Gardaí were called to NUI Galway seven times between 2014 and early 2017, according to figures seen by the Irish Times.

Records released under the Freedom of Information and seen by the Irish Times show that the incidents occured after student drinking got out of hand.

There were six male students and two female students involved in the incidents.

Elsewhere, between 2011 and 2014, 10 male students at University College Dublin faced preliminary hearings for breaches of student discipline.

Two were referred to a discipline committee.

In 2012, three UCD student protesters were given warning letters and fines when they threw eggs at then taoiseach Enda Kenny, in response to third-level fees. They were cautioned by an Garda Síochána.

Almost €20,000 has been raised for the restoration of the church in Clifden which was destroyed by thugs two weeks ago.

The contents and interior of the Holy Trinity Church, Errislannan were badly damaged, and it is estimated that it will take up to €70,000 to return the church to its former glory.

That’s according to Reverend Stan Evans, the Priest in charge of the Church of Ireland church.

Errislannan Church near Clifden extensively vandalised. pic.twitter.com/xqr671lxEI

— Diocese of TKA (@DcoTKA) 26 October 2017

The community was horrified and saddened by this destruction and people from across Galway and indeed the island of Ireland have donated to first of all weatherproof the church and stop further damage being caused to the interior.

The damage included Bible being thrown through a window and the pulpit being split in two.

The altar rail was completely ripped from its fixings and thrown through the east window of the church and all lights were smashed.

The organ in the church was also been smashed beyond repair.

Donations can be made on the official gofundme page here.

County Galway has seen a 38% increase in the number of people on the council housing waiting list in the past year, new figures have revealed.

The data obtained by Sinn Fein under freedom of information show that County Galway has seen a increase 27% higher than the national average of 9%.

In 2016, there were 3,414 people on council house waiting lists in the County, and the up-to-date figures show that there are now 2,087: an increase of 1,327 people.

Galway City, however, has seen the biggest drop in numbers awaiting housing in Ireland.

In 2016, there were 3,322 on the list in Galway City, while now the figure stands at 2,232. Only one other council in Ireland saw a drop of over 1,000.

Eoin Ó Broin TD, whose office obtained the figures, said that new housing need is now outstripping new social housing provision.

“This is rise is even more troubling when you consider that this increase has occurred while an additional 18,671 households have signed up to HAP tenancies during the same period,” he said.

He called on Minister Eoghan Murphy to review his social housing targets for 2018 and beyond and secure additional funds to increase his targets.

“When a household goes into the Housing Assistance Payment they are removed from their Councils waiting list. As HAP tenancies rise the number on the Council waiting lists should fall. Instead the opposite is happening.

“The reason is very simple. The government is not building and buying a sufficient number of social housing units to meet the every growing level of demand. This is yet further evidence that the Government’s housing plan is not working,” Ó Broin added.

The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government  says it is currently finalising the 2017 figures and expects to be in a position to publish up-to-date data in the coming weeks.

New NUI Galway research has discovered that a protein called iNOS in the body is a key cause for the aggressive spread of triple negative breast cancer, which results in increased risk of early death from the disease.

The findings from the research led by Dr Sharon Glynn found that inducible nitric oxide synthase or iNOS made cells more resistant to treatment such as chemotherapy and caused a spread of the cancer.

The study was conducted by the Discipline of Pathology at NUI Galway’s Lambe Institute for Translational Research, and were published in two international journals, examining the role of iNOS and another protein COX2 in this type of breast cancer.

iNOS and COX2 are normally activated when the body experiences inflammation and wound healing.

Dr Glynn’s research shows that when both proteins are expressed together in triple negative breast cancer, they lead to faster tumour growth and help the tumour to spread around the body.

Almost 30% of women in the Western world are diagnosed with this form of breast cancer, which currently cannot be treated or stopped with therapies such as tamoxifen and is limited to treatment through chemotherapy and surgery.

Triple negative breast cancer, the most aggressive form of breast cancer is frequently diagnosed in younger women ranging from their thirties and upwards.

In the first study, published in Oncotarget, Dr Glynn and her NUI Galway colleagues Dr Pablo Garrido, Dr Aideen Ryan and Professor Grace Callagy found that women with increased expression of iNOS were at greater risk of their breast cancer spreading to other parts of their body, leading to poor survival rates.

They conducted a study of 206 women across the Western seaboard diagnosed with breast cancer at Galway University Hospital between 2000 and 2016, and found that iNOS was a factor in the poor survival rate of Irish breast cancer patients with triple negative breast cancer.

It made the cells more resistant to treatment such as chemotherapy, aiding in tumour cell growth and a much higher risk of the disease spreading, leading to death.

Speaking about the research, Dr Sharon Glynn at NUI Galway, said: “The results from both studies will be used to develop screening methods to identify which patients are at increased risk of developing the lethal disease.

“The team are also focused on developing new therapeutic drugs that shut down both of these proteins and reduce the spread of cancer which can lead to premature death in the future.

“Both proteins have been identified as key drivers in the spreading or metastasis of triple negative breast cancer, and targeting them may save the lives of these patients.”

The second study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences was edited by the Nobel Laureate, Dr Louis Ignarro, a world expert in nitric oxide biology.

Dr Glynn collaborated with Dr Debashree Basudhar and Dr David Wink at the National Cancer Institute in the US and demonstrated for the first time that patients who express high levels of iNOS in conjunction with high levels of the protein COX2, are at an increased risk of tumour progression throughout the body and high risk of death. The study was carried out with patients from Maryland in the US.

It found that five years post-diagnosis, less than 40% of women with high levels of iNOS and COX2 survive, compared to 95% of women with low levels of both proteins.

OVER half of lecturers promoted at NUI Galway in the latest promotion scheme were women, according to a new NUI Galway report published today.

The report released today includes data on its latest senior lecturer promotion scheme, through which 33 lecturers advanced.

An investigation has been launched after a woman was found dead at a hotel in Oughterard.

The woman, 64, was discovered in a bedroom at the Connemara Lake Hotel at 11.30am yesterday morning (Monday).

@rtenews Gardaí and Galway Fire Service at scene of Connemara Lake Hotel in Oughterard where a woman died yesterday pic.twitter.com/J1jwX4AsHO

— TERESA MANNION (@TeresaMannion) October 31, 2017

A statement on the hotel’s website reads: “The Connemara Lake Hotel confirms that a guest tragically passed away while staying in the Hotel over the weekend. The Hotel is closed until further notice while an investigation takes place by the Garda Síochána.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the deceased, their family and friends.”

A post-mortem is to be carried out later today at University Hospital Galway.

The scene has been preserved while a forensic examination is carried out.

Tens of thousands of spectators took to the streets of Galway yesterday evening to witness the 2017 Macnas parade.

People lined the streets in the heart of the city from early yesterday afternoon and thousands more watched live streams of the festival from around the world.

Spectacular Halloween Parade 2017 in Galway thanks to #Macnas pic.twitter.com/Lne1M8NURu

— Galway Tourism (@galwaytourism) 29 October 2017

Many people were drawn to the main attraction, which was a giant old man with his dog, who navigated the streets in a boat.

Another amazing @MacnasIreland Parade in #Galway #MacnasParade pic.twitter.com/EuL2ZeWhjW

— David Muldoon (@daviddooner) 29 October 2017

Best @MacnasIreland #Halloween parade yet! Huge congrats to all involved. No one does festival like #Galway! pic.twitter.com/JudM7GNqS8

— Rory Monaghan (@IrishEnergyGuy) 29 October 2017

‘Port Na bPúcaí’ or Song of the Spirits was the theme for this year’s parade, which celebrated the magic and mystery of life here in the West.

The full parade can be watched below.

Broadcaster and doctor Ciara Kelly has revealed that a “prominent man in the Irish media” could be an Irish Harvey Weinstein after a woman contacted her to say she had been raped by the man forty years ago.

In a string of tweets, the Newstalk host suggested a well-known figure in the Irish media could be a serial offender, after hearing one woman’s story and well-known rumours about this man’s behaviour.

Ciara Kelly said that she has been warned that this person is violent, that he beat his wife and that he “had a car back in the day he offer girls lifts home – the passenger door handle was broken.”

The tweets were posted after Dr Kelly described as ‘depressingly accurate’ a Fintan O’Toole artice entitled We all know a Tom Humphries, even if we don’t we do.

She said: “He messaged me immediately after the first meeting by Twitter DM. He was v complimentary “you are v talented we must meet for coffee” he said. I declined something about him made me uneasy. I was polite though I was friendly. Many many messages came I declined other invitations.

“I met him again – we were at same event, I spoke to him briefly but didn’t engage – I was with friends. More messages came “who do you think you are? You’re becoming a national joke” late at night followed by “please forgive me I don’t know what came over me” the following morning.

“I didn’t reply – it went on for months, I spoke to friends they all had stories they’d heard “Be careful he’s violent – he beat his wife” he had a car back in the day he offer girls lifts home – the passenger door handle was broken – they couldn’t get out.

“I have friend he did same to – he plagued her – ‘be careful he’s supposed to be awful’. The messages – bizarre in their over familiarity stopped eventually and I half forgot.

“Then this woman approached me ‘I came still smell him on me – there were lots of us,’ she said.

“And I believed her. I’ve thought a lot about this and am shaking writing these tweets but I believe that women that this man raped her and likely others and I believe he beat his wife and had a car he gave lifts in… so I’m putting this out there…”

Dr Kelly asked people to come forward if they believe they know the person in question, to come forward.  “If you think you know who I’m talking about… and if you have been affected please contact me and let’s try to right this,” adding the hashtags #IBelieveYou and #IrishWeinstein.

If you have been affected by anything in this article, visit Galway Rape Crisis Centre, or call the hotline on 1800 355 355.

Award-winning journalist for the Irish Times will be in Galway to give an interesting public lecture entitled ‘Bernard Shaw and the Uses of Celebrity’ to mark the publication of Judging Shaw on Tuesday, 7 November at 6.30pm.

The event is being hosted by NUI Galway in conjunction with the Royal Irish Academy (RIA).

The event will take place in the Aula Maxima at the University and will be followed by a panel discussion on “Making Judging Shaw” moderated by Professor Patrick Lonergan, NUI Galway with Ruth Hegarty, RIA, Barry Houlihan, James Hardiman Library and Fintan O’Toole.

Judging Shaw is the fourth book in the Royal Irish Academy’s award-winning ‘Judging’ series and looks at the legacy of George Bernard Shaw (GBS), Nobel prize-winner for literature and internationally renowned playwright, intellectual and commentator.

The book, written by Orwell-prize-winning journalist Fintan O’Toole, traces the growth of ‘GBS’, the first great global brand, and discovers how Shaw created this most modern of concepts.

Judging Shaw brings together a new insights on the making and invention of GBS, the complex relationships Shaw had with both England and Ireland, through times of revolution and after; reconsiders the ‘dark side of GBS’ as well as his death, commemoration and legacies.

The illustrated volume features over one hundred digitised archival documents, sourced from institutions around the world, including NUI Galway’s digital theatre collections at the Hardiman Library, many published for the first time and which visualise the great achievements and also wide range of networks Shaw lived and worked in.

Also being unveiled is a new exhibition to coincide with the publication of Judging Shaw.

Co-curated by Barry Houlihan of NUI Galway, Ruth Hegarty and Jeff Wilson of the Royal Irish Academy and Fintan O’Toole, the exhibition brings a wealth of archival images and stories from Shaw’s remarkable public and private life, drawing on many experiences such as time spent in the West of Ireland at Coole Park, the home of Lady Isabella Augusta Gregory, Shaw’s political and socialist writing, his theatre as staged in London, Dublin and also in Belfast after his death.

The legacy of Shaw is considered in the ‘afterlife of GBS’, how his work was staged in contemporary times and how his life was commemorated. Before he died, Shaw noted those around him were ‘going Shaw-mad!’

The exhibition will be open to the public at the O’Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance, NUI Galway.

Speaking in advance of the public lecture, Professor Patrick Lonergan, said: “We are delighted to welcome Fintan O’Toole and the Royal Irish Academy to NUI Galway to explore and celebrate the life and work of George Bernard Shaw.

“This university is deeply committed to preserving our nation’s theatrical heritage through our work in archives, allowing us to offer courses that give our students a unique behind-the-scenes perspective on Irish theatre.  We also are strongly committed to promoting awareness of that heritage through talks, publications, and other activities.

“This beautifully produced book and the fascinating exhibition that accompanies it will bring huge pleasure to readers and theatre-makers around the world, ensuring that Shaw’s legacies – as a dramatist and a political thinker – will have an impact for generations to come.”

Fintan O’Toole said: “Shaw had an ambivalent relationship with Ireland, but Ireland had a very ambivalent relationship with Shaw. He is by far the most influential, famous Irish person who has ever lived. There is no other Irish person that had the global reach that Shaw had. He is a vast terrain.

“It is a pleasure to see the book translated into an entirely different medium in the exhibition and one of the things that you see in it is that as well as being a great thinker, a great political activist, great dramatist, as well as that he was one of the world’s great posers.”

Admission is free but places are limited and NUI Galway are asking people to register at www.conference.ie .

The total allocation for providing accomodation for Travellers in Galway City rose from €40,000 in 2016 to €209,000 so far in 2017; however, no new accomodation units have been built to date this year.

Galway County Council’s budget also rose, from €117,000 to €625,000, with 0 Traveller accomodation units being provided.

Under the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998, housing authorities have responsibility for the assessing the needs of Travellers and also the implementation of Traveller Accommodation Programmes in their areas.

This means the Traveller accomodation crisis in Galway is the responsibility of both councils.

Mary Lou McDonald TD asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government Eoghan Murphy if he had

The current round programmes were adopted in 2014, with the five-year rolling programmes running from 2014 to 2018 and Budget 2018 provides for €12m toward Traveller-specific accommodation.

On receipt of all proposals, allocations for 2018 and the number of units to be delivered in all local authority areas will be finalised early next year.

Sinn Féin wants to hear from the people of Connemara in relation to the Irish language, Gaeltacht and community development issues.

A public meeting, hosted by Peadar Tóibín TD & Senator Trevor O Clochartaigh, will take place this Friday, 27th October in An Crompán Community Centre in Carraroe.

Information gathered will help to develop Sinn Féin’s Irish language and Gaeltacht policy.

The party’s Irish Language and Gaeltacht spokesperson, Trevor Ó Clochartaigh said that we are at a ‘crucial time’ in relation to the Irish Language and the Gaeltacht.

“The language planning process is in chaos, we have a crisis in the number of native speakers, we have severe rural depopulation in remote areas and a lack of employment, while the state foists new policies on communities without the requisite supports and resources being provided.

“Sinn Féin want to hear from the community on these questions and other issues, including  the role of Údarás na Gaeltachta, what essential services are needed most urgently, supports for Irish speaking families and the development of Irish medium education in the Gaeltacht,” Senator Ó Clochartaigh said.

They will also be holding a series of meetings during the day with the Department of the Gaeltacht, Údarás na Gaeltachta, the Language Commissioner, TG4, Raidió na Gaeltachta, the Co-operatives and community development companies, Comhar Naíonraí na Gaeltachta and Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta.

“At 7pm in the evening at An Crompán Community Centre, on the Industrial Estate in Carraroe, we will be asking the people of the area for their opinions. All are welcome to attend that meeting.

“We will use the information we gather to help strengthen and further develop Sinn Féin’s Irish language and Gaeltacht policy, as well as keeping pressure on the state to live up to its obligations in this regard as well,” he added.

“We’ll come through,  we’ll keep smiling.”

Those were the words of Reverend Stan Evans today after discovering the contents of Holy Trinity, Errislannan, Clifden were destroyed by vandals.

Gardaí in Clifden are appealing for anyone with information relating to the vandalism to come forward.

Errislannan Church near Clifden extensively vandalised. pic.twitter.com/xqr671lxEI

— Diocese of TKA (@DcoTKA) October 26, 2017

Reverend Stan Evans, the Priest in charge of the Church of Ireland church, said that the contents of the church were destroyed and that it was ‘beyond belief’ but that they will rise from it.

“The whole interior of the church has been compeltely decimated. The pews, the organ, the altar table, even the cross used as a tool of destruction, every window smashed, and the family Bible thrown through the east end window lying sadly outside.

“It really is unbelievable what we found. The most important thing is the building and the material will be put back right. There is no problem in doing that.

“We’ll all come together as the community which we are, and that is the whole community.

“It is the people we have to be concerned about and bring love and tender care to them as they see a treasured church trashed in such a way,” Reverend Stan Evans said.

The summer church is open during July and August for worship and it is understood that the crime was committed within the last four weeks.

Rev Stan Evans said it was difficult for him to speculate about the motives behind the attack, but that the person or persons behind it had tremendous anger in them.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Clifden Garda Station at (095) 22500.

Road-users are being urged to ‘be safe and be seen’ as the clocks go back this weekend.

The Road Safety Authortiy & An Garda Síochána are urging pedestrians & cyclists to wear hi-visibility clothing while on the roads at the weekend, particularly on poorly-lit rural roads.

Ten people have been killed and 40 seriously injured in October Bank Holiday weekend crashes since 201.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and An Garda Síochána say that the most effective way to be safe this Bank Holiday weekend is to wear high visibility clothing such as a high visibility vest or a Sam Browne belt, or by carrying a torch and ensuring you have working lights on your bicycle or motorcycle.

A study conducted by the RSA in November 2016 monitored the high visibility wearing rates of 5,341 motorcyclists and 23,343 pedal cyclists.

The study found that 45% of motorcyclists are most likely to be wearing any form of High Visibility Clothing.

32% of all cyclists were wearing any form of High Visibility Clothing.

The wearing rate of any form of high visibility clothing for private pedal cyclists was 34% and for public pedal (bike rental scheme) cyclists it was recorded as 21%.

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross TD said: “The evenings are getting darker and particularly so as the clocks going back this weekend, so it is vital that pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are clearly visible to drivers, especially on dark unlit rural roads. That’s why I would urge people to wear high visibility clothing or carry a torch when out on the road.”

Ms. Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive, RSA said: “Pedestrians and cyclists can be difficult to see in the road traffic, especially at night and in dark weather conditions. Without wearing something reflective a pedestrian or cyclist is only likely to be visible 30 metres away, in low beam headlights.

“By wearing something reflective they become visible at 150 metres away. This gives drivers five times the distance to notice them and, more importantly, to avoid them. There really is no excuse for anyone to be out on the road without a high visibility jacket, especially when you can order one free of charge from the RSA website.”

Assistant Commissioner Michael Finn, Roads Policing, said: “Although there is no legal obligation for pedestrians to wear high visibility clothing, it makes absolute sense.

“Wearing the high visibility clothing gives drivers the opportunity to see pedestrians and other vulnerable road user significantly earlier which is especially important on dark and on poorly lit roads.

“Bicycle lights, high visibility clothing and replacement bulbs cost a fraction of the fixed charge penalty that can be imposed.  Please make sure all obligatory lights are working on you bicycle or any other vehicle that you are using.

“We cannot emphasis enough the importance of being able to see and as important to be seen.”

Galway Chamber today announced the shortlist for this year’s Galway Chamber Business Awards, which recognises outstanding achievements of business from across the county.

This year, the theme they have chosen for the Awards is ‘Éacht thar na Bearta’ or ‘Outstanding Achievement’.

Galway’s enterprises and individuals are being recognized globally for their achievements and the Chamber sees this as its opportunity to recognise and applaud them at home.

The Galway Chamber Business Awards and Gala Ball 2017 will be hosted by President Maurice O’Gorman on Friday November 10 in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Galway.

On the night, the awards presented will recognise and promote SMEs, Start-ups and established Businesses/Companies from all over Galway which embrace the concept of ‘Outstanding Achievement’

In Category 1: Best Emerging Enterprise; Ciara Silke, Feedthepulse and ChatSpace are shortlisted.

Shortlisted in Category 2 (Best Innovation/R&D) are SmartBear, Smart Bay Ireland and Insight Research Institute, NUI Galway.

Category 3 (Best SME) sees Evergreen Healthfoods Ltd Hero Recruitment and Fahy Travel Worldchoice shortlisted.

Best Customer Service will go to GoBus.ie, Galway Bay Hotel or Talent Fusion.

An Pucán, Supermacs and Baboró International Arts Festival are shortlisted for their social media and marketing achievements.

Category 6 – Best Social Enterprise/CSR – sees Grant Thornton, Boston Scientific and Volunteer Galway shortlisted, and in Category 7, which recognises toursim, The Galway Races, Galway Food Tours and Galway Atlantaquaria are shortlisted.

On the night of the awards the ‘Special President’s Award’ will also be presented to an individual who has made a contribution to the business life of Galway that is outstanding in every way. The recipient of this award is chosen by the President of Galway Chamber in consultation with his officer board.

The actual awards are unique pieces by ceramic artist Rachel Webb.

Rachel has created beautiful and unique pieces entitled ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Éacht thar na Bearta’ underlying the outstanding nature of the Category winners as well as the Overall winner and the recipient of the President’s Award.

Galway Pro-Choice will hold a vigil this Saturday to mark the fifth aniversary of the death of Savita Halappanavar, with other vigils taking place across the island at the weekend.

The vigil in Galway will take place at Church Yard Street (Galway Market) at 6.30pm.

Twenty four vigils will be held in other towns and cities across Ireland, London and New York.

A full list of vigils can be found here.

Galway Pro-Choice is currently live-tweeting the shocking circumstances which led to Savita’s death at University Hospital Galway in 2012.

Savita was seventeen weeks pregnant with her first child when she died.

After suffering a septic miscarriage, her requests for a termination were refused because a foetal heartbeat was still present.

There was national outrage when it was revealed a midwife had explained to Savita that a termination was not possible because Ireland was a ‘Catholic country’.

Meanwhile, a UK government scheme to provide free abortion services in England for women travelling from the North was welcomed by the London-Irish Abortion Rights Campaign yesterday, along with Abortion Support Network, Alliance for Choice, Amnesty International UK, the Family Planning Association, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas), Marie Stopes UK, and Stella Creasy MP.

The plans were revealed at Westminster by Equalities Minister Justine Greening, just days before the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the 1967 Abortion Act.

Ahascragh, Carraroe, Roundstone, Spiddal are discharging untreated sewage, a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report has found.

Ten other areas in Galway have been highlighted by the EPA in the Urban Waste Water Report published today.

The fourteen areas in Galway where improvements are required to resolve environmental priorities are: Ahascragh, Athenry, Ballymoe, Carraroe, Clifden, Galway City, Glenamaddy, Gort, Loughrea, Mountbellew, Oughterard, Roundstone, Spiddal and Woodford.

Athenry, Gort and Oughterard are included in a list of 50 urban areas across Ireland that failed to meet the EU’s legally binding standards for the collection, treatment and discharge of urban waste water.

The report also found that waste water discharges were contributing factors to the poor quality of bathing waters in both Clifden Beach and Ballyloughane Beach in 2016.

Kinvara has now been connected to new treatment plants, thereby ending the discharge
of raw sewage which was highlighted in a previous report.

Clifden was removed from the list of poor bathing waters in 2015, following improvements to the town’s waste water treatment system. The bathing water quality at Clifden returned to poor status in 2016.

The EPA say that resolving these priorities requires a substantial increase in capital investment to provide the outstanding infrastructure needed to collect and treat our waste water effectively.

The agency also states that the delivery of infrastructure projects should become more efficient, so that there are no avoidable delays; and Irish Water must target improvements in the operation and maintenance of waste
water systems, where this can improve performance and effluent quality.