Galway Bay fm newsroom – Chronic pain sufferers now have an opportunity to participate in a free rehabilitation programme run by NUI Galway.
The online treatment programme has been set up by psychologists and physiotherapists based at the Centre for Pain Research at the college.
They are looking for people who have chronic pain which has lasted for three months or more for the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) trial.
It will involve 8 online sessions for people in their own homes, with activity-pacing techniques and mindfulness.

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Galway Bay fm newsroom – There is concern over an alleged lack of garda resources in the Tuam area.
Fianna Fáil Galway East T.D, Colm Keaveney claims a violent incident took place last Friday (7/8) near the Gold Cave Crescent housing estate at Bishop Street.
He says several residents contacted him claiming that they could not get through to Tuam garda station directly and had to dial 999.
When they eventually spoke to someone in the garda station, they were told that no garda unit was available to attend the disturbance at the time.
A garda spokesperson has confirmed that an incident in the area was attended and dealt with.
The spokesperson also told Galway Bay fm news that there is NO difficulty with garda resources in the Tuam area.
However, Deputy Keaveney says the number of resources there should be reviewed.

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Beef producers might benefit financially if there was financial assistance available for the provision of rubber slats in their farm buildings.

A call has now been made that the provision of the rubber slats come under a popular safety scheme which farmers avail of.

The Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme or TAMS, as it is better know, encourages farmers to carry out safety measures on their holding and are given grant assistance to do so.

But according to Galway East TD Paul Connaughton the provision of rubber slats should fall under this TAMS Safety Scheme.

He said that research had proved that they account for better animal welfare. The Fine Gael Dail Deputy added that some retailers in Britain insist on buying cattle that have been housed on rubber as opposed to concrete.

Deputy Connaughton is now called for the provision of rubber slats to be included as a qualifying measure under the TAMS Safety Scheme.

“Such a measure would allow many small farmers across the West of Ireland to provide rubber slats for cattle, which would result in less lameness and better productivity.

“I believe that the inclusion of rubber slats as an animal welfare measure under TAMS would make excellent sense. It would incentivise the provision of such slats, which have proven animal welfare benefits, which in turn results in better productivity for the farmer.

“I know from speaking to industry representatives that large retailers in Britain now specify that the beef they buy must be from cattle housed on rubber, as opposed to concrete, slats.

“The inclusion of such a measure in TAMS would allow farmers in the West of Ireland to put plans in place for the provision of such slats and to reap the rewards in terms of animal welfare and productivity”, Deputy Connaughton added.

He has now taken the matter up with the Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney and he will be urging him in coming weeks to include the provision of rubber slats under the TAMS scheme.

“Not alone would this benefit the cattle housed in sheds, but it would also benefit farm productivity and would aid job creation in many local businesses, such as Easy Fix in Ballinasloe, who provide rubber slats to farmers across the region”, he said.

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A Galway based fast food chain is set to boost beef returns in this country with the announcement of its first Irish 100% fresh meat burger.

It’s a tasty and tempting announcement from the Managing Director of Supermac’s who will now be serving fully meaty five ounce beef burger to his customers.

The fast food company with outlets all over the country now pumps in more than €20 million per annum to the beef industry which comes as a major boost to the industry.

The announcement took place at the annual Tullamore Show when Pat McDonagh a financial commitment to Irish farmers as a direct result of his 100% fresh beef burger.

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney and IFA President Eddie Downey were also present to hear the announcement from the fast food king.

Those present heard that Supermac’s spend with Irish farmers spanned across a wide range of producers including beef, chicken, dairy and vegetables.

The company is a member of both the IFA and the Irish Grassland Association and regularly features at key agricultural shows including the National Ploughing Championships, the Tullamore Show and Teagasc open days.

Mr. McDonagh said that he was excited by the introduction of the fully Irish beef burger.

“We are using fresh premium cuts of Irish beef, which are never frozen and the burger is cooked to order every time.

“We have overcome all potential challenges which serving a fresh beef burger in prime condition to customers could possibly present.

“The feedback on the product which has been piloted in a number of restaurants ahead of its nationwide roll out over the past few weeks has been extremely positive”, he said.

The restaurant chain was established in Ballinasloe back in 1978 and has since gone on to be a huge success in towns and cities right across the country.

It is now estimated that Supermac’s now serves around 320,000 customers on a weekly basis.

Minister Coveney said that the announcement by Supermac’s was a very welcome development for Irish farmers and the beef industry as a whole.

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Killanin 7-9

Killererin 2-10

KILLERERIN have a great championship record down through the years, with six Frank Fox Cups in their trophy cabinet. Last Sunday was not one of the club’s better days in the championship, however, as they conceded seven goals in a 14-point defeat at the hands of Killanin.

The momentum and belief that stirring win over St. James’ in the last round provided Killererin disappeared in the second half of this match. Straight after Padraic Joyce sent a 45th minute penalty wide of the bottom left hand corner, Killanin went up the field and banged in their seventh goal through Ardal O’Neill. That left the scoreboard in Pearse Stadium having an unusual look to it, reading 7-8 to 1-8 in Killanin’s favour.

Killanin outscored Killererin 5-3 to 1-4 in the second half, with Patrick Sweeney and company having a field day against the Killererin defence. In an age where teams deploy sometimes two sweepers in front of their full-back line, it was surprising that Killererin didn’t try something similar to negate Sweeney’s influence.

The Galway attacker scored 4-3 in an outstanding performance. When at centre-half forward, Sweeney was marshalled by Tomas Fahy, but Killererin’s centre-half back didn’t follow when Sweeney went to the full-forward position in the second quarter. That was the cue for Killanin’s outfield players to target him with long balls, and the goals soon followed.

The first of his four was definitely his best strike. Lee Keegan may not have meant to lob Paul Durcan in Croke Park the evening before, but Patrick Sweeney knew exactly what he was doing when he floated a ball over Alan Kelly’s head for a brilliant goal. That was in the 21st minute, and under 60 seconds later, Sweeney had the ball in the net again.

Diarmuid O’Connor dispossessed the Killererin goalkeeper, and Sweeney tapped in the loose ball. Killererin trailed 2-4 to 1-4 after the second goal, but steadied the ship nicely as Shane Fahy and Joyce (free) scored. Patrick Sweeney would leave his mark again before half-time though, scoring two points to leave a goal between the teams at the break.

Full report in this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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Galway Bay fm newsroom – The R352 road between Portumna and Scarriff is closed this morning following a serious crash.
The collision happened at Gorteeny near Derryoober National School.
Emergency services are at the scene and gardaí are advising motorists that diversions are in place.

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One of Ireland’s finest singer/songwriters, Mick Hanly, will return to Spiddal after a gap of 23 years to play a gig at the new upstairs venue at Tigh Giblin next Thursday night, August 20.

“I’ve been around the clock more times than most and have tried on a variety of hats in search of my own voice” said Mick, “and I’m really looking forward to singing and playing in Spiddal after such a long time.”

Starting his career on the folk circuit in the 1970s, Limerick man Mick made a couple of folk albums, A Kiss in the Morning Early and As I Went Over Blackwater, before turning his hand to song-writing and fronting Moving Hearts for a spell in the early 1980s.

He led the band for the recording of Live Hearts in the Dominion Theatre London, and then went on to form his own band, Rusty Old Halo, recording the album Still Not Cured, and a series of other albums.

Mick began to establish his own song-writing style at this time and, over the years, his songs have been recorded by many artists, including Mary Black, Dolores Keane, Christy Moore Seán Keane and Delbert McClinton.

In 1992, American country music star Hal Ketchum had a major hit in the US with Mick’s song, Past the Point of Rescue. Mick Hanley has picked up three BMI (Broadcast Music Inc) Awards, most recently for passing the ‘Two Million Radio Plays’ mark, and has also received two Hot Press and two National Entertainment awards.

Mick released Mick Hanly Collected in 2009, and is currently recording a new album called Homeland for release in January 2016.

The Spiddal gig at Tigh Giblin will begin at 9pm on Thursday, August 20th, admission €15, tickets at the door or in advance from 087-1525040.

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Citing The Pogues and The Saw Doctors as key influences, Peel Your Own Spuds play An Sibín, Loughrea, this Saturday, August 15.

The band are a six-piece based in Newport, South Wales, with strong Irish roots.

They began when mandolin player and songwriter Tom Flannelly met lead-singer Rosie O’Donnell.

“We’re eight years going now,” says Tom. “Rosie, who’s a Welsh girl of Irish descent with parents are from Cavan and Donegal, approached me and asked if I’d like to be in an Irish band.

“I said ‘yeah, no problem, but we’ll need some original material, and not just go banging out the same old tunes’. I wrote about four or five original songs, and then we got my old line-up from a rock band many years ago. So we’ve a mixture of old and young in the band.”

The rest of Peel Your Own Spuds are Dave Treharne, Keith Boast, Seán Keane and Mick Vodden. The band members draw from Newport’s large ex-pat Irish community.

“There’s a big Irish community there,” says Tom. “I played for a Gaelic team there as well, Pride of Éire, may years ago. There’s a Comhaltas there, and I started pulling together the main people from there – stealing them, I was!”

Tom is a massive fan of The Saw Doctors – in an email subsequent to the interview, he asked to ‘ put an ultimatum out to the Saw Doctors if anyone of them is interested in playing with the Spuds they’re welcome and we’ll see them in An Sibin in Loughrea!’

“The Saw Doctors are tremendous,” he says during the interview.

“I’ve seen them a couple of times over in the UK. You have to remember we’re emigrants, four of us. I left in the 1980s, and then you have lads who left in the two thousands. We like the Saw Doctors’ stuff and they sing about emigration, just like we do.”

Tom is the chief songwriter in the band, but is keen to credit his colleagues.

“I usually bring them in, and the lads add a riff or some harmonies, and lead parts, and breaks,” he says. “The songs would cover emigration, different topics.

“The single we have out now, I wrote about my kids doing their exams. In the UK it’s the exactly same as Ireland! The kids had to struggle through and had a lot of other influences and distractions. But at the end of the day they had to put their head down because it’s their future, y’know?”

The Loughrea show is part of Peel Your Own Spuds four-date Irish tour. How does it feel to be bringing it all back home? “It’s brilliant, I come to Ireland quite regularly on holidays but the other members, especially the Welsh lads, have asked, for years, to tour Ireland,” Tom explains.

“We finally said ‘right, we’re going home’.

For more about Peel Your Own Spuds and their upcoming Loughrea gig see this week’s Tribune

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Galway Bay fm newsroom – A man has been seriously injured in a crash near Woodford in the early hours of today.
The man, who is in his late 20s, was the passenger in a car which crashed near Derryoober at around 4am.
He has been taken to University Hospital Galway for treatment, but the male driver of the car was not seriously injured.
The R352 road between Portumna and Scarriff is closed while gardaí examine the scene and diversions are in place.
Gardaí are urging anyone who may have witnessed the collision to contact Loughrea garda station at 091 84 28 70.

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Galway Bay fm newsroom – Unemployment across Galway is up again for the third month in a row.
The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office show there are now over 18 thousand 300 people on the Live Register in the city and county – an increase of almost 500 since June.
The biggest jump in unemployment last month was in the city, where an extra 270 people signed on.
The jobless figure for the city now stands at 9490.
The next biggest increase was in Tuam, where 90 more people signed on the Live Register in July, bringing the town’s unemployment figure to over 2,750.
Ballinasloe saw an extra 57 people sign on last month.
There are now 2,076 people out of work in Ballinasloe.
Loughrea’s jobless figure grew by 55 in July, and now stands at 1,920.
Clifden and Gort each saw an extra 13 people sign on the Live Register in July.
There are now 911 people unemployed in Clifden, and 1,197 out of work in Gort.
Despite monthly increases in unemployment since May, the overall jobless figure for Galway is down by around 12% on last year.
There are currently just over 18 thousand 300 people out of work across the city and county.

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Galway Bay fm newsroom – Concerns have been raised about plans for a discount foodstore and off-licence in Athenry.
Swandive Limited was granted planning permission for the development at Cross Street and Clarke Street which was the Arrabawn co-op.
However this decision has been appealed by a number of parties.
Swandive Limited, the company which was granted permission for the discount supermarket in Athenry, has lodged a first party appeal.
It’s contesting a condition of the planning permission which requires a method statement for the conservation of rubble stone boundary walls before construction work begins.
The company feels this will lead to unnecessary and costly delays.
Meanwhile, the occupants of neighbouring properties are concerned about a lack of space for large vehicles to turn and potential anti-social behaviour.
Other residents are concerned about the possible loss of amenity and privacy.
An Bord Pleanála is due to make a decision on the discount store for Cross Street in Athenry in November. (30/11)

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Galway Bay fm newsroom – Women in Galway have been more heavily impacted by the recent upward trend in unemployment than their male counterparts.
A NewsBreak analysis of the latest CSO figures reveals that since April, 926 women across Galway city and county have signed on the Live Register.
In contrast, only 159 men signed on during the same period.
However, there are still more jobless men across Galway than women.
There are currently over 10 thousand 300 unemployed males in the city and county, while just over 8000 women are out of work.
Around 10% of Galway’s unemployed are under the age of 25.

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IT’S now or never for Galway ladies senior footballers as they face reigning All-Ireland champions Cork – for the fourth time competitively this year – in a fascinating All-Ireland quarter-final joust at the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick on Saturday (6pm).

When the two sides clashed in the early rounds of the National League, Galway lost out by a single point before taking the Leesiders to a replay in the National League final. Again, their lot was a single point loss but manager Kevin Reidy believes his charges are now ready to challenge for All-Ireland honours once again.

“Absolutely, yeah. I do,” he states. “I think they are coming on leaps and bounds with every game, every day they go out. So, I do. We would be very confident about next Saturday.”

Both sides’ run-in to the quarter-final could not be different. For Galway’s part, they bounced back from their National League final replay heartbreak to account for Mayo at McHale Park, Castlebar in the Connacht decider in July . . . but just by the skin of their teeth.

Cora Staunton, who scored a whopping 1-15 (0-8 frees) in that game, had nudged the home side in front as the clock ticked down. However, the classy Tracey Leonard subsequently struck for the equaliser before Patricia Gleeson added the winning score in the final minute to secure Galway their fourth successive provincial title.

“It was a great test and a good battle and it showed there was plenty of fight in the girls to come back with a few minutes to go,” says Reidy. “And they showed great composure as well to win it. They did the simple things and they got their reward in the end.

“I suppose, every game asks questions of you and the Connacht final was no different. Again, the one thing that told really was that the girls showed a lot of composure. They didn’t panic when we were a couple of points behind; they just kept going and kept putting the ball over the bar.”

Full preview in this week’s City Tribune.

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Galway United 0

Derry City 4

From the high of a cup semi-final win to the low of a heaviest defeat of the season: talk about being brought back to earth with a shuddering crash.

And what a crash it was, one that makes a squelching, splodging sound as it makes contact with terra ferma, something Galway United’s Premier Division survival prospects are certainly not on after the weekend’s results.

Friday night’s defeat has seen United drop to 10^th in the table, and with Limerick FC suddenly realising how beneficial it is to actually win games, it has suddenly become a lot more uncomfortable at the foot of the table for Tommy Dunne’s side.

Perhaps Friday’s defeat didn’t really come as a surprise, however, considering the exertions over the previous weekend when United had to play for a third of their game with St Pats with just 10 men last Friday; and then face 120 minutes of action against Dundalk in the EA Sports Cup on Monday night.

An already small squad has been stretched to the hilt due to injuries – United were missing four frontliners because of this on Friday night – so the physical toll was bound to tell. There have been some grumblings on the terraces that Dunne did not add to his squad during the transfer window, but the simple fact is the club is taking a responsible approach on the financial front, and it makes a pleasant change.

Yes, some new faces would be welcome, but United can’t spend like there is no tomorrow: remember, the last time they did, it turned out that there was no tomorrow. The club spent two years out of the league, and no-one wants a return to that abyss once again: it is better to have a club not spend money and be relegated, than have a club spend money . . . and then have no club.

Maybe if the club was getting bigger gates, there would be some coppers rattling around in petty cash – just 1,104 people were counted on Friday night – but the simple fact is that a winning team is an attractive one that will generate crowds, and United’s home form has been south of poor this season.

Friday night was their 12^th league game at Eamonn Deacy Park this season – and their ninth defeat. While they have swept all before them in this season’s cup competitions – all five of United’s cup games have been at the Dyke Road venue, and all five have been victories for the home side – it has been a very different story in the league.

Full report in this week’s City Tribune.

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GALWAY manager Anthony Cunningham may be downplaying the fact that his charges face Tipperary in Sunday’s All-Ireland senior hurling semi-final in Croke Park rather that Semple Stadium – where they clashed in the qualifiers last year – but deep down it must make him feel a little more at ease.

When the sides met in front of a partisan Tipperary crowd in the qualifiers in Thurles last year, the Tribesmen were entering a GAA ground they had not only little joy in previously but they were also facing a home side who practically eat, drink and sleep hurling at the same venue.

This time round, things are different. Galway are coming off the back of a quarter-final victory – breaking the Semple Stadium hoodoo – while they also make what now has become a routine trip to Croke Park since their move into Leinster seven years ago.

“It makes no difference if you are in Thurles or Croke Park – they are fantastic pitches – but a Saturday evening down in Tipperary a week after the previous match was obviously tough. It was in front of their own crowd – their own supporters – and it was down on the pitch they train on every day.

“So, they do have an advantage. Dublin footballers might say the same as well. It is an advantage when it is a pitch you play on every day and you get to know and get used to. The dimensions of it are that bit bigger, there is no doubt, but it is a beautiful place to play.”

In this regard, the shoe will be on the other foot this Sunday. In years gone by, their automatic qualification for the All-Ireland semi-final provided what, sadly, was often just an annual pilgrimage to Croke Park. It’s different these days and, already this year, they have lined out three times at GAA headquarters.

“Yeah, and even with the Walsh Cup there, it was important for us to play the match in Dublin. Lads like that. The pitch is as good there in February as most pitches are now in the Summer. Everyone overlooks that at times. It is a fantastic stadium.”

At any rate, the Galway camp will travel to Croke Park in fine fettle. Although long term injury concern Conor Cooney is reportedly still a couple of weeks out from making his return, David Collins (hamstring) and David Burke (neck/shoulder) have both returned to full fitness. Captain Collins did not start the quarter-final against Cork, although he was introduced, and his return will cause a few selection headaches for management entering Sunday’s fixture.

As for Burke, he was forced to withdraw with an injury against the Leesiders but his hurling up to that point was sharp enough that it should merit his inclusion in the starting line-up again for the Tipp clash

Full preview in this week’s City Tribune.

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Galway rejoiced on Tuesday as Arts Minister, Heather Humphreys, decided to shovel another €735,000 into the bottomless pit that is the Galway Picture Palace or ‘arthouse’ cinema.

This is being done under the pretence of Galway’s Capital of Culture 2020 bid, which we all must ‘back’ for fear of capital punishment.

Like the never-ending Rocky film series, building of the city’s arthouse cinema has turned into an endless saga. A very costly saga.

On its website, Solas, the company behind the arthouse cinema, lists three things to expect when it opens, including “a place where memories are made, never to be forgotten”.

It’s a project that certainly won’t be forgotten. The memories are more like nightmares, however. Who could ever forget the traffic jams associated with a lane of traffic being closed to facilitate construction? And we’ve lost count of how many deadlines were missed in this project, which has been beset with problems since it was first mooted in 2007.

Initially there were concerns about possible structural damage to adjoining properties; then the contractor, Cordil Construction, went into receivership; and then funding dried up.

The site, at Lower Merchant’s Road, was donated by the City Council, a €2 million gift. And what thanks did the local authority, and its ratepayers, reap from that generosity? They were asked in 2013 to bail out the project to the tune of €200,000, or €50,000 per year for four years.

This is on top of €2 million the Department says it already spent, a loan from the Western Development Commission, and now this latest grant of €735,000. How much has this project cost the Irish State to date, and when will we stop throwing good money after bad?

Having an arthouse cinema, we’re told, will greatly enhance the city’s reputation for arts and culture.

Bunkum. We already have two cinemas and several other buildings in public ownership – including the Black Box and Town Hall Theatre – that can be used to screen obscure movies. Because that’s what this is about – screening arthouse films.

And arthouse films, by their nature – with subtitles and non-mainstream subject matter – are by their very nature, niche. And niche means there’s a very small market, and that means high ticket prices, or taxpayer-subsidised ones.

Think of how many Macnas parades you would get for €735,000; or how many individual local artists you could support with that largesse, which might actually boost our arts and culture credentials.

And anyway, if Galway is successful in its 2020 Capital of Culture bid, can we be assured the Picture Palace will be finished by then? Not based on its record to date.

Also in this week’s Bradley Bytes – only in this week’s City Tribune

Heather’s Hump

Frankeen’s Free Praise

Lovely Lorraine and Nice Noel

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The English poet, Alfred Austin, put it succinctly when he said: ‘Show me your garden, and I shall tell you what you are.’

The Galway Tidy Towns and Garden Competition 2015 recognises just that – those people who are dedicated to creating the best out of their little green patch.

Winners of the ‘Best Lawns’ category, Sean and Margaret Langan, of Castlelawn Heights, are no exception. They say the secret to their success is feeding the lawn well, and giving it extra special attention, of course.

“Sean gets down with a screwdriver and takes out the weeds,” says Margaret. “This year, the weather was so bad that Sean was going to dig it up, but I said: ‘No, just rake out the moss and re-seed it’. It came on great, even better than previous years.”

The bad weather did not derail overall winner, Patrick Mullins from Rockhill Avenue either – he won the ‘Front Garden Competition’ – and says that a variety of colour is the key to his success.

“I never put all the one colour in,” he says. “I have begonias, geraniums, bedding plants…” Retired from London, he spends up to an hour in his garden every day – less of a chore, and more of a hobby – but maybe spent a lot more time this year fixing what the wind and rain had damaged.

It is also a hobby for Carolyn Corless in Highfield, who won recognition in the ‘Window Boxes/Floral Display’ category. When asked how much time she spends in the garden, she says she doesn’t count the hours because she loves it so much. “I potter around the garden in my worst attire, and I’m a ‘divil’ for trying bulbs and seeds,” she says. “I mix and match, I like bright colours, pinks and whites.”

Winner of the ‘Best First Time Entrant’ category, Aideen Hurley, Ballyloughane Road, has been gardening all her life, but started to dedicate more hours to it in the last few years. “I’ve had more time to do it in the evenings,” she says. “It’s quite colourful, I try to have something in flower all the year round.”

Aideen Ward in Knocknacarra, who won the ‘Best Eco Garden’ award, says that her small front patch of green is “friendly for nature.” “I use the natural way of gardening, with no pesticides, and also not to have it too perfect,” she says. “I encourage wildlife with birdfeeders, and one thing will follow the other – no pesticides will encourage wildlife. It’s messy, with lots of natural plants to encourage bees.”

Meanwhile, in the ‘Best Residential Area’ categories, the winners were: Oaklands (20-50 houses), Monivea Park (50-200 houses), and Castlelawn Heights/Ros Na Shí (200 houses+).

Barnacles Hostel was awarded ‘Best Registered Guest House’ while other winners included GMIT, The Ardilaun Hotel, St Mary’s Priory, Western Motors, The Huntsman Inn, Coral Haven Nursing Home, and Hartmann & Sons Ltd.

The ‘Best School Garden’ category was won by SN Bhríde, with Scoil Rois winning the ‘Best Floral Display’.

The ‘Best Community Group Project’ prize went to Circle of Life Garden of Commemoration & Thanksgiving in Salthill.

“Galway City Council would like to commend all entrants for their efforts in enhancing their local area,” a spokesperson said. “The Council acknowledges the amount of work carried out on a voluntary basis throughout Galway City to maintain and enhance the appearance of residential areas and estates.

“Continued support and interest in this local competition, which aims to encourage and promote householders and businesses to take a greater pride and interest in their own gardens, is vital for the further development and enhancement of the appearance of Galway City.

“Galway City Council would like to thank all those that supported the 2015 competition and would encourage more households and businesses to get involved in the Tidy Towns campaign in Galway City.”

The post Local gardens with a burst of colour are winners appeared first on Connacht Tribune - Galway City Tribune.

Galway Bay fm newsroom – A public meeting will be held in the city next week to discuss a local economic and community plan for Galway.
The community event is led by Galway City Council and is targeted at Irish language stakeholders.
It takes place in City Hall on Monday (August 17th) at 1pm.
The development of the plan aims to shape and drive economic, social and community development in the city over the next six years.

The post Public meeting on city economic plan appeared first on Connacht Tribune - Galway City Tribune.

Galway Cathedral was officially opened and blessed 50 years ago this month.

But the story behind the iconic building goes much further back, to the 1870’s in fact when fundraising first started.

In our exclusive free supplement with this week’s Tribunes local historian Peadar O’Dowd outlines the history of the cathedral and its construction.

Former Mayor Billy Cameron recalls his time as a member of the first choir and Fr Diarmuid Hogan gives a clerical perspective to ‘Taj Micheal’

Photos from the time of the construction and the opening 50 years ago this Sunday also feature in this souvenir supplement.

Below is an extract from Diarmuid Hogan’s reflection

The Cathedral is fifty – the imposing limestone building, which dominates the Galway skyline built when Dr. Michael Browne was bishop and still known affectionately as the Taj Micheál.

Sitting majestically at the west end of the Salmon Weir Bridge, the great church with the green dome has, over the past five decades, become a beloved and immediately recognizable icon of the city.

The largest of all Irish cathedrals is not only a place of religious ritual, though the passing of each day, week and year is marked by solemn liturgies and services, it is also a destination for visitors, a meeting place for locals, a transport hub, a photo opportunity, a place to park and an oasis of quiet, calm, prayer and solitude in the middle of a very busy, very fast moving, very loud cityscape. There is something powerfully emotive and cathartic in the realization that this great new hymn-filled cathedral stands on the site of much sadness, pain, hurt, tears and loss – the old city jail. The prison buildings have been demolished but not the memories. The jailers’ key is still kept safely by parish staff in respectful memory of those darker times.

The place of execution is also cordoned carefully in the car-park as a grim reminder and as a place where a prayer should be whispered by passers-by.

Pride is one of the deadly sins so maybe it is with thankfulness rather than pride that today at the very centre of the most western city in Europe, the darkness and despair of the prison cell and the hangman’s noose has been transformed into to light-filled praise, celebration, hope and prayer of a great modern cathedral.

Only available with this week’s Connacht and City Tribune at your newsagent

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Galway Bay fm newsroom – Concerns have been raised over the impact of falling milk prices on Galway’s farming economy.
The Irish Creamey Milk Suppliers Association says falling milk prices will take over 24 million euro out of the local economy.
It’s feared such losses could continue into next year unless the government takes action to introduce an intervention price of at least 28 cent per litre.
Deputy President of the ISMSA Pat McCarthy says dairy-derived spend in rural areas will be impacted if the situation continues.

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