Latest news with #CoGalway
Irish Times
13 hours ago
- General
- Irish Times
Galway school offers €2,000 to new pupils to prevent loss of second teacher
A small Co Galway national school is offering a €2,000 bursary to families from outside the area in a bid to stop the loss of its second teacher. Scoil Naomh Pádraig, An Chloch Bhreac, located in a scenic gaeltacht area between loughs Corrib and Mask in north Connemara , is set to lose three of its seven pupils next September and, consequently, its second teacher. However, a fundraising initiative led by a parents' committee, with money also from the school, has raised €14,000 to share with seven families from outside the catchment area who choose to educate their children through Irish in a small school steeped in community and rural heritage. Parent and committee member Paddy Curran said the school needed 11 pupils to retain the second teacher now, so seven more enrolments are needed in September. READ MORE 'The irony is that there are lots of babies and toddlers in the area – about 14 who will start in the school in the next few years,' he said. He questioned 'what is the point then in losing a teacher' because of the Department of Education 's regulations only to have to apply for another one in a few years' time. Mr Curran, who attended the school in 1989 when there were 36 pupils, stressed that there is much optimism for the local population profile. It is 5km from the Co Galway village of Clonbur and nine from the Co Mayo village of Cong. 'During Covid and even afterwards families moved back here, which definitely was very positive for the school and community,' he said. He confirmed the campaign already has commitments from four families to send their children to the school but they urgently need three more. The €2,000 bursary will be paid to families in two instalments over two school years. Acting principal Linda Ní Dhroighneáin is very supportive of the campaign. She said a second teacher was 'critically important' for educational, social and practical reasons. 'It isn't just a luxury, it's a necessity for delivering equitable, effective and sustainable education. It strengthens academic outcomes, supports teacher wellbeing and fosters a more inclusive and dynamic learning environment,' she said. The school was established in an older building in the 1890s, with a new building opening in 1965. Smaller class sizes afford more individual attention and tailored learning, with strong teacher-student relationships, Ms Ní Dhroighneáin said. 'We are now providing an after-school service and plan to start a breakfast club next September 2025 too,' she added. Minister for Education Helen McEntee recently published an interim report on a research project, established in 2021, aimed at supporting small rural schools. The Minister said this project continued to trial new initiatives that would benefit small schools and help address challenges they face. One element of the project is 'to encourage small schools to cluster together in local groups, enabling them to collaborate and identify common challenges and trial innovative solutions'. The interim report says the State has a 'high number' of small schools with four teachers or fewer. It says there are nine schools with just one teacher, 490 with two teachers, 363 with three and 409 with four. These schools make up 39 per cent of all primary schools and educate just under 13 per cent of all students.
The Sun
24-05-2025
- The Sun
I drove the Irish Route 66 with deserted golden beaches and pirate-like islands along the way
IT'S Ireland's answer to Route 66 – only with jaw-dropping natural beauty instead of neon signs along its 1,500 miles of coastal roads. The Wild Atlantic Way hugs Ireland's western coast — and expect soaring cliffs, deserted golden beaches, brooding mountains, crystal-clear waters and mystical islands off the mainland. 5 5 5 The remote Aran Islands offer something truly different. The stunning scenery, deep culture and friendly people are a given — perhaps that's just the luck of the Irish. But Europe's edge — the last islands to the west before you reach America — are shrouded in legend, folklore and myth. It's no surprise they were used as the backdrop for various films including Oscar -nominated The Banshees of Inisherin, starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Famed for wild landscapes, distinctive knitwear and pretty cottages, the Irish-speaking Aran Islands offer the chance to disconnect from the modern world. The rugged terrain has a softness to it, as do the locals. Hidden caves The isle of Inis Mor was our first stop — 12.5 miles off the coast of Co Galway. It is the largest of the three in the archipelago (8.7 miles long and 2.4 miles wide) and has a population of roughly 800. The natural elements created a chiselled coastline complete with a seal colony and rare birds which complement the ancient ruins, local cafés and buzzing nightlife. There are plenty of historical sites to see. The underrated city break destination with scenic beaches, £30 return flights and more than 120 festivals a year We took a tour with Aran Hiking and Biking which included Dún Aonghasa, an ancient stone fort perched on the cliff edge above the rolling waves of the Atlantic, and well worth the trek. We stopped by Teach Nan Phaidí for a hearty, homely lunch and one of the best fish pies I've ever had. Afterwards, we nosed around the knitwear shop before heading back on the road for an enjoyable afternoon of more tales and legends. At Aran Islands Goats Cheese, award-winning farmer and cheese-maker Gabriel plied us with doses of lactic decadence. The goat's cheese with seaweed may sound hit or miss but it was a very firm favourite, and kids would enjoy being on this relaxed farm. The ancient Black Fort, Na Seacht dTeampaíll (The Seven Churches), and The Round Tower were also worth the trip, and then it was back to base at the Aran Islands Hotel. 5 5 Every March, the hotel hosts The Friends of Ted Festival — an annual fan convention for the classic Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. For dinner we headed to Joe Watty's Bar & Restaurant for seafood and battled with the freshest crab claws. Our meal was washed down with local tipples accompanied by a live soundtrack of traditional Irish music complete with fiddle. After a ferry back to the mainland we drove north on the winding roads carved into the backdrop of the Connemara National Park. From the jetty at Cleggen we caught a 40-minute ferry to Inishbofin. Arriving was like something out of a pirate film — complete with turquoise waters, white sandy beaches and dramatic cliffs where Cromwell had his barracks and hidden caves were bases for pirates. The island is a sanctuary for bird- life and is much greener and lusher than the starker Inis Mor. After checking in to Inishbofin House Hotel, with views of the harbour, it was on with a wetsuit to go kayaking around the coves. Lunch was a sensationally simple lobster and chips slathered with garlic butter at the Beach Bar overlooking the beautiful bay. Lobster and chips There's a wide variety of activities including walking, hiking, cycling, birdwatching and sea fishing. Or try canoeing, sailing, snorkelling, windsurfing and waterskiing. The rocky coastline hosts a large variety of sealife and you can even pick edible seaweeds. But we opted for a slower-paced afternoon in the meandering lanes to ascend to the peak of Croc Mor with our guide, islander Tommy Burke — our efforts rewarded by the views from atop. Tommy pointed out the unique white face of An Earagail Mountain (Mount Errigal), and seascapes from Cnoc Fola (Bloody Foreland) to distant Toraigh (Tory Island), to the tip of Horn Head. Our evening was spent enjoying yet more excellent fresh seafood at Saltbox, a quirky food truck. In season, it has to be the crab claws or lobster rolls. Tummies full, what better way to end the night than by heading off on a pub crawl of the island's four drinking holes. We wound up gatecrashing a local wedding at Murray's Bar at the Doonmore Hotel only to be made honorary guests. We drank well into the wee hours enjoying Irish folk music, song, dance and, of course, great craic.
Irish Times
18-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Oireachtas health committee must hear from HSE on Portiuncula maternity services, says Opposition
The Oireachtas health committee will need to examine and hear from Health Service Executive officials about maternity services at Portiuncula University Hospital in Co Galway , Opposition TDs have said. The Irish Times revealed last week that a further external review into maternity care at the Ballinasloe hospital has begun following the death of a baby in recent weeks. It is the 10th review to take place into the care given to women and babies at the hospital. The new Oireachtas health committee will meet for the first time on Wednesday. Sinn Féin 's health spokesperson David Cullinane said it is 'important that all of the reviews are completed and that maternity services are safe at Portiuncula'. READ MORE 'This is an important issue of patient safety, and the Oireachtas health committee will need to examine it.' Labour 's health spokesperson Marie Sherlock said the committee 'needs to hear from the HSE as to the status of those reviews'. 'Questions need to be asked now about what exactly is going on here,' she said. 'The delay in the reporting of the reviews and the addition of yet another review could certainly prompt a crisis of confidence in services at Portiuncula, which we don't want to see happen,' she said. [ Death of baby at Portiuncula Hospital leads to new review Opens in new window ] Ms Sherlock said she was 'really taken aback' when she heard 'yet another review' had to be initiated. 'Ultimately, confidence in our maternity services right across the country depends on people being updated as to what's happening when there have been successive issues in one particular maternity unit.' Nine external reviews were announced in January, after six babies delivered in 2024 and one in 2025 had hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) – a reduction in the supply of blood or oxygen to a baby's brain before, during or after birth. Six of these babies were referred for neonatal therapeutic hypothermia known as neonatal cooling. Two stillbirths occurred at the hospital in 2023, the circumstances of which are also being reviewed externally. An external management team remains in place at the hospital to oversee all elements of maternity and neonatal care. Stephen McMahon, chairman of the Irish Patients Association , a patient advocacy group, said that, with 10 reviews ongoing at the hospital, the matter needs to be 'independently investigated up to and beyond the board of the HSE'. Mr McMahon said the association would like to know if there have been any formal interim reports or updates on the process. A spokesperson for Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said she is 'very aware of the very sad death of a baby who was recently born at Portiuncula University Hospital and that an external review has commenced'. 'She extends her deepest condolences to the family at this devastating time,' the spokesperson said. The Minister understands a number of other external reviews ongoing at the hospital are expected to be completed 'soon', the spokesperson said, adding that these reports will be shared with the families and other stakeholders, including the Minister, once complete.
Irish Times
16-05-2025
- Climate
- Irish Times
Water supplies ‘on a knife edge' with warm and dry weather set to continue, Uisce Éireann warns
The number of areas of the State experiencing drought conditions has increased to 26 as the spell of warm and dry weather continues, Uisce Éireann has said. With next to no rainfall due across the country in the coming days, the utility company said water supply remained 'on a knife edge' in the Greater Dublin Area. It said average demand so far this year had been at a record level of more than 630 million litres per day. 'This is close to the limit of what can be sustainably produced by our water treatment infrastructure,' Uisce Éireann said. The issue in Greater Dublin is not lack of raw water, but production capacity to treat supplies, a spokesman said. READ MORE The region is especially vulnerable to shortages because of persistent supply issues, separate to the drought conditions, but if the dry spell continues, any restrictions that may be deemed necessary will have widespread impact in the region given it is the most populated part of the country. With fine weather forecast to continue into next week, Uisce Éireann has appealed to consumers to be mindful of their water usage. A water conservation order, commonly referred to as a hosepipe ban, has been in place for supplies in Mullingar, Co Westmeath; Milford, Co Donegal; and Kells-Oldcastle, Co Meath, since early May. The 23 supplies in drought status, as determined by Uisce Éireann, are: Ahascragh and Inis Oírr, Co Galway; Ballylaneen, Co Waterford; Buncrana, Letterkenny (Goldrum), Milford and Carrigart-Downings in Co Donegal; Carron (Termon Spring), Co Clare; Coalbrook, Riverstown and Dulla, Co Tipperary; Doon, Oola and Pallasgreen, Co Limerick; Ardnaglass, Co Sligo; Lough Bane, Co Meath; Kinnity, Co Offaly; Portloman, Co Westmeath; Kenmare, Co Kerry; Raheenleigh, Co Carlow; Taylorstown, Co Wexford; and Whitechurch and Clonakilty (Jones Bridge), Co Cork. There are no immediate plans to extend the hosepipe bans to other areas, but Uisce Éireann is monitoring all supplies closely and taking measures to maintain normal service through interventions such as tankering to reservoirs, night-time restrictions and pressure management. It is monitoring all of its raw water supplies that feed into its water treatment plants from lakes, rivers, springs and ground sources. Uisce Éireann's head of water operations, Margaret Attridge, said that the sunny spell had led to increased water use. 'Levels in many water sources are significantly lower than normal for this time of year following a dryer-than-average autumn, winter and spring,' she said. 'On top of this, the recent spell of warm weather has led to an increase in demand across many of our supplies, putting further pressure on the network and reservoirs.' Met Éireann is forecasting no rain over the weekend, with temperatures set to increase to 25 degrees in some areas by Sunday. Minimal amounts of rain are forecast up to next weekend, though more substantial falls may occur by Sunday week. Paul Moore, a Met Éireann climatologist, said no records had been broken for prolonged dry spells yet but rainfall this spring had averaged 50 per cent of the norm. Three of the forecaster's 25 weather stations have recorded a dry spell of 19-21 days, while seven had seen an 'absolute drought' of less than 0.2mm of rain over 18-20 days.
Irish Times
16-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Blue flags: Record number of Irish beaches and marinas win award for 2025
A record 149 beaches and 10 marinas across Ireland have been awarded a blue flag for this year's bathing season by the environmental group An Taisce . The international blue flag programme requires that beaches and marinas awarded the blue flag for the upcoming season have achieved 'excellent' bathing water quality in the most recent annual classification. A total of 10 beaches achieved both a blue flag and a green coast award, while a record-equalling 70 beaches received the green coast award for 2025, which recognises beaches for their clean environment, excellent water quality and natural beauty. Such sites are classified as exceptional places to visit and enjoy Ireland's rich coastal heritage and diversity. Dual award recipients were: Balcarrick in Fingal, Co Dublin ; Salthill and Silver strand in Galway city, An Trá on Inis Oírr, Co Galway; Fountainstown and Inchydoney beach east in Co Cork ; Baile an Sceilg (Ballinskelligs) in Co Kerry ; Bettystown, Co Meath , and Enniscrone and Rosses Point in Co Sligo . READ MORE The only beach to lose it blue flag was Golden strand on Achill Island, Co Mayo , which was due to an accessibility issue. The blue flags total represents an increase of five on last year. The marina at Greencastle, Co Donegal , got back blue flag status, while Cappagh pier, Co Clare , Ballymoney north beach, Co Wexford and Counsellors' strand in Dunmore East and Tramore beach in Co Waterford regained their blue flags because their water quality improved to 'excellent'after losing them last year. The award flags were presented by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne at an event in Curracloe, Co Wexford, on Friday. 'Given that the blue flag programme is an internationally recognised symbol of high standards in water quality, environmental management, environmental education and safety, I am honoured to present a record number of awards,' he said. The country had come a long way from 1988 when 19 beaches and two marinas were recognised with blue flags, he said. 'This didn't happen by magic. Great credit must go to local authorities, An Taisce, coastal communities and particularly all those local volunteers who have worked tirelessly around the country to keep so many of our coastal areas, beaches and marinas in pristine condition for us all to enjoy.' Cathy Baxter, director of education and community action at An Taisce, congratulated the local authorities, marina operators and clean coasts groups responsible for managing the awarded sites to the standards required. With 15, Kerry is the county with most blue flags, while Cork has the most green coast awards (14). Céibh an Spidéal in Co Galway has been awarded a blue flag for the first time since 2012, while Keel beach on Achill Island has been awarded one for the 37th consecutive year, confirming the status each season since it was first awarded. The blue flag and green coast programmes are supported by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The green coast awards promote involvement of voluntary clean coasts groups, who participate in community clean-ups and help manage applicant beaches in co-operation with local authorities. Its main purpose is to foster partnerships within communities in an effort to protect and enhance local coastal environs.
