An innovative forum aimed at empowering young people to take an active role in addressing climate change was held at the BIA Innovator Campus in Athenry recently.

Galway County Council, in conjunction with Youth Work Ireland Galway and SAUTI-Youth, hosted the second annual Youth Climate Assembly, which was attended by young people from secondary schools and youth organisations across County Galway.

First hosted in 2023, the Assembly was instrumental in shaping the Galway County Council Climate Action Plan 2024-2029.

This year’s assembly focused on supporting participants to gain an understanding of the steps they can take to reduce their environmental impact.

Participants were invited to highlight the actions that Galway County Council can adopt to support young people to initiate positive change individually and through their school and community.

Cllr Martina Kinane, Cathaoirleach of Galway County Council, emphasised the importance of youth involvement when considering climate and environmental policy.

“The Assembly empowers young people to play an active role in shaping our shared environmental future by encouraging them to learn about climate action and actively contribute to local environmental solutions”.

“Our first assembly demonstrated the power of young voices in shaping our Climate Action Plan,” added Cllr. Kinane. “This year, we once again heard innovative ideas on how we can support communities to make a tangible difference to their local environments.”

Liam Conneally, Chief Executive of Galway County Council expressed his support for the Assembly, describing it as “a wonderful opportunity to amplify the voices of community members and ensure their active participation in shaping a bright and sustainable future.”

“It’s only by working together that we can create a thriving and resilient community for generations to come.”

Uinsinn Finn, Director of Services with Galway County Council stated, “We had a fantastic line-up of speakers participating in this event. I wish to thank the schools and students for their active participation.”

“I also want to acknowledge Letizia Gorini Coady and the team at the SAUTI-Youth project and Youth Work Ireland Galway for their work in organising the event and for supporting young people in our community”.

Primary school students in Galway learned how they can take action in saving electricity during a recent An Taisce Green-Schools regional energy workshop.

Students and teachers from Tuam Educate Together National School and Scoil Mhuire Naofa, Menlough, Ballinasloe recently attended the workshop in the Ard Rí House Hotel in Tuam on Tuesday.

The event, which is one in a series being held throughout the country, brought together schools from Galway and Mayo working on the Energy Theme, to develop their awareness around energy conservation and how to effectively manage this important resource in our schools and homes.

The event saw the students and their teachers, Ms Grimes and Ms Mannion, engage in activities, artwork and experiments, which allowed them to learn more about where electricity comes from and how they can take steps to reduce energy consumption.

To close out the workshop, the students made lightbulbs and wrote energy pledges on them which they will aim to work on throughout the academic year.

Senior Project Engineer with EirGrid, John Gill spoke to students at the recent workshop about EirGrid’s role in leading the secure transition of our electricity grid to low carbon renewable energy.

“It was fantastic to engage with students and teachers here today about energy in all its forms, and to outline how EirGrid is playing its part in climate action, by working to decarbonise the electricity grid,” Gill said.

“It’s clear from the response from students that younger generations are enthusiastic about leading the charge to make a positive impact in their communities, and events like these present an incredible opportunity, empowering young people to reduce energy consumption and be part of the conversation.”

Rob Nelson, Green-Schools Energy Theme Co-ordinator, said: “It’s workshops like these, bringing schools together, that showcase the bright minds that will help secure our energy future.

“These energised, young change makers have learned how to lead the way in their schools, homes and communities.”

“We are thankful that EirGrid’s sponsorship allows events like these to happen, to help engage and empower young people to reduce energy consumption and spark the conversation,” he added.

Green-Schools officially relaunched its energy theme for primary and secondary schools recently, thanks to its new partnership with EirGrid.

During the 2023-24 school year, schools saved a combined 18 million kWh of electricity, enough to make 58 million cups of tea, due to their participation in the Green-Schools programme, proving that interest in energy is strong among Ireland’s school children.

To date, over 3,000 schools have been awarded the energy flag since the beginning of the Green-Schools programme in 1997.

Five people were hospitalised, one of them a child, after a serious three car collision on the N17 near Milltown yesterday.

The three-car collision on the road between Tuam and Milltown occurred at approximately 8:45am.

The occupant of one of the vehicles, a woman in her 30s, was airlifted to University Hospital Galway.

The occupants of the other two vehicles – two men in their 30s, a woman in her 30s and a child – were all brought by ambulance to UHG.

Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to this collision to come forward.

Any road users who were on the N17 at Kilcloony between 8:30am and 9am and may have camera footage (including dash-cam) are asked to make this footage available to Gardaí.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Tuam Garda Station on 093 70840, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.

Galway Traveller Movement (GTM) will celebrate the annual Galway Traveller achievements awards in Galway City this weekend.

The awards ceremony will take place on Traveller Ethnicity Day, Saturday, March 1 at the ILAS Centre, Newcastle Road, at 5:00 PM.

Members of the Traveller community, along with past and present colleagues of GTM, have been invited to attend the ceremony.

The event will recognise achievements in education, young people, enterprise and employment, sport, culture, and heritage.

Nora Corcoran, Accommodation Coordinator with GTM says it’s vitally important to mark achievement because Travellers face so many barriers.

“The Traveller community has proven its resilience in the face of adversity and a backdrop of extreme racism and discrimination. We have maintained our dignity even when Irish society turned its back on us as a community.”

Nora says the Achievement Awards are a testament to this resilience. “We call on Galway City and County to join us in celebrating these accomplishments. We also urge them to be courageous in challenging the ongoing human rights violations faced by the Traveller community daily.”

The awards evening will feature performances by singers and musicians, PJ Mongan, Annie Keenan, and Francis Ward. The trio will offer a wonderful mix of traditional and contemporary songs and music.

Founded in 1994 as an independent Traveller organization advocating for the realisation of Traveller human rights, GTM marks a significant milestone in 2024—30 years of collective action for change.

Each decade has brought progress, says Nora. In its early years, GTM saw the establishment of the Traveller Peer-Led Primary Health Care Programme. It now employs 30 people, and runs a successful community employment scheme with 20 young Travellers participants.

Today, the community boasts two growing social enterprises, which contribute to the circular economy. These enterprises are managed by Travellers and employ 20 people.

Additionally, the Misleór Festival of Nomadic Cultures, a three-day annual event, continues to thrive and grow. The festival, the only one of its kind in Europe, shares the rich and vibrant stories of Traveller culture and heritage with audiences near and far.

Nora says that as part of GTM’s 30-year anniversary, they will host a special event in June. The event theme is “Respecting Our Past and Shaping Our Future – Traveller Voices, Change Makers.”

A young man was arrested in connection with the seizure of €42,000 worth of cocaine in Galway this week.

The Galway Divisional Drug Unit carried out a search of a residential property in Oranmore on Wednesday.

During the search, they seized more than 600 grams of cocaine, with an estimated street value of €42,000.

The drugs will be sent to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis.

A man, aged in his late teens, was arrested and detained at a station in the Garda North Western Region under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

He was subsequently released without charge, pending further investigations.

Connolly’s Volvo Cars, the dedicated Volvo dealer for Galway, is celebrating after the franchise was named the EV Dealership of the Year for Connacht.

Connolly’s, located in Galway City, was named the regional winner for Connacht in the annual awards by Zero Emissions Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI).

General manager Tom Raftery accepted the award on behalf of the dealership at a gala ceremony in the Clayton Hotel in Ballsbridge, Co. Dublin, on Thursday, February 20.

Connolly’s Volvo Cars progressed to the provincial final after being named the ZEVI EV Dealership of the Year for Galway earlier this year.

More than 130 car dealerships from across the country entered the fourth annual ZEVI awards, which sets out to recognise car dealerships that work to increase consumer understanding and experience of EVs and their uptake on Irish roads.

Award judges found Connolly’s Volvo Cars team to be leaders in EV sales, showroom presentation, and staff knowledge and expertise.

The franchise will now contest the national final at the SEAI Energy Show in the RDS on March 26.

The ZEVI EV Dealership of the Year honours come as the outlet celebrated its two-year anniversary in January this year.

Connolly’s Volvo Cars has grown significantly since opening its doors in 2023, increasing its staff numbers to 15 across its various service lines, opening its upstairs showroom with space for up to 60 new vehicles, and expanding its aftersales department.

The franchise has hosted TV architect and Volvo Car Ireland brand ambassador Dermot Bannon at promotional events and has sponsored community events like the Masters Thursday golf tournament at Dromoland Castle in Clare, and the Quest Adventure Series, which is regarded by some as the best multi-sport adventure race in the world.

Plans are in place to further grow the total workforce to 20 in the next 12 months and increase its sponsorships of community events and sports competitions.

The promotion of EVs is a key plank of the company’s commitment to transitioning away from fossil fuel-powered cars, a strategy which began with following the industry standard of ending of all diesel vehicle sales in 2023 and continues with the recent release of two new fully electric Volvo models, the EX30 and EX90.

Based in Briarhill Business Park in Ballybrit, Galway, the garage offers Volvo customers all the benefits of a service booked through a franchise dealer, including access to authentic Volvo car parts, specialist diagnostic and maintenance equipment specific to Volvo vehicles, and factory-trained technicians.

Connolly’s Volvo Cars General Manager Tom Raftery hails the ZEVI EV Dealership of the Year honour for Connacht is as a “fantastic achievement” for the team and recognition for the hard work of Volvo to futureproof its brand.

The award is a fantastic achievement for the whole team, and we look forward to building on this success at the national finals at the RDS in March.

“The continued growth of EVs on our roads will be essential if Ireland is to meet its commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport and we see ourselves as key players in that mission, beginning with our decision to cease all sales of diesel cars in 2023.”

Five towns and villages across Galway are to benefit from a government fund to support communities that have welcomed families and citizens from Ukraine and other countries in recent times.

€341,983 has been allocated to Galway under the Community Recognition Fund for the purpose of upgrading a range of community-based amenities.

The funding has been allocated through the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht via the ‘Our Rural Future and Project Ireland 2040’ programme.

It aims to support the development of facilities that will be used by all members of the community, with funding allocated across all local authorities based on the number of new community arrivals.

The six local projects in receipt of funding include

• The upgrade of the public playground at Ballinasloe Leisure Centre (€50,000)
• An upgrade of the public playground at Hymany Park/Esker Fields in Ballinasloe (€50,000)
• The development of a Multi Use Games Area at Ionad Pobail an Mháma in Maam (€85,651)
• The delivery of an inclusive play and accessibility area at Corribdale Community Park in Oughterard (€50,000)
• The provision of community walkway enhancements and an energy efficiency upgrade at Carnmore Hurling Club and the Community Centre in Baile Chláir (€53,402)
• The upgrade of audio-visual equipment at Kinvara Community Centre (€53,402)

Cathaoirleach of the County of Galway, Cllr Martina Kinnane said, “This a wonderful day for those communities who have received an allocation of funding and demonstrate the hard work being carried out by our many local voluntary groups to ensure new arrivals to their communities receive a warm welcome.”

“The funding allocations are a wonderful example of what can be achieved when people come together for the benefit of their local community.”

Liam Conneally, Chief Executive of Galway County Council commented, “Galway County Council is proud to be able to support our communities in securing allocations under his funding scheme, which recognises the unique value and contributions made at community level by voluntary and community groups.”

A man in 60s who became lost in a forest in Galway was rescued after a search operation lasting through the night this week.

Gardaí led a successful multi-agency search and rescue operation for a man in his late 60s who had become disorientated in a wooded area in Gort on Monday.

The man had been walking a dog at around 5:30pm on Monday evening with another person in the Garryland forest near Coole Park Nature Reserve, when they became separated.

Following unsuccessful attempts to locate or contact the man by phone, and with darkness falling and weather conditions deteriorating rapidly – heavy rain and hail – he was reported missing to Gardaí at around 7:15pm by the other person.

At this point, the missing man had lost his phone and was unable to make his way out of the dense forestry in the poor conditions.

Gardaí arrived at the scene and immediately began a ground search where the man was last seen, which was coordinated by Sergeant John Cunningham of Gort Garda Station.

Extensive searches were then carried out with the assistance of the Garda Air Support Unit; Coast Guard; the Search and Rescue Dogs Association; Galway Civil Defence (Loughrea, Ballinasloe and Galway City); Ennis Civil Defence; Killaloe Search and Rescue and a number of local volunteers.

One of the local volunteers, Jamie Warwick, offered vital assistance in helping to narrow the search area.

Air searches were initially conducted by drone and subsequently by the Garda Air Support Unit.

At approximately 1am, one of the SARDA dogs, having been given the man’s scent from an item of his clothing, managed to track and locate the man.

He was helped out of the forest and offered medical assistance at the scene for mild hypothermia and is expected to make a full recovery.

Inspector Stan O’Grady of Gort Garda Station said: “This was an exceptional result for everyone concerned. Without the determination of members on the ground, and the very effective cooperation between the different agencies, this could have had a very different outcome.

“The man has expressed his great appreciation and admiration for the work carried out by the emergency services.”

Chief Superintendent Gerry Roche of the Galway Garda Division added, “This was a wonderful outcome. I want to praise the hard work and dedication of members of An Garda Síochána and the other agencies who were out in very challenging conditions last night and who worked exceptionally well together.”

More than €70,000 in funding has been awarded to four projects for river restoration and invasive species management in Galway’s waterways.

The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), working on behalf of Ireland’s 31 local authorities to protect and restore good water quality, is awarding €72,570.22 to projects in Galway.

Overall, €1,047,265.26 has been awarded across 54 projects in 24 counties under the ‘Community Water Development Fund Open Call 2025’.

Under the fund local communities and groups were invited to apply for financial assistance to support the delivery of projects and initiatives to enhance local water bodies and benefit water quality and biodiversity.

In Galway the following projects were awarded funding:

• Annaghdown Angling Club- Kilroe / Cahermorris River & Environment Rehabilitation, Riparian Zone, Provision of alternate water supply, Ecological Study (€8,610).
• Cuan Beo Environmental CLG- Ballynamanagh River Restoration Project – Consultation, Assessment, & Planning (€17,580.22)
• Abhainn Dá Loilíoch Woodland Group- Phase 1 of 2 part project; Restoration of 20 acre clear fell site in Owendalluleagh River Valley (€40,000).
• Gort River Walk Development Group- Gort River Invasive Species management and biodiversity (€6,380).

Director of Services for LAWPRO, Anthony Coleman said, “I’m delighted to announce over €1m in grants under the Community Water Development Fund 2025, our largest fund to date supporting local community driven projects in Galway and nationwide that will go towards improving water bodies.”

“LAWPRO was set up to coordinate and support efforts to achieve good water quality and these types of projects are at the heart of what we do.”

“Community engagement is fundamental in dealing with local issues and the fund empowers groups to take action to benefit their local water bodies and the surrounding environment.”

“Providing financial support to community groups to develop and grow is an important step in achieving water quality.”

Since 2018 over €3.7m has been provided through this funding scheme to communities, assisting in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive through Ireland’s Water Action Plan.

The funding provided annually has also increased significantly during this period, from €185,800 in 2018 to over €1 million in 2025.

Gardaí in Galway are investigating an incident of public disorder in Ballybane on Monday, February, 24.

The incident occurred at approximately 1pm at Rocklands Avenue, where a number of males had congregated, brandishing weapons and acting in a threatening manner. There were no injuries reported.

Two vehicles were seized at the scene for technical examination.

Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to this incident and to any persons who recorded this incident on their mobile phone to come forward.

Gardaí are also appealing to any road user travelling in the vicinity of the Rocklands Avenue between approximately 12.30pm and 1pm, who may have dash-cam footage, to make this available to them.

A unique Galway Libraries project aimed at promoting community participation, social inclusion, and the protection of heritage and the environment has been named overall winner of an all-Ireland competition.

‘Fish and Chips – sustainably!’ has won the ‘Best Environmental/Ecological Project’ in the LAMA (Local Authority Members Association) Community & Council Awards, which were announced at a gala awards ceremony held in the Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork on Saturday night.

Nominated by Galway County Council, the outreach project adopted a multidisciplinary approach to cultivate and actively engage with enterprises, communities, voluntary sectors, third level institutes and the research community.

Galway Libraries developed programming that encompassed ‘Science from land to sea’ as the driving theme for programme delivery with workshops, interactive sessions, coding and VR experiences for children of all ages about the importance of marine life, biodiversity and the impact of pollution.

The project also combined an EU-led expedition that involved ocean exploration led by the Tara Ocean Foundation and Tara Oceans Consortium with land-based mobile research units whose primary focus was on educational awareness and citizen engagement

Cathaoirleach of the County of Galway, Cllr Martina Kinnane congratualted the people behind the libraries project on their win.

“Youth engagement in the areas of environmental awareness, biodiversity and the role we all play in protecting both marine and land environments is of extreme importance in today’s world.”

“This project shows real commitment from Galway Libraries and Galway County Council to empower communities through awareness and provide opportunities for collaboration and meaningful open discussion”.

Now in its 19th year and considered the Oscars of the Local Government sector, the award scheme hosted by LAMA and IPB Insurance recognises and celebrates communities and the country’s 31 local authorities working together.

Three other local projects were shortlisted in separate categories in this year’s awards scheme but were unsuccessful in their bid to claim the top prize.

Leenane Development Association was shortlisted in the ‘Collaboration and Leadership’ category has for the key role it has played in the development of the age-friendly Leenane Community Park, which features accessible walkways on a disused plot overlooking Killary Harbour.

Shortlisted in the ‘Best Mental Health’ category, Positive Ageing Week Local Heroes is a joint initiative of Galway City and County Councils, COPE Galway, Galway City Partnership, Galway Rural Development and Galway Libraries.

Portumna-based Solar Structures was shortlisted in the ‘Best Micro Start-up’ category for its work to develop and implement innovative solutions for clients who want to install solar panels which do not fit a ‘standard solution’ template.

The company commenced trading in 2022 following receipt of training, funding and business supports from LEO Galway. The company has since created 6 fulltime and 1 part time positions and plans further growth in the coming years.

Liam Conneally, Chief Executive of GCC commented, “Galway Libraries offer significant opportunities across the County to engage with core issues such as ecology, environmental impact and climate change.”

“The delivery of the strategic aims of the Council are aligned in this project and showcase the innovation and creativity of library staff in supporting communities while delivering on national agenda.”

A hidden bunker was uncovered by Gardaí during a drugs raid on a property in Galway County this week.

Cannabis worth €40,000 and and addition €11,000 were seized by Gardaí from the Divisional Drugs Unit in Tuam on Thursday, February 20.

Gardaí searched a house in Ballyglunin on Thursday afternoon and seized cannabis herb with an estimated street value of €32,500.

The search also uncovered 10 plants at varying stages of maturity, including some discovered in a bunker under a shed.

The plants have an estimated street value of €8,000. Cash totalling €11,000 was also seized during the raid.

The raid was part of an ongoing operation targeting the sale and supply of drugs in the region.

A man in his 50s was arrested and detained at a station in the Garda North Western Region under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

He was subsequently released without charge pending the preparation of a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

A teenage girl reported missing from her home in Co. Sligo this week has been found safe and well.

Gardaí made a public appeal on Thursday for information that could help locate 16-year-old Olivia Loughrey.

Olivia had been reported missing from her home in Teesan, Co. Sligo since Monday, February 17.

It has been confirmed that Olivia has now been located safe and well.

An Garda Síochána thanked the public for their assistance in this matter.