South Galway

A SOUTH Galway community is set to revive its Showband heritage next weekend with a festival that will help raise funds for the local GAA club. In the 1950s and 60s, the village of Ballinderreen in Galway was a firm fixture on touring maps for the showbands who travelled the length and breadth of the country. The inaugural South Galway Bay Music Festival aims to revive that spirit over the weekend of July 22-24. Organisers are inviting one and all to gather together to celebrate music and dance at the festival hosted by Ballinderreen GAA Club with fully licenced bar and food stalls to run over three days. Anyone worried about missing the All-Ireland final can rest easy as the match will be shown on the big screen the all Ireland match can be viewed on a big screen… and celebrations (hopefully) will take place with Galway man Mike Denver on stage at 5. Headline acts include the very biggest …

THE free public poetry reading series ‘Poetry in the Park’, returns for its second year to the Canon Quinn Park in Gort this Sunday. Taking place between 1 and 2pm, the event invites all local poets and budding poets to come along and read their poems, or recite poems from their favourite authors. “We are delighted to have public poetry back in one of the loveliest public facilities we have in Gort, Canon Quinn Park’, said Justin McDermott, organiser of Poetry in the Park. “We had some wonderful days of sunshine and poetry last year, and we are looking forward to hearing more of the talent of our modern local poets.” Any poets or budding poets interested in doing a reading at Poetry in the Park are asked to register in advance by emailing mcdermottjustin@hotmail.com.  People of all ages are welcome to come with friends and family, bring a picnic and enjoy the poetry in this wonderful local amenity park. Poetry in …

GORT Cancer Support is about to mark a decade and a half assisting those living with the disease. This Friday, the organisation will celebrate 15 years supporting those affected by a cancer diagnosis in the South Galway and North Clare communities. Gort Cancer Support will also host an official opening for its newly extended premises at Hollyblue House, Garrabeg, at 7pm. Gort Cancer Support first opened its doors in June 2007 and moved to their permanent address in Garrabeg in 2012. The newly extended premises was completed in 2020, but was not officially opened until now due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The official opening will be followed by a Thanksgiving Mass at 7.30pm and an evening of music, dance and refreshments. Gort Cancer Support extended its thanks to Galway Rural Development for contributing to the sponsorship of the event. All are welcome on the evening. Gort Cancer Support offers a confidential community based support service to anyone affected by a cancer diagnosis in the South Galway/North …

FUNGI are the inspiration for a new exhibition which celebrates our connections to each other and to the natural world.  Entitled ‘Mycorrhizal Connections’, the show, curated by Kinvara Area Visual Artists (KAVA) member Hugh Murphy, will present works by 18 artists. Mycorrhizal fungi form mutualistic symbiotic relationships with plants and trees, without which this network would not survive. Not only do we share almost half of our  DNA with these fungi, our future is entirely dependent on their contribution to a healthy planet. Artists Helen Roberts Greene, Louise O’Boyle, Heather Watson, Roisin Doherty, Deirdre Crowley, Anne Greene, Caoilfhionn Ní Cheallaigh, Maria Donegan, Tonita O’Dwyer, Katie Burke, Toireasa Ward, Emer MacDermott, Megan Lucy, Beatrice Stapleton, Áine Doherty,  Hugh Murphy, Herminia Ayala Reyes, Laura Angell all reflect on the connections these phenomenal fungi create, as they draw together all the elements in the natural world. They also explore how we, through our own personal connections, depend on and support those around us. …

A local environment lobby group has accused Galway county councillors of showing a “blatant disregard to their legal obligations” after their call to halt the decommissioning of the controversial Derrybrien Wind Farm. The ESB has confirmed it will begin work on dismantling the 70 wind turbines in accordance with planning laws and regulations after An Bord Pleanála refused its application for substitute consent for the development. The application for retrospective permission was made after the EU’s Court of Justice found Ireland was in breach of environmental standards in relation to the works carried out at the site. Galway County Councillors recently supported a motion calling on the government to direct the ESB to recommence operation of the Derrybrien wind farm and in doing so provide whatever legislative requirements that are necessary to ensure it may not be legally contested. EU fines amounting to a lump sum of €5 million and a daily fine of €15,000 plus legal costs were imposed …

GORT Cancer Support in Hollyblue House, Garrabeg, Gort, will host a “wellness evening” with guest speakers on Wednesday next, May 18. “Many of us are struggling to stay positive, at home and in work, due to the sheer multitude and scale of some of the challenges we are facing,” a spokesperson for the service said. “None more so than people affected by a cancer diagnosis. You do not have to suffer in silence though. You are not alone and there are plenty of practical everyday steps you can take to alleviate any stress or anxiety you may be experiencing. “With just the right blend of knowledge, insight and instruction, there is a whole host of positive actions you can take to improve your outlook and mood.” The wellness evening is open to everyone and offers an opportunity to call in and listen to any or all of the speakers. Expert advice will be available from Marie Skelly, of Alternative Healthiness …

THERE has been shock throughout east and south Galway after the death of Kate Moran, following a freak incident in a camogie match in Ardrahan on Monday evening. A candlelit vigil is to be held on Wednesday evening at 9pm in Kenny Park GAA grounds in Athenry. In a post on its Facebook page on Tuesday Athenry camogie club said, “Today we learned of the death of our dear club-mate, Kate Moran. “This is a terrible tragedy for her family, our club and our community. We are deeply saddened by these events. “Our sympathy and thoughts are with the Moran family and friends. Kate will be greatly missed by all who knew her. “Kate began playing with Athenry Camogie Club at underage level and quickly progressed to Senior A level with great distinction. “She holds a Feile, Minor County and Intermediate County title. She played in a club All Ireland Intermediate final. She won two All Irelands at U16 level …

LIFE in rural West Clare is captured to stunning effect in a new exhibition from Mary Foudy O’Halloran which opens in Kinvara on April 15. ‘Revisited’ re-examines the everyday lives of rural Irish women in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s and reworks the ordinary objects and tools of their hard physical work. Mary’s other recent solo exhibitions include ‘Weighed’ at the Ballina Arts Centre and ‘Endurance’ in association with the Clare Arts Office. The latter also examined the past in the now, questioning the ordinary and familiar and objects of loss. Mary works primarily in oil and mixed media, often incorporating ordinary household objects in her work. Growing up in rural Clare, Mary was not unusual in being raised in a house without electricity and running water. Speaking about the body of work, she explained that all lives were heavy with labour, but women bore the biggest brunt of the hardship. “In putting this exhibition together, I wanted to acknowledge …