Alongside our three Hotels, 4 Supermac outlets,5 ethnic cuisine Restaurants, six fast food/ Pizza restaurants and four café/ restaurants – a new venue for daytime dining has opened up in Dunlo Street , in the past few weeks.
Bistro18 opened its doors in the premises that once hosted the famous Tohers Restaurant and then Aonach Gastro Pub, offering a quirky, quaint & relaxing atmosphere in which to enjoy affordable dishes, freshly prepared by their chefs every day. Chris Spann, head chef and co-owner, grew up in a small town of Leamington Spa near Coventry, UK. He lives Portumna and has worked in the catering industry since the age of 13 starting off washing pots and pans. A proud self-taught chef, has spent sone 20 years in the catering industry. He moved to Ireland in April 2012 and began working at the Ferry Inn in Nenagh as a Head Chef for six years. He underwent a small stint in Corrib Oil as their fresh Food Manager before starting his current project.
Having no personal connection to the town, he and girlfriend Tara were charmed by the characteristics of the old Toher’s building. They needed to purchase an incubation kitchen area for their outdoor catering business and it was the ideal location. They hadn’t originally wanted to open up as a restaurant. but after seeing the beauty of the building and with encouragement from the owners restored it back into a restaurant.
Open 6 days a week for fresh bakes, breakfasts, lunch & late lunches, they have something for everyone including gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options. Polenta cakes are a fan favorite and aren’t offered in many establishments. It is a a rustic Italian-style cake made with whole grain cornmeal, avocado, spinach and poached eggs. Their breakfast/brunch menu runs from 8AM-1PM and a lunch/late lunch menu from 2-5PM Monday-Saturday. Last orders are at five so be sure to call in before then. They aim to close up at 6PM but if diners need a bit longer, they don’t kick folks out! All food options are freshly prepared by the chefs and they’re supplied by Pallas although they’re interested in using local suppliers. They don’t serve alcohol but hope to apply for a license in the coming future. They’re starting to hold theme night with examples such as a tapas night, next one will focus on American food. All food is available for takeaway. Local jams, honey, chutneys are for sale and blue moon coffee is available to buy in bags of 500g or 1kg, fresh brown breads sold by the loaf can be pre ordered by phone or online, alongside lots of other bakes and sweet treats. “I believe there’s no good or bad time to open, were starting our catering operations and wish to honour our promises to the owners “, explains Chris as to why they opened in a Pandemic! They operate a walk-in service but it is advisable to ring ahead to book. To get in contact with the Bistro18 crew, ring them on 090 964 4867 or at info@bistro18.ie. You can also receive more updates on their Facebook page or their website www.bistro18.ie.
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Damien McGuire and Faye O’Connor are the founders of DMF SportHorses in Atticorra Creagh where they groom horses for competitions and have recently started a new venture in Horse logistics , DMF Equine Transport.
Local man Damien went to college and studied Business and Equine Studies in Gurteen College and AIT. After graduating, he worked for himself for a time and also worked for another very successful horse producer locally while also spent some time in Laois producing young horses before returning to work in Gurteen College as the Equine Yard Manager. His partner Faye was born and raised in Dublin, also studied Business and Equine Studies in Gurteen College and AIT. During her time in college, she worked for a top producer of young horses in Dublin and now top coach. After graduating, she also worked for another top producer and trainer in Kilkenny before coming here to find work and begin the long road to building a business. Damien always wanted to return home and eventually become self-employed again but it was a fine balance between dreams and reality. With partner Faye, they have built up a good business producing and selling horses both nationally and internationally. They pride themselves on honesty while trying their best to stand over and guarantee anything they sell. Although this has been a very strange year for everyone with Covid-19 impacting they have been lucky to keep some really nice horses in the yard and still be able to make sales happen, due to the good relationships they have built up over the years. Their yard compromises of 11 stables, a feed room, tack room and a spacious grooming box along with a 30x40m floodlit sand arena. They have some very nice horses which compete and produce to a level where they can be sold at the higher end of the market and also keep a few more trade types which can be sold on quicker and keep a little turnover on the go. Over the years, they’ve built up a really good client base in the UK, Sweden, Germany and Belgium. They’re both firm believers that hard work and honesty does pay off in the long run and have founded an International Equine Transport company whose main customer base will be with other yards like their own that have sold horses abroad and are looking to get them delivered . They also offer a transport service nationally for anyone that is looking for their horses to be transported to shows, sales or new homes. They felt that they’re in a good location for this business “only being one hour and 40 minutes from Dublin port and being in the midlands it gives a great scope to reach most of the country within a good timeframe. It is a great location for our new venture as it is so easily accessible because of the M6 motorway and the surrounding road networks”, states Damien. Damien’s best advice to any business owners is that “every day is a school day, you can and should learn something new every day”. For Faye’s she notes that new entrepreneurs “ will need a strong work ethic and be self-motivated in order to have a chance at success, take pride in your work and always be both presentable and approachable”. They’re based in Atticorra, Creagh, Co. Galway with varied business hours as they do with any type of livestock but try to stick to 7:30am – 6pm. For Livery and sales contact 087-2180363. For Transport contact 087-6445272. Make sure to Follow them on Facebook below and Instagram.
The need for a build of the greenway to come through the town has been well received by locals from the start. Over 120 people attended the first round of public consultation in the Shearwater Hotel, one of five public consultations in Co. Galway.
Community groups, schools, clubs, business associations, advocacy groups including Athlone to Ballinasloe Greenway Group and the Town Team, all made submissions before the deadline of September 7. The submission was to collect views as to why folks believe the Greenway, (safe road/walkway/cycleway, no motor vehicles, available to be used by cyclists, walkers, runners, strollers, wheelchair users, day dreamers and all else), should go through the town. Senator Aisling Dolan noted “Over 220 people also made the effort to pop into my office on Society St to make a submission and tell the project team why we want to see a Greenway come through Ballinasloe. Thank you to everyone including our volunteers in the office; making a difference". The Greenway will reinvigorate the towns and villages with tourism & spin off benefits. With no public park access in Ballinasloe – there's a need to have a safe place off-road to walk & cycle for families, people with prams, wheelchair users. The Dublin-Galway national cycleway will transform the town working together with communities in surrounding areas by consensus. Councillor Evelyn Parsons as well as seeing health and wellbeing benefits believes that the Greenway can accelerate development of outdoor park space . “The residents currently have no public park proportionate to the size of population. This was painfully evident during the very restricted pandemic phase, when exercise distances of 2 and 5km were imposed - no accessible parkland development was available to within those distances in which to walk, exercise, socially distance safely. I favour the development of a Heartland Park with access off the Greenway and accessible from the M6. Working from home will lead to increased need for accessible active outdoor leisure facilities, and this is set to increase with development of remote working hubs. It is crucial that we are located on its route as the Hosting and Healing Town of the Heartlands which plays to our heritage, our history both in healthcare and in hospitality“ states Evelyn. The next steps will see project team engagement with landowners and potentially 4-5 routes for consideration from the study area map, scheduled for December or early January. Geraldine Healy, a member of the Greenway project team based in the new library , noted the team are heartened by the turn-out at public consultations and numbers of submissions received and are happy to meet by appointment taking public health guidelines into account. Contact them at info@galwaytoathlonecycleway.com or Tel: (091) 509267.
Fintan O’Meara, Project Engineer Co-ordinator with Galway County Council, is set to occupy the office above the library with staff to plan the investment. However, due to Covid-19 restrictions the office remains closed but he can be contacted by emailing him on fomeara@galwaycoco. To keep up to date with the greenway group, check out their Facebook page below.
Tommie Costello’s dream of an outdoor training , team and stamina build facility came to reality in early 2013 Cuckoo Hill Bootcamp was established. Located on the R357 ,Eircode H53 VN22, within close proximity of Athlone, Roscommon and Ballinasloe, it is an amazing facility centrally located and today is the epicenter for team building and outdoor fitness classes. Having set up a course using the natural features of the beautiful & stunning landscape, it allows for the development of natural fitness.
Tommie born in Athlone Hospital to parents Danny & Bridie Costello both of whom hailed from Taughmaconnell. His dad Danny Costello a well know figure passed away a number of years ago and his mum is still alive and known far and wide for her famous clove cake! He has three boys, Eoin who is entering second year in college in Limerick and twins Shane and Conor who are in fifth year in Garbally, where Tommie himself attended years before. From there, he worked in many establishments around the town such as Hayden's Hotel and Dubarry Shoe factory. He spent many years in the bar trade having successfully leased out Killeen's Pub and the Countryman. Fitness and health conditioning was always something he had a passion for , so returned to college at Setanta where he qualified as a strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer. “Cuckoo hill provides a fresh and original approach to overall fitness. It raises the heart beat and sees team mates and athletes competing with each other to get the top of our famous hill. Our aim is to promote natural fitness for all age groups and all abilities” enthuses Tommie. Cuckoo Hill caters for beginners to professional athletes and all sports teams. Their programme is designed for physical, mental, emotional and team bonding. However, athletes do find the Seán Óg Ó hAilpín loop a tough test of stamina. Some of the teams that have trained in Cuckoo Hill and found great success and subsequently went on to achieve major wins are the Galway senior ladies' football team, St Thomas’s hurlers & Sarsfield senior ladies Camogie team to name a few. There also are very popular outdoor circuit classes with the option of moving indoor if the weather is not favourable – into recently renovated facilities. There are beginners' classes also which are proving very popular. New members are welcome and will get all the help they need to improve their fitness from Tommie and encouragement from the fantastic group already there. Cuckoo Hill also hold outdoor camps for children at Halloween, Easter & Summer and cater for children’s birthday parties. Recent months has been exceptionally difficult with Covid preventing Team, event and tours business. "I am however very fortunate to have a very loyal core group who come to my classes and as the focus is now on outdoor fitness, I am installing outdoor lighting to provide a facility for people to train for the winter months. Everyone is welcome and all levels of fitness are catered for” states Tommie. To find out more, and up to date timetables check on Facebook and on Instagram @cuckoo_hill_bootcamp or contact Tommie directly on 087 6411530 with any questions you might have. by Michael Duignan, Bishop of Clonfert Last October, I was ordained Bishop of Clonfert. Back then none of us had even heard of the Coronavirus or Covid-19. None of us would have predicted that, come the spring, our world would be gripped by the tragedy of a Pandemic and that life as we had known it would have been turned on its head. As the saying goes “we are where we are” and no matter how surreal it is – these days are ours to live through.
For me moving house from Sligo to Loughrea was in fact moving closer to home. I was born in Athlone. The eldest of a family of six, my home parish bordered the parish of Taughmaconnell which is in the Diocese of Clonfert. I have many relatives and friends living there. Ballinasloe, with Portiuncula Hospital, was familiar territory too. I went to Cloonakilla National School in Bealnamulla and then to St Aloysius College in Athlone. After that I studied for the priesthood in Kitegan in County Wicklow and then at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome. In 1994, I was ordained a Priest in Saints Peter and Paul’s church in Athlone, Except for some time pursuing post-graduate studies in Rome, I have ministered for most of my life in County Sligo. My last appointment was lecturing in Theology and Religious Education at St Angela’s College. A hardworking staff and fantastic students made it a most enriching experience. I also had responsibilities with the Diocese of Elphin, working in the area of education and the formation of Permanent Deacons and Catechists for ministry in the Church. One of the good things about studying theology is that you study the history of the Church. It gives you a good insight into the changes that have occurred down through the centuries. Soon you realise that the Church has always faced difficulties and challenges. Some of those challenges make the challenges that we have today seem small indeed. However, we do face challenges and the next few years will bring significant changes to our church communities. Falling numbers participating in the life of our parishes coupled with a lack of finances and resources along with a lack of clergy will not be without consequences. I take solace from a belief that God never abandons his people. On the flip side of every challenge there lies an opportunity. With the help of the Holy Spirit, my hope would be that we, the laity, priests and bishop, together can work out new structures and new ways of doing things that will be more suitable to the situation we find ourselves in. Please God this will allow us to move from spending a lot of our time propping up things that are eventually going to fall down to a situation where the Church, although reduced in number, can better live and share the joy of Christian faith - especially with our young people and those on the margins of the Church and society. I am conscious of the enormous amount of work done at parish level by so many volunteers. This has become so obvious recently with the massive effort put into safely reopening our churches for public worship. I am also conscious of the leadership of our Priests who are often now carrying an even greater workload than in the past. Such cooperation between priests and people for the common good of our Christian community bodes well for the future. This concerted effort at parish level has also been mirrored in our schools and colleges. We owe a debt of gratitude to their Boards of Management, Principals, Teachers and the whole school community for all the work they have done to get our schools open in a way that keeps all involved safe. Sadly the virus has not gone away. However, we do know that our actions can make a difference. Following the public health advice is essential if we are to protect everyone especially those most vulnerable. In these days – keep safe and keep each other safe! Beannachtaí! Michael Duignan, Bishop of Clonfert
The local Walks and Trails group is a voluntary run group of friends walking, recently came together in late September for their end of summer gathering in Brodericks, Kilconnell having enjoyed a new 10km walk in Woodlawn, taking the golden mile where Woodlawn house and additional buildings could be seen along with information signage; thanks to Woodlawn Heritage group.
Over the last two months, they’ve enjoyed many new walks with loads of interesting groups in the locality. They also coupled with the Athlone to Ballinasloe greenway group for a walk in Blackwater, Co Offaly. Lawerencetown Community group also joined them for the Culliagh loop in August. Other walks in 2020 included routes from town to Valerie’s in Aughrim, Spinning Wheel in Mullagh, Mother’s in Kiltormer, Dubarry to Millars, Ballydangan. Twenty of their walkers completed a leader's course with Croi Ireland with the support of Galway Sports Partnership who also gave them a loan of some Nordic Poles which they have had the pleasure of spending some evenings out in Poolboy Bog and through Garbally College grounds. Walkers are encouraged to participate in recording data through the biodiversity.ie app where some rare sightings of the marsh fritillary butterfly and bee orchid were registered. With the support of Ballinasloe Area Community Development, Ballinasloe Tidy Towns and local litter warden, walkers organised three major cleanups in Poolboy bogs where some of the local community came out and gave their time picking rubbish to restore and preserve these areas of beauty. Their walkers continued to occupy these areas in Poolboy various times during the week to discourage illegal dumping. They have a Facebook page where their regular bi-monthly walks are advertised. They also have a Whatsapp group where spontaneous walks are posted weekly. Some of these walks are in South Roscommon Area, Poolboy Bog or around the Aughrim Battlefield. They also meet spontaneously to get in some Nordic walking ; and as it is a friends group your safety is your own responsibility. The whatsapp group is also a forum for people to meet companions to go walking so if you or someone you know would benefit from joining this group of happy walkers, please be sure to tell them about the group. For further details please contact 087 645 8979 or see their Facebook page for regular updates (see below) 10 -10 20 Show For Emerald Ballroom
“10-10-20 - The Land is on Drugs” is a new project from local based comedian Breda Larkin and grassroots farming organisation Talamh Beo that seeks to stimulate debate and challenge prevailing assumptions about farming systems and rural livelihoods and to have a few laughs along the way. Farming is at a crossroads. What role can it play in creating a more sustainable society and economy in the years to come? What about food security and the value of local food producers? What has the COVID-19 pandemic taught us about our food production systems? What hope and vision are we communicating to young people and the next generation of farmers? Who are the next generation of farmers and how can we inspire them? These and other questions will be posed and hopefully answered in the course of the afternoon on Sat 10th from 1.30 to 4.30 p.m in the Emerald Ballroom. 10-10-20 will be presented as a Fair Day with a difference where Talamh Beo members will set out their stalls and outline their progressive farming methods to visitors whilst Breda conducts proceedings and facilitates the debate in her own inimitable fusion of original comedy, songs and social activism. To book your place, search 10-10-20 A Fair Day on Eventbrite. Participating farms include Manna Organics Farm, Gleann Buí Farm, Crawford Farm, Moyhill Farm, Leaf & Root Farm, with additional presentations from La Via Campesina, Farming for Nature and National Organic Training Skillnet. Talamh Beo is a grassroots organisation of farmers, growers and land-based workers on the island of Ireland which aims to ensure a living landscape where people and ecosystems thrive together. Founded in Co. Galway their vision is to farm in ways which benefit and restore natural ecosystems and build soils, leaving the land better than when we started. Talamh Beo are the Irish branch of the international farmers movement La Via Campesina. The programme is one of Small Town Big Ideas offerings supported and sponsored by the Galway European City of Culture . Due to COVID-19 restrictions on crowd sizes 10-10-20 will also be creating a film to be screened in Spring 2021 alongside a programme of workshops on these topics. Registration sheets will be available at the 10-10-20 event. Numbers are being kept in line with COVID protocols and interested audience members need to book their FREE time slot on Event Brite. “The nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself.” - Roosevelt
ShopBallinasloe.ie Issues New Town Voucher!
â Retail Excellence and the CSO tell us that the largest period for domestic retail spend is the fourth quarter â covering the Black Friday through Xmas period and maybe a little of the New Year Sales. Given that the lockdown took some 100 plus days out of many businesses, the Big Dig stunted most high street retailers and service providers for the last 24 months with on off disruption and the moves to online shopping the ShopBallinasloe.ie team are announcing the new Ballinasloe Town Voucher, launching Thursday, 15 October. The vouchers are just like any other voucher but rather than limit you to one store, you can chose any store in town â a full list of participating retailers will be available on www.shopballinasloe.ie And there is no best before date on the voucher! These new vouchers are a unique gift alternative which can be used in participating retailers in Ballinasloe and the surrounds and give shoppers a fantastic variety of choice on what to spend their vouchers on while benefiting the town on the whole. The Vouchers can be used in restaurants, cafes, hairdressers, beauty salons, homeware, clothing and even on fuel! Keeping as much as our spending local! They are a perfect gift idea for Birthdays, Christmas, Communions, Confirmations, Weddings, Retirements etc. A thoughtful and useful gift for all. As we head into the busy gifting season â these vouchers make an ideal bespoke solution for the relative â son, daughter, cousin , grandchild who is overseas and would like their relative to have the comfort of choosing something special from them â either from the comfort of their own home, or at least their own local suppliers. The idea is simple, asking businesses and consumers in the local area and connected to us - to support the local economy, to attract new business and to help ensure our town prospers. The Ballinasloe Town Voucher will be commission free and can only be spent locally thus supporting community activity spending and employment. The money we spend locally is worth up to 5 times that to the local economy as the currency continues to circulate in the same area. This is called the local multiplier effect and is a proven feature of our economy. Retailers and Service Supplies can participate in the scheme by logging online. This initiative is backed by BACD and Ballinasloe Credit Union and encourages shoppers to âShop Local â Shop Ballinasloeâ, keep our community in business and in turn ensuring local activities are supported. âVouchers can be purchased from:
Follow ShopBallinasloe.ie on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date and have a look out for competitions!
9 months (excluding the COVID lockdown) from breaking ground after a Herculean 18-month struggle with planning issues, one of the towns oldest successful firms moved from its original premises in Brackernagh and a depot in Athlone in mid-summer to their new home.
A total staff of 55 are now enjoying a 40,000 square foot, €6 million state of the art premises in Poolboy in one of the country’s leading bespoke fitted furniture manufacturer. Alan O Grady, MD and Proprietor of the firm explains “we took a decision to remain anchored in the town with our new build because we love our staff and for 40 years I and my family have really enjoyed doing business in town. If I was a new investor however I would not have had the patience to deal with obstacles and indifference that surrounds the place”
Critically for him the town is devoid of suitable zoned, accessible land with either huge banks owned by state agencies or worse has bank charges on it – which effectively means potential investors looking at a 36-month delay.
“ We can have units and crews to the three fastest expanding building markets on the island in jig time – an hour and 30 minutes to the M50 , an hour and 15 to Limerick and 2 hours 30 to Cork – I can’t understand why there are not more logistical or supply companies hubbing out of here but – it’s down to the real business obstacles on the ground “ states Alan.
The factory shell and site cost in order of €3.2 million to build and another €2.8 million of machines, plant, offices and presses to fit out, key to the O Neill O Malley Architect design is the cutting edge us of sustainable energy features that Fitzgibbons Construction of Ennis built. “ We have BER A 3 rating – which is hard achieve for a private house never mind a factory of this size, we have a very lean carbon footprint and we have all movement sensitive LED light fittings installed and are using an Italian Bio Mass Boiler which extracts the dusty air and maintains the cosy temperatures in the plant “ , states Alan.
The plant has no oil or gas costs – the Air handling Unit and Bio Mass Boiler cost €260,000 to install but stops their average 5 skips a week of off cuts heading landfill. It is truly a clean sustainable factory of the future and Alan believes that between efficiencies and cost savings the unit will have paid for itself within the decade. Assuming this is cutting edge technology there are no brass plaques to the Dept. of Environment, or the EU acknowledging the pilot project with a grant “ Don’t talk to us about SEI , we signed up to their advanced programme we went with higher specs on everything and they denied us the grant over a procedural error on their part, even Denis Naughton TD who was Minister in that area and worked very hard on our behalf could not get them to budge; so there is not one cent of grant or subsidy to the technology”. Brexit holds no fear for this operation as they have moved all their material sourcing to Belgium and Spain and all their precision engineering comes from Italy. COVID however is the issue –“if Europe or we go into a long lock down again we can’t delay delivery on the scale of contracts we have in the pipeline so we have to stock pile timber and components up 6-8 months in advance” notes Alan. Its one of the reasons that the old plant is being used as a warehouse for Western Postform although Alan and the team have plans for it down the road, which may still involve a bit of leasing. From doing individual fitted kitchens, wardrobes and then housing schemes the firm is now concentrating its operations on large scale apartment complexes in the bigger cities, student residences, Hotels, Schools and the new co – living apartment blocks; where the fit out the complete accommodation pod. The technology has come along way in 4 decades where formica top edging was applied with an iron and plans were sketched and costed on graph paper by hand. The software behind the automated processes at the plant is NASA like in complexity and precision. Once the client for the 450 kitchens and bedroom wardrobes and vanity desks signs off on the materials, the design and delivery the production team takes its cue from the “War Room “which is the Production / Design Control suite – like an Air Traffic Control Room in an airport. It sends the instructions to all the main cutting machines which are skillfully operated and the pieces of furniture mover to different parts of the floor for assembly and finishing under the watchful eyes of the Master Craftsmen. The ambition behind the investment and move is not to ramp up employment numbers but rather increase the scale and volume of jobs that the firm can tender and bid for. “When my father Michael & Seamus Shinners started 40 years ago, we were lucky to make 7 kitchens a week; now we have to make and install multiples of that and undertake the new fitout of apartments, schools, hospitals, hotels and washrooms. The biggest project this year for the firm has been the Rhatigans/ OHL 450 Apartment Public Private Partnership Block in Dublin which is worth in order of €2.5 million. They still do estate build fit outs for new builds but don’t do once off furniture for customers anymore. The backbone of Western Post Form is however the amazing staff and many of them have been there since the early days , Davey Farnon, Philip Gilesnan & Seamus McEvoy here since doors opened and Maura Barret manning the phones and reception for 38 years & Triona Hurley keeping an eye on the accounts for 25 years its really like one big family.
When asked about State Support for this huge private investment Alan rolls the eyes, confirming that they have yet to see a grant aid since they are not exporting to the EU - every cent spent here came out of Company funds.
Western Postform have also invested heavily in a New ERP system We spent a lot of time researching this system during lock down and sourced a Canadian partner called Cienapps to design and develop this for us. He can’t believe how there appears to be no one in charge or no go - to place to have the interconnected problems solved in the town, ” no one darkened the door from any agency or any public representative to see how we were getting on while we were struggling to get it over the line, I can see why its hard for new companies to begin in the town", states Alan. “I must say though that all the business people in the town have been very supportive of us and we have had a great welcome from all the neighbours here“ notes Alan. I do believe that Ballinasloe town has a lot to offer and hoped to see many new companies set up in the town in the further. He is planning a post COVID welcome ceremony and 40th Anniversary for family, staff and retired staff . When not relaxing at home in South Galway with his wife Olivia from Loughrea, son Simon and daughters Saoirse and Madison he and his workforce are very happy in their new surroundings and are looking forward to many years of successful operating. http://www.westernpostform.ie/ Music Generation Ireland are setting up a new hub Ballinasloe, making more additional genres of music tuition accessible to young people and to make musical instruments and lessons available at affordable prices. Music Generation Galway County is part of Music Generation, Ireland’s National Music Education Programme which transforms the lives of children and young people through access to high-quality, subsidised performance music education. Established by its parent company Music Network, Music Generation is co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds and the Department of Education and Skills and Local Music Education Partnerships. Ruth Gordon is in charge of setting up the hub here. She is the Music Development Officer and has worked in the Arts for 15 years in Cork and Galway in a variety of organisations and festivals. She coordinates music programmes for young people around the county based on what the need is in any given area of the county in partnership with a wealth of organisations and partners including Galway County Council, Galway Rural Development, Foróige, Youth Work Ireland Galway, Tusla, FORUM Connemara Ealaín na Gaeltachta and others. Since starting just two years ago, Ruth has rolled out a variety of music programmes for children and young people in a range of genres and settings including primary school programme Lán le Ceol, mixed instrumental programme Symphonic Schools, rock school programme RockPopHipHop, a regional orchestra Symphonic Waves and an Uilleann Pipes programme which is delivered in both Irish and English in different locations. “I believe the hub will be successful here due to the vibrant, long-running brass band, the Comhaltas branch, Féile Cheoil Larry Reynolds and a Musical Society- so hopefully the it will become part of the rich musical landscape of Ballinasloe and surrounding areas “ states Ruth. Sessions are 45 minutes long with small group instrumental lessons priced at €8 and larger group music sessions like Samba Drumming, Réalta Vocal Group and Ukulele Orchestra priced at €5 a session. They run their lessons weekly in line with the school calendar. They have a range of fantastic musicians teaching the different instruments and groups including guitar, ukulele, piano, drumkit, group singing and Samba drumming. The instrumental tuition will have three to four in a group and the larger groups will start with five participants initially and will expand in line with public health advice.
Students are encouraged to bring their own instruments but if they don’t have any, the hub will have an instrument bank where students can hire great instruments at very affordable rates. All musicians have undergone HSA training and will be equipped with facemasks and visors as well as screens where appropriate. There will be no sharing of instruments and hub users will be required to use hand sanitiser before entering the hub and will maintain social distancing throughout. Classes will commence in the first week of October in various locations centrally depending on what instrument or group activity has been chosen. To register for classes, email musicgenerationgalway@gretb.ie or call 091 874 557 and they will register your interest and send you a quick online form to submit. Alternatively, they can complete this form with parents/guardians over the phone. The final date for registration is September 30th but there may still be some spaces unallocated. Contact musicgenerationgalway@gretb.ie / phone 091 874557 or see www.musicgenerationgalwaycounty.ie. Office hours are 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday. |
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March 2024
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