The Children’s Remembrance Day Committee at University Hospital Galway has launched its annual ‘sponsor a Christmas tree light’.

In December, a large Christmas tree will be on display at the entrance to the hospital and people can sponsor a light on the tree as a way of remembering a loved one.

Susan Massey from the Children’s Remembrance Day Committee explained that many families have suffered bereavements during the year and sponsoring a light for someone who has passed away is a nice way of letting family and friends know that we are thinking of them.

“Families may have loved ones who have emigrated and will not be home for Christmas and again sponsoring a light is a way to let them know they are in our thoughts.

“This is a thoughtful way of letting them know we are thinking of them,” Susan Massey said.

The funds raised through the sale of the Christmas tree lights are used to fund the activities of the Children’s Remembrance Day Committee throughout the year.

Any extra monies raised will be used to enhance the services for bereaved families within the hospital.

Well-known local journalist Mary O’Connor joined the formal launch at UHG and local radio broadcaster Keith Finnegan will officially switch on the Christmas tree lights on Sunday 10 December.

“Twenty years ago Keith switched on the Christmas tree lights on our very first Christmas tree, so we are fortunate to have him back with us to mark the twentieth anniversary,” Susan Massey added.

The afternoon’s festivities will commence at 3.00pm with music from the Conquerors and friends and pupils from Scoil Cathríona Renmore will perform Christmas carols.

The lights will be on sale at different times in the main foyer of UHG from 24 November until 10 December at a cost €5 each.

People Before Profit members in Galway have released a video highlighting the extent of the housing crisis and homelessness crisis in the city and across Ireland.

People Before Profit, which is part of a leftist alliance with Solidarity (Anti-Austerity Alliance), says that to tackle this emergency, we need social housing built urgently.

One activist says that as he walked down Shop Street in Galway recently, he saw four people “huddled together in sleeping bags” in a doorway.

Last week, Leo Varadkar came under fire from opposition parties for saying that we have “one of the lowest levels of homelessness” by international standards. Junior Minister Damian English was also criticised for suggesting talk of homelessness was damaging Ireland’s “international reputation”.

Ireland today has a similar rate of homelessness as was present in Greece in 2013.

Watch the video below.

PBP Galway members made a video about the housing crisis in Galway. We need social housing built and we need it now if we are going to tackle this emergency. Please RT. #Galway #homelessness #HousingCrisis pic.twitter.com/Qh44jGU4Yk

— PBP Galway (@pbpgalway) November 20, 2017

A special commemoration to remember road traffic victims will take place in the Clayton Hotel, Galway at 2pm on Sunday the 19th of November.

According to the Road Safety Authority, the number of road traffic victims in Galway in 2016 was 10.

The Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was created as a means to give recognition to victims of road traffic crashes and the plight of their loved ones who must cope with the emotional and practical consequences of these events.

On 26 October 2005, the United Nations adopted a resolution which calls for governments to mark the third Sunday in November each year as World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

Observation of this day provides an opportunity to draw the public’s attention to road traffic crashes, their consequences and costs, and the measures which can be taken to prevent them.

The RSA says that the day is also an opportunity to remind governments and society of their responsibility to make roads safer.

The bereaved are not counted or included in road traffic injury data. Many others remain deeply affected by the loss of a friend, colleague, neighbour or member of the community.

The effect on the emergency services, whose work involves facing the consequences of crashes on a daily basis, is also profound.

This year the RSA will be joining forces with members of An Garda Síochána, Local County Councils, Emergency Services and victim support groups to mark the day and remember those who have died on our roads at services which will be held across the country.

People have been stuck at the top of a ferris wheel at Eyre Square for over an hour.

Traffic around Eyre Square is heavy as routes are closed while the emergency services respond to the situation.

The AA says traffic is extremely slow around the city centre as a result of the incident.

Day 1 of the Galway Christmas Market and we got stuck on the wheel pic.twitter.com/XBgrezqnyQ

— Hannah Lambert (@hannahlambert76) November 17, 2017

The Fire Service is at the scene on the first day of the Christmas Market at Eyre Square.

Follow Gaway Daily for updates on the situation as it happens.

Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh has criticised Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for not acknowledging the failures of the Jobpath scheme and for failing to support a motion in the Seanad for it to be discontinued.

Speaking on a Sinn Féin Private Members Bill to scrap the discredited, privatised job activation scheme, the Galway West – South Mayo Senator said that it is a disgrace that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael continue to support a profit driven, privatised model of supports for unemployed people.

“It was telling that Labour party Senators, whose former Leader Joan Burton introduced the Thatcherite model, didn’t even bother to turn up for the debate in case they might have to justify why they brought it in when in Government.

“JobPath may look like just another job activation scheme aimed at getting jobseekers back to work, which runs alongside others such the Local Employment Service, Community Employment, Tús, Rural Social Scheme, and Gateway. However, JobPath’s set up and the way it operates makes it uniquely different.

“Any scheme that engages over 105,000 people is one that must be closely monitored. No two jobseekers are the same and therefore, a “one size fits all scheme” such as JobPath is entirely inadequate. Even if we set aside all of the issues experienced by JobPath participants, and the devastating impact that JobPath is having on the sustainability of other schemes such as CE and Tús, privatisation remains Sinn Féin’s fundamental concern.

“The secrecy, lack of transparency, and the supposed “commercial sensitivity” surrounding JobPath raises two key questions – how much of taxpayers’ money is being wasted on these private companies and what type of jobs are being sourced for jobseekers?

“Our Sinn Féin colleagues John Brady TD and Denise Mitchell TD have published a report called ‘Jobpath Exposed’ which gives testimony from participants and former employees of the companies administering Jobpath, which raises very serious questions about the way in which the scheme is being run.

“Our motion sought to discontinue this badly designed and poorly executed programme and Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael between them voted us down to ensure that it continue in its current format,” said Senator Ó Clochartaigh.

Members of the ambulance service have reported difficulties with the water, extremes of heat and cold, and the presence of rodents at temporary accommodation at Merlin Park, according to Catherine Connolly TD.

She says their frustration with the unsuitability of the accommodation is fully understandable.

Deputy Connolly called for “immediate action” to be taken to resolve the difficulties around the temporary accomodation.

Despite repeated promises that this accommodation would be temporary, it is now over three years since the ambulance service was asked to move.

However, some headway has been made in relation to progressing the planned new ambulance service at Merlin Park, including the appointment of a design team.

But there are no definite start or completion dates for the construction of these new premises.

“The conditions of the temporary premises have deteriorated further and members of the ambulance service have reported difficulties with the water, extremes of heat and cold, and the presence of rodents, to name just a few.

“The promise that this accommodation would be temporary, and for only three months, has not been fulfilled, and quite clearly three and a half years later, the trust between the ambulance service and management has broken down.

“Given this history it is quite understandable that the ambulance team has made a decision to move back to Galway University Hospital,” said Ms Connolly.

She called for immediate action to be taken to resolve the difficulties with the temporary accommodation and also to progress the new premises.

A conference focusing on how the law should be changed to help people with disabilities will be held on 22 November in the Institute for Lifecourse and Society at NUI Galway.

Policy-makers around the globe will have a series of concrete recommendations for reform of law, policy and practice on legal capacity resulting from the VOICES project by NUI Galway’s Centre for Disability Law and Policy.

The VOICES project takes an innovative approach to law reform by developing recommendations for how the law should change based on the stories of those with lived experience of disability.

People with disabilities, activists, researchers and practitioners have worked together to co-author chapters for an edited collection to be published in 2018.

This final workshop will draw together the four core themes of the project; criminal responsibility, contractual capacity, consent to treatment and consent to sex, and will feature a mix of personal narratives, art and theoretical perspectives.

The event will take place in the Institute for Lifecourse and Society at NUI Galway.

The workshop will be a conference style event and is open to the public where all 28 co-authors from 10 different countries will share their experiences of the project and discuss common themes across the chapters in the book. Speakers include people with disabilities, academics, and activists with experience of using stories to drive social change.

A keynote speech will be given by Dr Michael Bach, Managing Director of the Institute for Research and Development on Inclusion and Society in Canada. For over 30 years Dr Bach has undertaken research and development in Canada and internationally on ways to advance the full inclusion and human rights of persons with intellectual disabilities.

Dr Eilionóir Flynn, Principal Investigator on the VOICES Project and Deputy Director of the Centre for Disability Law and Policy at NUI Galway, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming this diverse mix of participants back to NUI Galway for the final workshop of this project.

“Participants from Ireland, the UK, Canada, Kenya, Australia, India, Bulgaria, Sweden, China and the Czech Republic will all gather in Galway to share their experiences and put the finishing touches to what promises to be a fantastic book. As a result of their work, policy-makers around the globe will have a series of concrete recommendations for reform of law, policy and practice on legal capacity.”

The figures from today’s Daft.ie Rental Price Report do not make for happy reading for tenants, those worried about homelessness and those whose focus is national competitiveness.

Having fallen for almost three years between 2008 and 2011, and then largely treading water until late 2012, national rents have now risen for 21 consecutive quarters.

In Galway, the average rent in the third quarter of this year is €1,057, up more than 14% since last year, with the average rent being €751.

The average rent for a double room in the city is 476 euro and is marginally cheaper in the suburbs.

Across the rest of the country, rents across have peaked to a new all-time high of €1,200 per month.

Ronan Lyons of Daft.ie said: “Those who campaign for improved housing outcomes – from fewer people homeless to better standards in rental accommodation – need to realise that the solution to all these is more supply. More supply improves availability, lowers rents and shifts bargaining power towards the renter.

“To build more supply, both profit and non-profit housing organisations need to be able to cover costs. That is where policymakers need to focus. But it will take time.”

Galway City Council confirmed today that the 54th Mayor of Boston Marty Walsh is to be made Freeman of Galway City.

The Bostonian has been in office since 2014 and previously served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for 17 years.

Just last week, the he was elected for the second consecutive term and the people of Conamara were among his supporters.

Mr Walsh’s parents departed the Connemara Gaeltacht in the 50s to begin their new lives across the pond and he holds a dual Irish and American citizenship.

His first visited Ireland as mayor of Boston in 2014, and he was given a warm welcome.

Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh says that the government must do something to rectify the 3,456 older people in Galway & Mayo “being fleeced” by the 2012 pension changes.

He says that it must be dealt with in the Dáil this week and that Fine Gael & Fianna Fáil need to “step up to the mark” in this regard.

New figures issued to John Brady TD showed that 42,278 pensioners nationally have been affected by the rate band changes from September 2012, as opposed to the 35,000 previously stated. Of this figure, 26,598 are female and 15,680 are male.

“The government has now admitted that 42,278 pensioners nationally have been affected by the rate band changes introduced by Fine Gael and Labour from September 2012 as oppose to the 35,000 previously stated. Of this figure, 26,598 are female and 15,680 are male,” Senator Ó Clochartaigh said.

“A breakdown by County shows that 2116 of these are in Galway. Of these, 1,271 are female and 845 are male. In Mayo 1,340 people are affected – 762 are female and 578 are male.

“At no stage in all of the discussions on this issue did Minister Regina Doherty disclose the actual number of people impacted by the 2012 changes, despite her own Department having the figures. Instead, the Dáil was misled in relation to the extent of the injustice.

“The fact is that 42,278 pensioners are receiving a reduced State Pension as a direct consequence of changes made to the calculation of the State Pension and this is unacceptable. Fine Gael and Labour took this decision with the absolute knowledge that women would be disproportionately impacted and this is evident in the fact that almost two-thirds of the 42,278 pensioners are women.

“The Social Welfare Bill 2017 is due to go before Cabinet next week. We need to see the Minister’s plans to rectify the blatant discrimination in this Bill. If it is not there, Sinn Féin will amend the Bill and we fully expect Fianna Fáil to support such an amendment given their recent Dáil motion calling for action. This issue needs to be addressed immediately, 42,278 pensioners are waiting,” he added.

DevOpsDays Galway, a two-day IT and software conference, will get underway on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 November.

The event at the Radisson Blu Hotel is part of a is a worldwide series of technical conferences covering topics of software development, IT infrastructure operations, and the intersection between them.

Badges and replacement stickers picked up. Now just to attach all the lanyards! Do we have volunteers or volun-tolds 😉 pic.twitter.com/rSYvQZr7rC

— DevOpsDays Galway (@DevOpsDaysGal) 10 November 2017

Attending DevOpsDays Galway on November 13th – 14th? Thomas Shaw from our Build Engineering team will be talking about Containerized Continuous Delivery pipelines. Drop by, get some swag. We are hiring too! #DevOpsDays pic.twitter.com/tuGZnVWyBj

— Demonware (@demonware) 10 November 2017

The conference is focusing on automation, testing, security, and organizational culture.

The first devopsdays was held in Ghent, Belgium in 2009 and since then, the events have multiplied.

The global core team guides local organisers in hosting their own devopsdays events worldwide.

Meetings are to take place in the coming weeks between the city council and the former industrial school at Lenaboy, Taylor’s Hill.

The West of Ireland Centre for Survivors and their Families recently called for the the building to be used as a centre for healing, arts, education and an historical/memorial and archival space must be central to that process.

Catherine Connolly TD met the Chief Executive of the city council Brendan McGrath to discuss the matter.

She said that she hopes that these meetings would result in meaningful conversations with survivors and their families as to the best use of the building given its history.

The Sisters of Mercy, who ran the industrial school, identified Lenaboy as a property to be transferred by way of a contribution towards the costs incurred by the state in responding to residential child abuse.

Deputy Connolly said that it  is shocking that it has remained empty since 2009 and that no explanation has ever been given for that.

The recent completion of negotiations between the Council and the Sisters of Mercy is the culmination of that process.

“The Council’s proposal to redevelop Lenaboy as a children and young people’s creative and cultural hub without consultation with survivors beggars belief given the history of the building,” Ms Connolly said.

Planned strikes by rail workers over the coming weeks have been called off awaiting a vote on new pay proposals.

The strikes were planned for 14 & 23 November and 8 December but were today cancelled following a Labour Court recommendation.

They say that the workers should receive a 7.5% pay increase over the next three years; 2.5% per year.

The ballots are to be counted on December 8th.

Threatened industrial action no longer proceeding, full services will operate on 14th & 23rd November, and 8th December

— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) 10 November 2017

Breaking news: Irish Rail workers to ballot on Labour Court recommendation #railstrike suspended pending ballot of trade union group members

— SIPTU (@SIPTU) 10 November 2017

Are you a hoarder?

The School of Psychology at NUI Galway is seeking over 1,000 hoarders across Ireland to take part in an online study.

The largest study of its kind ever conducted in Ireland seeks to understand whether the experience of losing a loved one might make people more likely to keep useless belongings and have difficultly throwing things away.

The researchers are looking for people with all levels of hoarding to participate, ranging from people who may just have cluttered, disorganised homes to those who may have a serious difficulty, as well as people who do not hoard.

People who hoard often have very cluttered homes as they keep things that may seem useless to other people, buy things they don’t need, and feel they can’t throw anything away.

Previous research has shown that hoarders often feel a very strong emotional attachment to their belongings, and they might feel the need to save things should they need them in the future.

The researchers believe that this might be the key to understanding and helping people with this difficulty.

The study is being carried out by Dr Elizabeth Kehoe, a doctoral student on the clinical psychology training programme at the School of Psychology in NUI Galway and Dr Jonathan Egan, Deputy Director of the clinical programme.

Speaking about the study, Dr Kehoe said: “We are interested in the emotional reasons why people hoard, and with this study we will investigate the link between bereavement and other difficult life events, and hoarding.

“For example, belongings might bring a sense of comfort or safety following a loss.”

Dr Jonathan Egan Director from the School of Psychology added: “The team are really interested in a holistic view of why we collect things and why it can increase at times following a bereavement or personal upset.

“We want to hear from a large range of people, from those who would rate themselves as ‘life-long-Magpies’ to those who have noticed that it is becoming difficult to part with newspapers and other non-essential house-hold items, or even that their house is becoming very crammed and it affects the ability to share their home with guests.”

Catherine Connolly TD told the Dáil yesterday that it is unacceptable that the HSE has shown no desire to learn from its mistakes, given that taxpayers’ money is used for flawed internal investigations.

She said ‘we cannot trust institutions’ and that on every occasion that the HSE in Galway faced a crisis, their reaction was to ‘close ranks’.

“One thing I have learned in my professional life and on a human level is that institutions simply cannot be trusted. No institution can be trusted,” she said. “If he looks at the record of the HSE in Galway city, the Minister will see that, on every single occasion on which there was crisis, the reaction was to close ranks in a most effective manner.”

She also referred to Savita’s death to prove the HSE’s inability to solve crises.

“The unfortunate case of Savita Halappanavar only came to light because of the persistence of a journalist. If that tells us anything it is that we cannot trust institutions.

“Since then there have been a number of other inquiries in Galway, which I will not go into, but in which I have some personal involvement.

“From my personal experience I see absolutely no commitment from the HSE or from institutions in general to learn from mistakes, to acknowledge them and to actively involve the patient or the patient’s family.

“I find this particularly unacceptable given that, in the end, a lot more of taxpayers’ money is spent on inadequate internal investigations, inadequate external investigations, investigations which pretend to be independent and, finally, the appointment of independent people,” Ms Connoly added.

Today, MetLife officially celebrated the opening of a new Global Technology Campus in Galway, with the company planning to employ approximately 200 skilled IT professionals when at full capacity.

The opening saw MetLife joined by the Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Frances Fitzgerald TD; Michael D’Arcy, Minister of State with Responsibility for Financial Services & Insurance and other dignitaries.

Great to be in Galway for opening of Metlife technology campus & announcement of 200 Jobs pic.twitter.com/DPro4OXH34

— Frances Fitzgerald (@FitzgeraldFrncs) 7 November 2017

This new Global Technology Campus continues MetLife’s effort to bring employees together in state-of-the-art, collaborative environments, while reducing its geographic footprint.

“Digital innovation continues to reshape our lives and the way we view the future, and it reinforces the reality that every company needs to become a technology company in order to survive,” said Marty Lippert, Executive Vice President and Head of MetLife Global Technology and Operations. 

“Our new Global Technology Campus in Galway will be a dynamic center of change, and it will be at the heart of creating the digital solutions that will transform how our customers interact with us every day around the globe. We look forward to deepening our roots in Galway and Ireland, where we have found a business-friendly environment and a deep talent pool of skilled workers.”

Including its existing office in Dublin, MetLife’s presence in Ireland will grow to more than 500 employees once recruitment at the new Global Technology Campus is complete.

Speaking at the office opening, Michel Khalaf, President of MetLife US and EMEA also noted, “MetLife’s new Global Technology Campus builds on our significant presence in Ireland which is the hub of our European insurance businesses.

“Just as we have done in Dublin, we look forward to growing our workforce here in Galway in the coming years and contributing fully to the local community. Today is confirmation of our strong and successful link with Ireland and represents a vote of confidence in that relationship into the future.”

An Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald TD, said that she was delighted to help launch this “wonderful new Global Technology Campus” in Galway.

“This is an extremely exciting project, and the Irish Government is very pleased that our ongoing work in driving competitiveness and providing quality skills is paying dividends in attracting cutting-edge projects like this.

“This development will see a further 200 people employed in Ireland and we look forward to our continued fruitful relationship with MetLife in both its Galway and Dublin operations, well into the future,” she said.

CEO of IDA Ireland Martin Shanahan said: “The opening of this new Global Technology Campus is a significant step for MetLife, represents a substantial investment by the company and demonstrates very clear commitment to Galway and the West Region.

“MetLife announced last year that it was establishing this campus with the creation of 200 jobs and this state-of-the-art permanent premises will allow them to continue to recruit up to that capacity.

“It shows too that Galway has both the required skills for global companies such as MetLife to establish and grow here and the property solutions they need. I wish MetLife all future success in Galway.”