This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

A demonstration has taken place outside City Hall this afternoon over the potential transfer of three acres of Shantalla Park to the HSE for a permanent helipad.

The Shantalla Residents Association says this would amount to giving away half of the community’s only green space without any consultation.

Approximately 20 people protested with posters, banners and a giant replica snake ahead of the 3pm meeting of Galway City Council with councillors passing by as they entered the building

The item is on today’s agenda and councillors will vote this evening if the issue is reached

Speaking to our reporter David Nevin Shantalla Residents Association chairperson Nuala McCarthy outlined their main concerns

This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

An education and employment roadshow is set to visit Loughrea, Ballinasloe, Tuam and Gort this week starting tomorrow

The roadshows are organised by Galway Rural Development, and bring together local employers, training and education organisations as well as various other bodies.

The events will take place at the Loughrea Hotel tomorrow; the Ard Rí Hotel in Tuam on Wednesday; the Shearwater Hotel in Ballinasloe on Thursday; and the Lady Gregory Hotel in Gort on Friday.

They’re free to attend and will take place each day from 10am until 1pm – further information is available at GRD.ie.

Organiser Freeda Garman says there’s something for everyone

This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

The funeral of Sonia ‘Sunny’ Jacobs, who died last week in a house fire in Casla is taking place today and tomorrow.

Ms Jacobs spent many years on death row in the US before being acquitted, and she moved to Ireland in the late 1990s.

Her carer, 31 year old Kevin Kelly, who also died in the fire last Tuesday, was laid to rest yesterday, and was remembered as a ‘free spirit’ who would ‘go above and beyond’ for anyone.

77 year old Sunny Jacobs is reposing at Naughton’s Funeral Home in Knock, Inverin from 5 to 7 this evening.

A cremation and a short service will be held at Shannon Crematorium at noon tomorrow, with a livestream available online.

This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

A public event will take place in the city tomorrow to mark Infant Mental Health Awareness Week.

It’s organised by the Galway City Early Years Group and will focus on the vital role of early relationships in shaping a child’s wellbeing.

It’s open to all, particularly expecting parents, and parents or caregivers of babies and infants up to 3 years of age.

The event takes place at the Radisson Red at Crown Square tomorrow morning from 9.30am and registration is required.

This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

Senior management and the CEO at Galway County Council should face more public accountability.

That’s according to former councillor and now Senator PJ Murphy, who’s raised the issue in the Seanad.

He said far too often, it’s councillors who get the blame for decisions that they had no role in whatsoever.

Senator Murphy said at present, there is no standard means for councillors to hold the CEO or senior management to account

This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

The HSE has issued a public advisory as UHG is under serious pressure.

Over the weekend, there were more than 350 presentations at the Emergency Department.

According to the INMO, there are 68 patients waiting on trolleys today.

In a statement, the hospital also says it continues to manage multiple outbreaks of COVID-19 and Norovirus cases.

Some elective procedures are being cancelled, surge areas are in use, and patients attending for non-urgent treatment will experience long wait times.

This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

Additional funding has been approved for minor flood mitigation works and coastal protection for Inishbofin.

The Office of Public Works has announced the approval of Galway County Council’s application for funding.

€90,000 has been approved for consultancy costs for the completion of a detailed design stage study, which includes obtaining consents and licences for the proposed works.

The works include the transformation of the existing former East Pier into a proper breakwater structure at Cloonamore Bay.

In addition rock filled gabion baskets will be placed along a section of the coastline to further mitigate the risk of coastal erosion.

This latest allocation brings the total funding to date to just over €200,000.

This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

Concerns are being raised over the suspect quality of road surfaces after maintenance or utility works.

City Councillor Alan Cheevers believes local authorities should take more responsibility for the quality of work from contractors.

Fianna Fáil Councillor Cheevers says it’s motorists or local residents who are paying the price for poor road surfaces

This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

A team of international astronomers led by University of Galway have discovered the likely site of new planet being formed.

They think it’s a gas giant, a few times bigger than Jupiter.

The team captured spectacular images around a distant young star for the first time, using one of the most advanced telescopes on the planet.

That’s the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, located in Chile.

They discovered an exceptionally structured disk around a nearby star, 430 light years away from Earth.

While the disk itself is bigger than our entire solar system, it’s so far away it can only be observed at a scale comparable to looking at a pint glass in Galway from Tuam.

Finding potentially planet forming disks around nearby stars isn’t necessarily unusual – but this one represents the “perfect storm” for eventual planet formation based on prediction models.

The team says detections like this bring us closer to understanding how planets are formed, and how our own solar system might have formed in the distant past.