There’s much frustration today over traffic congestion in Tuam caused by road works which are scheduled to last until Friday

Emergency resurfacing works commenced last night along the Tuam Bypass, causing delays of up to 40 minutes at peak times.

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The sections closed are the Northbound and Southbound Carriageways at Junction 20 Tuam to Milltown Roundabout

At the Ballygaddy Junction, the Northbound and Southbound On-Slips to the Tuam By-Pass are also closed.

Speaking to Galway Talks, Tuam councillor Donagh Killilea said he is hopeful the works will be completed before Friday

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A water outage is today affecting Headford surrounds, Kilconly GWS, Gurraun North, Logawannia, Ballyfruit GWS and Cloghanower GWS

It’s due to a burst watermain in Caherlistrane and will last until approximately 8 tonight

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Headford Town will not be affected

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University of Galway has marked Earth Day by announcing the winners of the Student Sustainability Leadership Awards as Molly Hickey and Peter O’Neill.

Peter, a first-year history student from Ballymacward, Mountbellew has been involved in youth activism for four years, culminating in representing Ireland at the 13th UNESCO Youth Forum.

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Laois native Molly Hickey is in second year BA with human rights and is the Students’ Union Environmental Awareness and Sustainability Officer.

Both students receive a €4,000 prize and will take part in an 8-week internship with the University’s new Sustainability Office this summer.

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An information evening on housing grants and supports will be held in Clifden this evening.

It’s being organised by Connemara Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Galway County Council, SEAI and Local Enterprise Office.

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A presentation will be given on the new online pre-planning enquiry system, while there will also be information given on Vacant Homes grants, Home Energy grants and Local Authority grants.

The event will take place between 7-9 this evening at the Station House Hotel in Clifden.

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Galway Chamber is to host a local elections preparation forum

The online one-hour forum takes place from 7 to 8 this evening, and registration is essential.

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The Chamber is seeking member feedback to reflect all businesses views and needs.

The document will be shared with all Galway candidates early next month, before the June 7th election

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Almost half of all private sector employees in County Galway are employed by small businesses.

That’s according to CSO data, with small businesses defined as having fewer than 50 employees.

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The Small Firms Association is highlighting the figures as publishes its policy priorities document.

Among its key requests are an introduction of a PRSI rebate to assist small businesses with the transition towards a minimum wage.

It is also calling for a National Training Voucher Scheme to boost in-company training and upskilling.

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There has been a significant increase in the number of new builds issued in Galway so far this year.

The Department of Housing has published its monthly data on the number of Commencements Notices for the first quarter of 2024.

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It shows there has been notices for 509 new homes in Galway City and County – an 82 percent increase on the 280 notices issued by this time last year.

The data also represents a record for the period since the data series began in 2015.

Nationally, construction started on almost 12,000 new homes up until March this year, which is up 63% from 2023.

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A Galway couple are preparing to host their ninth annual team party in their home – to help make a difference for primary school children on the other side of the world.

Malachy and Mary Booth host their Tea Party on Thursday, May 23, from 11am to 7pm in their home in Stradbally North Clarinbridge, with all of the funds raised going directly to Project Malawi to support Matandani Primary School near Zomba in the southern part of Malawi.

This project was initiated by Andy Monaghan, Primary School Principal in Rushall N.S. Co. Laois and he has spearheaded the development of Matandani school over the last number of years. It is entirely volunteer led with every euros raised going directly to the school.

Over the last two years €26,400 has been raised in Clarinbridge to support this school and since our last visit four new classrooms have been built and equipped with tables and chairs which has greatly alleviated the overcrowded classes. Before these were built the average class size was 120 to 140 students which is hard for us to comprehend.

“The local community in Clarinbridge and surrounding areas also donated other educational resources such as pens and pencils, mathematical sets, wall posters all of which were gratefully appreciated,” said Mary.

“We also brought much needed medical supplies which we received from nurses and doctors here and these were delivered to the local Health Centre and the staff couldn’t have been happier.

“However, it was the four shoe boxes of glasses from Elaine O’Sullivan in Optique Opticians in Briarhill which caused the greatest excitement. Visits to the optician are commonplace for us but in Malawi eye disease is a regular issue and it is rare to see anyone wearing glasses. Our arrival with our shoeboxes of glasses was greeted with such joy that we will forever remember it,” she added.

Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world with a population of 20 million. Life expectancy is around 60 years of age with diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, respiratory infections being the main causes of death.

Climate change is also impacting on the people in Malawi due to floods, drought, failing crops and deforestation with millions facing famine and increased levels of malaria due to the rise in temperatures.

All are welcome to come along from 11am to 7pm on Thursday, May 23 – or you can donate online at www.idonate.ie/malachyandmarysteaparty2024.

Pictured: Malachy and Mary Booth hosting a previous Project Malawi Tea Party at their home – with Galway Paralymian rower Katie O’Brien doing the honours.

Business leaders from the Celtic regions of Lorient, France, Wales and Scotland are set to join forces with their Irish counterparts after the inaugural Irish Interceltic Business Forum in Galway’s Portershed recently.

Previously held in France and Wales, this is the first time the event was hosted on Irish soil. The event was an engaging forum for sharing business best practice with compelling dialogue and insights, interspersed with honouring shared Celtic heritage, in the form of music and spoken word.

Mayor of Galway City, Cllr Eddie Hoare,  opened the event before a keynote address from Fabrice Loher, President of Lorient Agglomération, who led the French delegation.

The first roundtable talk was on ‘Doing Business the Lorient Way’ followed by a discussion on ‘Successfully Scaling your Business in the West of Ireland’ which was chaired by Olive McLucas, Investment Executive of WDC.

The Scottish Government in Ireland led a roundtable discussion on ‘Scotland and Ireland Working Together to Build the Rural Economy’.

Deirdre Frost, Policy Analyst with WDC, gave a presentation on ‘Remote Work and Relocation: Evidence from Ireland’. This was followed by a roundtable discussion on the topic featuring Helen Leahy, IBEC and Ricky Conneely, IDA West.

In the afternoon there was a Startup Spotlight on AI, with a roundtable that included Linda Heimisdóttir, CEO, mideind.is, John Clancy, CEO, galvia.ai and Tomás Ó Síocháin, CEO, Údarás na Gaeltachta.

Founded in 2016 by Charles Kergaravat, the Interceltic Business Forum is a dynamic convergence of minds, set against the backdrop of the legendary Festival Interceltique in Lorient.

“We are excited to bring this prestigious event to Galway, a vibrant hub of innovation and entrepreneurship, to further expand opportunities for economic collaboration and growth,” said Mr Kergaravat.

Western Development Commission CEO Allan Mulrooney said this was a way of embracing what he described as ‘an exceptional opportunity’ for Galway, the ‘twin city’ of Lorient.

“By forging partnerships across Europe and beyond, we’re not just accessing funding and support, but also broadening our global outlook,” he said.

“Hosting our Celtic counterparts in Galway underscores our shared heritage and mutual ambitions. Together, we’re navigating towards collective growth and innovation.”

Pictured: Mayor of Galway City, Cllr Eddie Hoare, with Niall Burgess, Ireland’s Ambassador to France, and WDC CEO Allan Mulrooney at the previous Interceltic Business Forum in Lorient.