Gort

THE Loughnane and Quinn Memorial Hall in Labane secured a prize at the Galway County Heritage Awards recently but this was not the only highlight in what was a very busy year for the committee.“2009 has ended very well for the committee, despite a long and very trying year. On Wednesday, December 2 the committee won second place in the Galway County Heritage Awards in the Loughrea Electoral Area. There was stiff competition for this prize and it was a well-deserved win for members of the committee and of the community, who have worked tirelessly for a number of years to bring the hall back to its former glory,” Philip Gleeson, the hall’s PRO told The Clare Champion.“Most notable of this year’s highlights was the refurbishment of the hall in time for the ordination of local man Fr Martin Whelan. This was a huge event in the life of the whole community,” he continued.Much restoration work has been done on …

  THE work done on restoring Loughnane and Quinn Memorial Hall in Labane was recognised at the Galway County Heritage Awards which took place in Claregalway last week.The committee in charge of the memorial hall’s major conservation and restoration project was awarded second place in the Loughrea Electoral Area section of the awards which seek to acknowledge voluntary contributions to the county’s heritage.There were 13 nominations from the Loughrea Electoral Area where Comhar Creidmheasa Naomh Breandáin in Loughrea scooped the top award. The other nominees were Carrabane National School, Carrabane, Athenry; Craughwell National School; Doorus Orchard Project, Kinvara; Eoghan Mac Cormaic and Pádraig Ó Baoill, GLÓR-Gaeilge Locha Riach; Karen O’Neill, Ardrahan Heritage Group; Kileeneen National School, Clarinbridge; Kilnadeema National School; Killeenadeema History and Heritage Society; Scoil Chiaráin Naofa, Kinvara and Saint Joseph’s National School, Woodford.Speaking at the awards ceremony, Councillor Tom McHugh, Mayor of County Galway, said, “Our heritage belongs to each one of us and it is vital that …

  South Galway, famous for its influence on Ireland’s literary heritage, could soon be equally well-known for its impact on the modern Australian political landscape if Gort Lion’s Club gets its way.The club is currently pursuing a plan to erect a memorial to one of Gort’s most powerful and far reaching sons, Paddy McMahon Glynn. As well as running a legal practice and editing a newspaper, the busy South Galway man also held two ministries, a role as Australian Attorney General and even had a hand in drafting his adopted country’s constitution.“The McMahon Glynn family were from Gort and their original home is understood to be the site of the AIB bank in the town. I think it was a general store at the time. Paddy McMahon Glynn was the third of 11 children and received his primary education with the Sister’s of Mercy in Gort before qualifying as a solicitor and moving to Australia in 1880,” explains Peter Minihane …

  Gort Chamber of Commerce is urging people in its hinterland to support local businesses after extensive flooding caused major disruption to its traditionally strong pre-Christmas trading. According to the chamber, a number of businesses in the town were forced to close due to flooding on their premises, while others closed because of a lack of customers. There is concern, however, that some of these closures will be permanent if companies cannot recover from the loss of business caused by the closure of the N18 and a number of secondary routes into Gort.“Businesses are very concerned because this should have been their busiest time of year but the floods seriously affected access to the town. Some people have closed their shops because they were so quiet. There was no traffic getting through. If all the access routes to the town don’t open soon and remain open, some people fear that they might have to stay closed because they haven’t made …

THE opening of the Western Rail Corridor, which had been due to take place in January, a year behind schedule, has been delayed indefinitely, after extensive flooding on the line that links Galway to Limerick.

Galway East Fianna Fáil TD Noel Treacy has confirmed details of funding committed by the Government to assist people affected by the recent flooding.

YOUNG people in Gort are once again showing their social conscience. This week students at Gort Community School along with local No Name Club members as well as adult volunteers, school staff and the Brazilian community in the area, have joined forces to host an intercultural event celebrating One World Week 2009.The intercultural event will take place on Friday, the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child.The One World Week intercultural event will feature music, dance, singing, food and artwork as well as traditional Irish and Brazilian food and will take place at Gort Community School. One World Week is a week of youth-led awareness-raising, education and action during which young people learn about local and global justice issues and take action to bring about change. One World Week is led by the National Youth Council of Ireland and takes place throughout Ireland during the third week in November every year. This …

THIS year has proved particularly successful for pupils and teachers at Gort Community School. As well as two students winning All-Ireland medals on the same team as their teacher, two classmates took home All-Ireland titles for different counties and one of the graduating Leaving Cert class scooped a regional engineering award for the second time.