
The Cover Letter for the plans states that the current supermarket, which was designed in 2005, is no longer suitable to cater for the scale of demand in the area.
Other works will include reconfiguring car parking and landscaping of the site.
A revised vehicular and pedestrian access junction to Kinincha Road and new pedestrian accesses to Kinincha Road and Crowe Street will also be created.
A Natura Impact Statement will be submitted to the planning authority with the application.
A decision on this planning application is due from Galway County Council by October 12 of this year.
Galway’s Aoife Raftery had to put in a massive effort to secure the best female driver in a two-wheel drive car accolades at Barum Rally Zlin over the weekend.
The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver is contesting this year’s FIA Junior European Rally Championship and the legendary Czech event was the fifth round.
The Craughwell native’s rally got off to the worst possible start on the first day of the rally weekend.
During Friday’s opening stage, a spectator special on the streets of Zlin, as a result of cold tyres, the Peugeot 208 Rally4 driver overshot a junction and damaged its rear right wheel.
The considerable time loss put her very much on the back foot for the reaming two days and 12 special stages.
On Saturday morning she set herself a target – to overcome Friday’s time loss and to be the fastest female driver in a two-wheel drive car.
The overall woman’s category was won by Italian Rachel Somaschini for the second ERC rally in a row. She was driving a Citroen C3 Rally 2 car instead of Raftery’s less-powerful Peugeot 208 Rally 4.
The Galway woman and her Armagh-based co-driver Ronan Comeford – both Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy members were in determined mode over Saturday’s loop of six stages.
They ended the day third in the woman’s category but more important, they were second in the two-wheel drive section in their PCRS Rallysport-prepared Peugeot.
Ahead of them sat Hungarian Adrienn Vogel who was just 28 seconds clear of the Irish driver on Sunday morning.
During Sunday’s demanding route Raftery nipped away at her rival’s lead, bringing it down to just 1.4 seconds by the final stage.
Raftery and Comeford dug deep over the final 16km stage to not only catch Vogel , but push well ahead and take the win by 6.9 seconds.
“It was a special weekend, and we learned a lot,” Raftery said at the finish ramp in Zlin where Vogel was the first to offer congratulations.
“We had to build back up after Friday’s mishap and really had to dig deep on Sunday. It was really nice to have this battle with Adrienn. It was nice to have a target going into each stage, looking at times and knowing what I had to do on each test.
She also finished seventh in the FIA Junior ERC category, her second European Rally Championship points-scoring finish in a row following her 12th-place finish in Rome
“Honestly, I really enjoyed the event, it has been a class event, the whole thing, it was a great atmosphere, the stages are so tricky, but when you get into the flow, they are some stages,” Aoife added.
Her co-driver Comerford, also a Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy member added: “The stages are really challenging for a co-driver, you have to be on top of your game.”
Get a taste of Galway and an insight into the history of distilling with the latest Meet the Maker tour with Micil Distillery.
Meet the Maker is the latest programme from the award-winning Galway Food Tours to show visitors to Galway the minds behind some of its most delicious offerings.
The Meet the Maker tours combine food and the unique characters in Galway who bring the best of what is on offer to life.
Padraic O’Griallais, sixth generation of the founding family of Connemara Distillers, will give an insight to the story behind the brand of Micil Distillery.
Padraic will detail the history poured into each bottle through family recipes and traditions in the event at Galway City Distillery on Merchants Road.
Guests will get to try two of his award-winning spirits paired with Irish farmhouse cheeses and a delicious baked sweet treat.
Galway County Council has given the green light for the construction of new primary and secondary Gaelscoils in Athenry on the site of the former Clarin College.
The GRETB has received planning permission for a new campus on the Caheroyn Road which will comprise two main school buildings.
Gaelscoil Riada Primary School will be primarily two storeys in height, containing 16 classrooms and 1 SEN classroom.
The primary school will have the capacity for 485 pupils and 26 teachers. It will also possess two ball courts, hard and soft play areas, and a sensory garden to the rear.
Also to be located on the campus is Colaiste an Eachraidh secondary school, two and three storeys in height. This will include 17 classrooms, 12 specialist classrooms, and 1 SEN classroom.
The secondary school will also have a three storey sports hall, four ball courts, and a grass play area.
Colaiste an Eachraidh will have the capacity for 455 pupils and 45 teachers when completed.
The sports facilities in the new schools will be made available to local sports clubs, music rehearsal groups, scouts, and others as part of their current relationships with the Gaelscoils.
The school campus will have a single vehicular entrance from the Caheroyn Road, leading to a set down area and parking before the vehicular exit on the same road. There will also be a pedestrian entrance onto the Tuam Road.
The school campus will feature a total of 84 car parking spaces and 48 covered bicycle stands.
Landscaped green areas will be mostly located along the sides and rear of the school campus.
Planning permission for the new Gaelscoil campus was granted by the county council with 22 conditions attached.
The GRETB intends to start construction work on the site in July 2024, and it is expected that the project will take 18 months to complete.
Approval was given last February for the demolition of the old Clarin College building. The GRETB said at the time that there has been an issue with anti-social behaviour, including a small fire, since the site was vacated.
It was a great night for bars and pubs in Galway City at the annual Bar of the Year Awards this week, with multiple top prizes handed out.
Six bars and individuals in Galway took home awards from the ceremony which took place in the Clayton Hotel in Dublin on Monday night.
The awards won by local bars at the annual awards included three Gold awards, with Galway’s finest establishments claiming the top spot in their categories.
Conor Moloney of An Pucán was singled out on the night, winning the Bar Manager of the Year award.
Conor Moloney of An Pucán was singled out for the Bar Manager of the Year Award. Photo: Paul Sherwood Photographer
HYDE Bar on Forster Street had an especially good night, taking home the Gold in the Hotel Bar of the Year category, and Bronze award for Gin Bar of the Year.
Blake’s Bar on Eglinton Street won the Bar Food of the Year Award, with the owners saying they were “over the moon” to have gotten the gold.
“It’s a testament to the dedication and hard work put in by all the team here at Blake’s Bar and we could not be prouder.”
Caribou in Woodquay also claimed the top prize for Craft Bar of the Year in another bog win for Galway bars.
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Blake's Bar has the best Bar Food in Ireland. Photo: Paul Sherwood Photographer.
Paul Sherwood Photographer paul@sherwood.ie 00 353 87 230 9096
Ashville Media, Bar of the Year Awards held in the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin. August 2023
Caribou took home the Craft Bar of the Year top prize. Photo: Paul Sherwood Photographer
Sonny Molloy’s Irish Whiskey Bar won Silver in the Whiskey Bar of the Year category, and the Front Door Pub on Cross Street got Bronze for City Bar of the Year, with the bar owners saying they were “delighted” by the award.
Paladar in Co. Cork was named the overall Bar of the Year in Ireland at this year’s prestigious awards.
Thousands of homes in Connemara are without power this morning after Storm Bert brought heavy wind and rain overnight.
Power outages are continuing to affect...
