University of Galway has triumphed at the 2024 Education Awards and Graduate Recruitment Awards with successes in sustainability and career guidance support

The University secured the top prize for Excellence in Sustainability in recognition of the opening of the Sustainability office this year and the My Green Labs certificate for all labs in the Alice Perry Engineering Building.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

The University’s Career Development Centre has won the award for Career Impact Strategy for its Employability Award.

At a separate ceremony – gradireland Graduate Recruitment Awards – the Career Development Centre took home the top prize under the AHECS Building Effective Partnerships in recognition of ongoing collaboration with Platform94.

These awards build on success for the Centre’s Employability Award, which secured global recognition by winning the Founders Award for Innovation at the Global Careers Summit Award in Washington DC last month.

The post University of Galway triumphs at Education Awards appeared first on Galway Bay FM.

An initiative, launched today in Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh in Knocknacarra, aims to end the stigma around periods.

Buttoned Up, spearheaded by Ellie Loftus, will see participating teachers wear a button indicating they have essential period supplies available to students who need them.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Sarah Slevin visited Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh today, and brings us this report:

The post ‘Buttoned Up’ initiative launched in Galway aims to end stigma around periods appeared first on Galway Bay FM.

The number of accidents caused by uninsured drivers in Galway has risen by a quarter.

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland has released the figures for 2023, which shows a national rise of 11 percent on 2022.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Dublin had the highest number of claims, followed by Cork and Limerick.

However, nine counties recorded a drop in the number of claims, with the biggest falls in Leitrim, Offaly and Sligo.

MIBI Chief Executive, David Fitzgerald says most claims are in cities but other counties saw the biggest rise in claims:

The post Accidents caused by uninsured drivers in Galway rise by a quarter appeared first on Galway Bay FM.

Three quarters of a million euro has been announced for three Galway projects under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

Funding is being allocated to Dunmore, Maree and Gort for regeneration projects, with each receiving €250,000.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

In Dunmore, the money will go towards works to renovate and improve the accessibility of Dunmore Community Centre, in partnership with Dunmore Community Council.

In Maree the money will be used also at its Community Centre for renovation and refurbishment works including roof repair and insultation, lighting upgrading for energy efficiency, and the installation of new windows and doors.

Gort’s funding will see the enhancement of street frontage of residential and commercial buildings within Gort Town centre.

The post Three quarters of a million euro for Dunmore, Maree and Gort for regeneration projects appeared first on Galway Bay FM.

A ‘groundbreaking’ initiative aimed at ending the stigma around periods is being launched in Galway city this morning.

The project encourages a national conversation about menstrual health, aiming to dismantle the taboos surrounding menstruation in schools across Ireland.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Galway West TD and Government Chief Whip, Hildegarde Naughton, will launch “Buttoned Up” at Gaelscoil Mhic Amhlaigh in Knocknacarra shortly.

The initiative, spearheaded by Ellie Loftus, will see participating teachers wear a button indicating they have essential period supplies available to students who need them.

The post Initiative to break period stigma to be launched in city this morning appeared first on Galway Bay FM.

The young man who died in a road collision in Derrybrien is from East Clare

The incident on the R353, which involved a tractor and a quad bike, took place at around 1.15PM yesterday.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

The driver of the quad bike, a man aged in his 20s, was fatally injured as a result of this collision – no other injuries were reported.

Speaking to Galway Talks Gort/Kinvara area councillor Gerry Finnerty said it’s such a tragic incident, affecting so many families and calls into question the use of quad bikes:

The post Young man who died in road collision in Derrybrien is from East Clare appeared first on Galway Bay FM.

A city councillor is calling for Criminal Assets Bureau money to be ringfenced into setting up youth hubs and programmes.

At a meeting of the Joint Policing Committee this week, Fianna Fáil Councillor Alan Cheevers made the suggestion following a report from Detective Superintendent Shame Cummins.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

The report showed that significant seizures are being made regularly in Galway.

Councillor Alan Cheevers says that money taken from crime should be ringfenced and invested into youth hubs and youth projects that could make a real difference in communities.

The post City Councillor calling for CAB money to be ringfenced into setting up youth hubs and programmes appeared first on Galway Bay FM.

A man in his 20s has died following a quad bike collision in Derrybrien.

Gardaí attended the scene of the collision on the R353, which involved a tractor and a quad bike, at around 1.15PM yesterday.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

The driver of the quad bike, a male aged in his 20s, was fatally injured as a result of this collision – no other injuries were reported.

His body was taken to University Hospital Galway for a post-mortem examination.

Gardaí are appealing to any road users with dashcam footage and who were travelling in the areas of Gort, Loughrea and Derrybrien between 12:15-1:15pm yesterday to contact them.

The post Man in 20s dies in quad bike collision in Derrybrien appeared first on Galway Bay FM.

Taxi numbers in Galway have declined by over four and a half per cent – one of 23 counties across the country to show a drop in licence numbers.

That’s according to new figures released by the National Taxi Association, on foot of a response to a recent parliamentary question by Independent TD Carol Nolan.

Galway boasted 1,3232 taxi licences in 2019, before the arrival of the pandemic. That fell to 1,215 by the time that normality resumed in 2023 – a drop of 4.58 per cent.

And while licence numbers increased last year to 1,271 (or 4.61 per cent) that is still a distance from levels before the arrival of Covid.

The NTA said that this dramatic drop in available taxis raised concerns for the country’s vital hospitality industry and everyday passengers, particularly as tourist numbers are expected to surge in the coming months.

The West has been heavily impacted by taxi shortages in recent years, with licences dropping by almost 9% in the same period, which has led to criticism of current SPSV policy by various stakeholders, particularly in hospitality and tourism.

“The significant decrease in taxi availability is a crippling blow to rural Ireland’s hospitality sector,” says Adrian Cummins, the Portumna-born CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland.

“These businesses often rely on taxis to get customers home safely, especially after dark.

“With little to no public transport links in rural areas and without a vital taxi service, many people simply won’t go out, further squeezing already strained rural businesses.

“The Government needs to take immediate action to address this issue before it cripples the entire industry entirely,” he added.

The decline in taxi numbers is attributed to a number of factors, including the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, an onerous entry system, and costly barriers for new drivers – such as outlays of up to €59,000 for a vehicle alone.

The Taxis for Ireland Coalition is calling on the NTA and the Government to take immediate action to address the shortage of taxis. They propose a 30% increase in taxi vehicles by 2027 as a step towards alleviating the impact of driver and vehicle number decrease over the past decade, coupled with Ireland’s population growth.

The Taxis Coalition is calling for the removal of the Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicle requirement for newly registered SPSVs and a re-assessment of the SPSV Driver Entry Test’s geography-based knowledge requirements.

It claims that the removal of the WAV requirement – but the continuation of the WAV grant – would mean a larger pool of taxis to choose from, meaning that people that do not need a WAV will not be booking one unnecessarily.

And they believe that these measures would alleviate the current burdens facing prospective new drivers and would increase overall supply into the market.

Pictured: Adrian Cummins…damage to hospitality sector.