Tag Archives: Gort

Gort Cancer Support Group will host the Vicky Phelan Campaign and Portrait Tour in Gort, in conjunction with the Lady Gregory Hotel, next week. The triptych portrait, painted by the renowned Irish artist, Vincent Devine, was inspired by Vicky Phelan’s incredible courage. Measuring an impressive 150 x 300 cms, Vicky Phelan’s life is conveyed as the past, present and future with the backdrop of Doonbeg beach in West Clare, which she described as her favourite place on earth. Vincent’s aim was to convey the tragedies and the joys in Vicky’s life, through symbolism in the anatomy of her body and different objects. The portrait was purchased at a charity auction by Vicky’s lifelong friend and fellow Kilkenny native, David Brennan. The two grew up together and their families share a close bond. David wanted to ensure the painting remained close to Vicky’s family and friends. Vicky was a prominent women’s health advocate prior to her death from cervical cancer in …

A UNIQUE exhibition of photographs by a Ukrainian Woman living in a Gort is being launched this coming Sunday, March 26 in The Hidden Gem Café in Bridge Street.  ‘Gort Night Shadows’ is an exhibition of photographs of the town and its surroundings at night, accompanied by poetry about Ireland through the eyes of Polina Bashkina who arrived in Gort in March 2022 after fleeing the war in Ukraine.  The exhibition runs up to the end of April and all funds raised will be donated to Ukrainian Animal Charities. “I started learning to draw,” Polina said. “And I ran out of black paint first. No wonder: even being far away, you are attuned to the colour scheme of your country – to the darkness that is trying to absorb the light of my Ukraine. However, in Ireland, I discovered that black could be poetic.” Polina is a writer from Ukraine who temporarily lives in Gort due to the war in her country. In November 2021, Polina’s book …

MORE than €80,000 has been raised as part of efforts to launch a judicial challenge to the granting of planning permission for a biogas plant in Gort.  Opposition group, Gort Biogas Concern, confirmed earlier this month that legal representation has been secured to initiate the court challenge. The group said it is determined to overturn An Bord Pleanála’s decision to allow the controversial project, in the wake of its rejection by Galway County Council. The Concern Group has also revived its awareness-raising walking campaign which invites people to walk the town’s scenic ‘Golden Mile’ every Sunday to learn more about the project and the strength of local opposition.  A statement from the Concern Group confirmed this week that €82,000 has been raised to-date “in order to protect Gort and South Galway from a catastrophic biogas development”. “From far and near people have donated €82,000 in less than two weeks after the public meeting on January 4,” the statement said. “Contributions …

A MAN who threw dried cow dung at two TDs attending a public meeting in Gort last week has refused to apologise.  The meeting took place at O’Sullivan’s Hotel in Gort on January 4 to air public views on the recent grant of planning permission for a biogas plant close to the town centre. The gathering of around 400 people launched a fundraising campaign to mount a legal challenge. Since the meeting, more than €60,000 has been raised and legal representation secured.  The throwing of dung at Junior Minister Anne Rabbitte and Deputy Ciaran Cannon generated national headlines over the course of the last week, and a Garda investigation is underway. The incident prompted the reissuing of safety guidelines to Oireachtas members and a national debate about the security of public representatives. Farmer Joe Baldwin declined to speak to The Champion but told RTÉ’s Liveline he did not believe he had anything to apologise for. He denied any intention to …

AHEAD of a major public meeting  to discuss the granting of permission for a biogas plant in Gort, campaigners described the news as an “absolute disaster” for South Galway.  At the end of last month, An Bord Pleanála granted permission for the facility which will be less than one kilometre from the town centre, covering a ten hectare site. While Galway County Council turned down proposals from Sustainable Bio Energy Ltd, the appeals board overturned that decision and has given the green light, subject to 22 conditions.  Gort Biogas Concern Group organised a public meeting on Wednesday (January 4) to examine options, including a judicial review. “In terms of health issues, traffic issues, environmental issues, we have grave concerns,” group member Ciarán O’Donnell said ahead of the gathering. “The main thing is that this is a 25 acres massive industrial plant, 900 metres away from Gort town centre, ten metres from Gort river. It’s 100 metres from the nearest resident …

RESIDENTS of Gort are being “driven crazy” by problems with the town’s water supply and Irish Water has been strongly criticised for its handling of the situation. People in the town were left without water through some of last week’s extreme cold weather, while the town has a boil notice in place just days before Christmas. Local county councillor Gerry Finnerty said the problems have been going on for a long time, and Irish Water can’t blame it on the frosty weather seen last week. “The first call I’d have got was in November that there was an outage and that was long before there was any frost, and it’s ongoing since then. “The outages are unannounced, nobody knows anything, you just turn on the tap and find you don’t have water and it’s just driving people crazy.” Local TD Ciaran Cannon was also very angry when he spoke to the Clare Champion this week. “We had a very significant …

GORT teenager Cliona D’Arcy won the gold medal in the heavyweight division of boxing’s World Youth Championships last Saturday. It sees the Leaving Cert student at Gort Community School add to the European gold medal that she won in April. D’arcy defeated India’s Kirti Kirti in the final, with all five judges giving her the verdict. “It’s absolutely amazing, I actually can’t put it into words. The support from everyone really helps, and the coaches’ advice has really brought me a long way, I’m absolutely delighted!” she said in the aftermath of the final. “We watched a few fights and saw that she kept coming forward, so trying to stay off her and keep angles was my main strategy for the fight. “I was very, very nervous going in. I didn’t know what to expect, I thought that she probably would have the better of me, but as soon as I stepped in the ring my nerves calmed a bit. …

A BEAGH native is getting set to return from the West coast of America to launch his debut album at a homecoming gig in Gort next month.  Vincey Keehan has been living in the US for more than four decades and his debut album, Great Highway, includes 14 tracks evoking memories of Ireland, as well as cherished family and friends.  Now an adopted San Franciscan living in the Sunset District with his wife, Missy, Vincey is a multi-instrumentalist and a veteran of the city’s thriving music scene. After a rapturous reception for the album in the US, Vincey is set for a homecoming in November and an Irish launch for Great Highway.  The new album features Vincey’s family and friends in music and includes ‘The Lovely Woodlands of Clare’. The piece is a moving tribute to his sister Mary whose daughter, Eimear, a talented musician, passed away in a tragic accident in France when she was just 21. Vincey was …