Renmore Gymnastics Club brought more than 100 competitors to the 2024 Gymnastics Ireland National GymStart event, which was held at the National Sports Campus, and saw huge success for the city club.

The club secured 13 national titles across 10 of the 11 levels that they entered. Amongst the RGC gymnasts, there were 22 podium finishes who were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals; and an impressive 55 individual gymnasts achieving a top ten finish.

With many gymnasts performing new routines for the first time, achieving such a high level of success across all categories is testament to the work that the club is doing and of course its dedicated members who are dedicated to their training.

RGC coach

“I really enjoy the GymSTART event because it recognises all the athletes who love gymnastics,” said RGC coach Maria Lynch as she reflected on the weekend and what GymStart means to both the club and its members.

“It’s an opportunity for them to show off their skills and hard work, and is a really fun day out for all. It’s important to have a goal and something to work toward, and GymSTART gives them a focus,” she said.

For anyone interested in trying out gymnastics, RGC runs programmes right through from pre-school to adult classes. For more information, log on to vwww.renmoregymnastics.org or send an email to hi@renmoregymnastics.org.

Pictured: Aine Desbonnet (U-10), Level 4 U-11 national champions Sophia O’Callaghan, Ines Wolanin (U-11), and Level 4 U-11 silver medalist Emily Heffernan.

The cost of renting a home in Galway City is increasing at a faster rate than the rest of the country, with the city having the most expensive tenancies outside of Dublin.

Average rents rose by 6.1% for existing tenancies in Galway City in the fourth quarter of 2023 – the largest annual change recorded for any city in Ireland.

And Galway City had the most expensive average rents for new tenancies in Ireland bar Dublin, as lack of supply of rental properties continued to fuel spiralling rents.

The new statistics are contained in the latest Rent Index published by the Residential Tenancies Board.

The report shows that standardised average rent for new tenancies in Galway City was €1,581 per month in the fourth quarter of last year. Only Dublin at €2,030 per month had higher average rents for new tenancies.

In County Galway, new tenancies commanded average rents of €1,221, or €360 per month cheaper than the city, but it still represented growth of almost 15% in rents for new tenancies in the county.

Existing tenants in Galway City were paying lower rents than new tenants, at an average of €1,302 per month, but that was still an increase of 6.1% – the largest annual growth of any city in Ireland.

Standardised average rents in County Galway grew faster, by 7.3% in quarter four of last year, when average rents were €1,011.

By Local Electoral Area, Galway City Central was by far the most expensive for renters with new tenancies paying average rents of €1,660 and existing tenancies paying average rents of €1,387.

Shine on Palestine; the Alternative Eurovision is the title of a two-concert event that will take place in Leisureland and Ballymun’s Axis next Friday night, May 10.

Those taking part in the Galway gig include Sharon Shannon, Mundy, John Spillane, Róisín El Cherif, Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, Little John Nee, Tadhg Hickey, Sarah Clancy, Abood Aladham, Sharon Murphy, Emma Lohan, Martin Leahy, Aindrias de Staic and the Latchikos, Aziz Abushark, Steo Wall, The Accidental Rapper, Leen, Abdelfattah Abusrour, Armagh Rymners, Dina Abushmoud and Mikey Cullen. The MCs are Xnthony and Breda Larkin

It’s being presented by Apartheid-Free Arts and Irish Artists for Palestine, who describe themselves as “artists of conscience”.

They are organising this event “as an act of protest at Israel’s inclusion in the Eurovision, given that country’s attacks on innocent people in Gaza, which has, so far, resulted in the death of more than 34,535 Palestinians, while 77,704 more have been injured, according to the Gazan Health Ministry.

The organisers are also “calling on RTÉ and the Irish entry to withdraw from the competition”.

They describe the two concerts as “an alternative space to celebrate Palestinian cultural resistance, to raise money for Palestine and to reclaim the essence of what Eurovision can be”.

Funds raised through Shine on Palestine: The Alternative Eurovision will go to human rights, advocacy and aid organisations in Palestine: UNWRA, Psychosocial Counselling Centre for Women (PSCCW), Al Haq and Al Mezan and direct support to artists in Gaza.

The organisers are working in association with groups including the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC), the Galway Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Kinvara Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Clare Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Strange Brew, PalFest, Belfast Arts For Palestine, Artists Against Genocide, Mothers Against Genocide and the People of Clare Against Genocide.

Shine On Palestine: the Alternative Eurovision will take place next Friday May 10, at 7.30 pm (Doors 6.45 pm) in Leisureland and Axis, Ballymun.

Tickets at €35, plus booking fee, at tht.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows. Donations can be made by going to iDonate.ie and keying in Shine on Palestine.

The Nomadic Piano Project, fronted by pianist and trumpet player Antoni O’Breskey, will be performing at Middlethird Social Farm, in Maree, three kilometres from Oranmore Village on Sunday, May 11, at 7.30pm. This is one of just four Irish dates in the group’s spring tour.

The Nomadic Piano Project also features Antoni’s daughter Consuelo Nerea Breschi on bodhrán and fiddle, and Dubliner Paddy ‘Paahto’ Cummins on mandolin and banjo.

The aim of the Nomadic Piano Project is to bring audiences on a musical journey where jazz, blues and classical styles meet other traditions, especially from particularly Irish and Gipsy music.

The Middlethird Farm concert will feature original compositions and reworked versions of well-known pieces, woven together by the Nomadic Piano Project.

Italian-born piano maestro, trumpet player and educator, Antoni O’Breskey has been working on this project for years, bringing together performers from different traditions and cultures to create an extraordinary range of music.

In the process he has recorded a 35-CD catalogue, known as the Nomadic Piano Collection, which features the likes of Ronnie Drew (The Dubliners), Máirtín O’Connor (De Dannan), Cathy Jordan (Dervish), Antonio Carmona of the Spanish group Ketama and José Seves from Chilean group Inti-Illimani.

The Irish Echo has described O’Breskey’s work as ‘pure sonic reverie’  while the Irish Times deemed it ‘mesmerising’.

This concert on May 11 is the latest in a series of monthly events, known as Soundwaves, being held in the Glasshouse at Middlethird Social Farm.

Soundwaves started in March with a performance by Ronan Ó Snodaigh and Myles O’Reilly, and the aim of the family-friendly series is to create a safe, social space on the 11-acre organic farm where people of all ages can enjoy live music and other events. The projects has received funding from Galway County Council and there will be different events on a monthly basis until September.

Tickets for the Nomadic Piano Project on Sunday, May 11, at 7.30pm, can be found on Eventbrite by searching for Middlethird Social Farm or at: antoniobreskeyatmiddlethird.eventbrite.ie.

More information on the farm from www.middlethird.ie.

Pictured: Antoni O’ Breskey with his daughter Consuelo Nerea Breschi who plays bodhrán and fiddle with the group.

IT has been an incredible 15 months or so for Galway United, the Tribesmen romping to the First Division title last season, and currently sitting pretty in fifth in their first season back in the top-flight in seven years.

There have been wins this season away to Dundalk and Derry City, and at home to Shelbourne; while a 21-match losing run against Shamrock Rovers finally came to an end last weekend.

Yet for all that, the one spell that Ollie Horgan regularly looks back on is the Easter weekend this season when United claimed a 1-0 win in the Brandywell on a Friday night, but followed it up with a pretty dismal display at home to Bohs three days later when falling to a 2-0 defeat to the Dublin side.

This May Bank Holiday weekend sees a reversal of those fixtures, with the Candystripes heading south to Eamonn Deacy Park on Friday (7.45pm), while United travel to Dalymount Park on Monday to face Bohs (5pm), and Horgan is warning that there can no slip in standards like there was five weeks ago.

“We want to compete with the best, we need to try and get something out of Friday night against Derry, you are playing one of the top two teams in the country, and then on to Bohs on the Monday.

“The one performance we point the finger at was at home against Bohs on the Monday night after beating Derry. It went from a very good performance [against Derry] to a very bad performance, that is the one performance in my time here that I can be critical of,” says the United assistant manager, who will be top-dog in the dugout again this Friday with John Caulfield serving the third game of a three-match ban following his dismissal in the win over Shelbourne a fortnight ago.

Pictured: Galway United Assistant Coach Ollie Horgan who is keen for the Tribesmen to atone for a poor display against Bohemians earlier in the campaign when the teams clash again on Monday, the second of two matches for United in the space of 72 hours.

Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

The new head of Galway City Council, Leonard Cleary, is due at his first Council meeting on May 13.

Ahead of that, the North Clare native held a meet-and-greet session with councillors at City Hall last Monday.

Elected members had already rubber-stamped his appointment at the March meeting, following a Public Appointments Service recruitment process.

So, Monday’s informal briefing was all about councillors getting a feel for the new Chief Executive’s leadership style.

As a man of the cloth – he was ordained a deacon of the Diocese of Cloyne – honesty and integrity will surely be among his many attributes.

Councillors will be hoping he has strong work ethics, too, because he’s got a mountain of work to get through.

Chief among his full in-tray of issues to sort must be communications.

How the Council communicates with the public; how it communicates with councillors; and internal communications with staff, have been below par for too long now.

Breakdowns in communications are affecting staff morale and negatively tainting the public’s perception of the Council.

Workers in media organisations are increasingly frustrated with how queries are dealt with. Questions go unanswered for days and weeks, and often stories are carried without responses because City Hall is not forthcoming with information.

That’s not solely the fault of its communications office. It’s an ethos that has permeated the organisation. Staff in other departments aren’t supplying answers to the communications team in a timely manner – and without raw information, they cannot adequately reply to media queries.

That impacts the relationship between the Council and the public. So too does poor communications between Council staff and councillors.

Remember in February the Council organised a public meeting to explain its plans for new houses on in-fill sites in Ballinfoile.

Some residents got notes about it through their doors two days in advance. But not every letterbox got one. And this note was not signed by any individual – a practice that has crept into Council communication which removes accountability.

Worse again, councillors were notified by email at 7.13pm about the meeting that was taking place at 2pm the next day. The Council then had the audacity to call it ‘consultation’. It highlighted the contempt that management had for councillors.

Internal communications needs fixing as well. The €56m Crown Square City Hall relocation project confirmed that.

The staff who are expected to work at the new building and the public who are expected to avail of public services from it, were the last to know about the controversial deal. Their views or input were not sought.

There was zero staff consultation before the purchase was approved, and now they’re laden down with staff committees and surveys about the planned move and fit-out, which smacks of shutting the stable door long after the horse has bolted.

If the new CE doesn’t change course on those three aspects of communications, it will be an uncomfortable and unsuccessful tenure.

Pictured: Galway City Council’s new CE Leonard Cleary. One of the first issues he needs to address is communications –  external and internal.