Christmas is a very special time of the year in Ballinasloe.  We've listed below where you can find Mass or Eucharistic Services over the two days. 

The boil water notice on the Ballinasloe Public Water Supply Scheme has been lifted.

This follows a meeting yesterday between Galway County Council and the HSE.

The boil water notice was imposed as a precautionary measure, on December 6th following a rise in water levels of the river Suck, as a result of Storm Desmond.

The early stages of the emergency response involved crews pumping 230,000 litres of water per hour out of the treatment plant.

It affected approximately 10,000 Irish Water customers.

The HSE has now confirmed that the Ballinasloe public water supply is now safe for human consumption and as a result has lifted the Boil Water Notice.
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All affected can now resume normal use of the water supply for drinking, food preparation and brushing teeth.

BOIL WATER NOTICE - BALLINASLOE PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY SCHEME
Date of Boil Water Notice: 6th of December 2015

Following advice from the Health Services Executive, Irish Water and Galway County Council are issuing a Boil Water Notice on the Ballinasloe Public Water Supply to protect consumers.
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This notice applies to consumers on the Ballinasloe Public Water Supply and includes all areas supplied by the scheme i.e. Clontukert, Kiltormer, Laurencetown, Eyrecourt who must boil water before use. A map of the scheme, with a list of townlands, will be made available on www.water.ieas soon as possible.

1: Water must be boiled for:

You Must Boil Your Water for:
• Drinking
• Drinks made with water
• Preparation of salads and similar foods, which are not cooked prior toeating
• Brushing of teeth
• Making of ice

2: What can use water for:

You can use your Water for the following:
• Personal hygiene, bathing and flushing of toilets but not for brushing teeth or gargling.
• Boil water by bringing to a vigorous, rolling boil and allow to cool. Cover and store in a refrigerator or cold place. Water from the hot tap is not safe to drink.

3: Caution:
Please ensure the following:
• Domestic water filters will not render water safe to drink.
• Caution should be taken when bathing children to ensure that they do not swallow the bathing water.
• Discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and filtered water in fridges. Make ice from cooled boiled water.

4: Only use Prepared Water for the following situations.
Only use Prepared Water (boiled and cooled) for the following:

5: Advice:
Note the following advice:
• Anyone suffering from diarrhoea (i.e. 3 or more loose bowel motions in a 24 hour period) for more than two days should contact their general practitioner and provide a stool sample for testing. They should continue to drink plenty of boiled or bottled water.
Copy of full notice on www.galway.ie

Irish Water Customer Contact Centre: 1890 278 278

Visit Galway County Council on Facebook for more information 

A huge 'Thank You' to all who came along to our first Fit Town meetup last week – it is great to see there is an appetite for new initiatives in the town and a genuine interest in working together.  As promised I am attaching a copy of the presentation which hopefully will help you get a clearer understanding of the Fit Town concept and how you can get involved.  Just a few points to note;​

-  Target Groups are a key element of the Fit Town project so it is important when you are planning your event(s) that you connect with the appropriate organisation(s) e.g. Disability – Brothers of Charity, Mental Health – GELS or HSE, Disadvantaged – Junction Project.  If you require additional contact details or assistance please get in touch with us directly and we will be happy to help put you in touch with the key contact.

-  Insurance Galway Sports Partnership confirmed verbally that insurance cover is the responsibility of participating organisations.  If you intend running an event(s) we would advise you contact your insurance company in advance to ensure your policy is valid.  From their experience with other groups last year this was not an obstacle to participation.

-  Timelines With Christmas looming we are working with tight timelines and closing date for receipt of completed applications is Wednesday 9th December.  We have scheduled a ‘Drop in’ /Review meetup for that evening in Gullanes Hotel from 6.30 – 8.30 pm, to provide groups with the opportunity to review their application with the Team and address any outstanding issues or queries.  If you need any assistance between now and then please do not hesitate to contact us. Also,  if you manage to get your application to us before that date all the better!
We are encouraging all Groups/Clubs/Organisations/Schools and Businesses to get involved in some way with the Fit Town Project.  It is another positive initiative that will bring so many benefits to the entire community with a little help from us all.   With that in mind we ask that you make every effort to promote the project over the next few weeks to ensure we bring all members of the Community with us on the journey that is ‘Fit Town 2016’!

Many thanks once again for all your support and enthusiasm.

Noel Mannion, Marion Ruane, Lyn Donnelly, Eoin Hurley, Laura Finn - Fit Town Team.

The transition year students of Ardscoil Mhuire, ably assisted by some of their talented neighbours from Garbally College, wowed audiences in the Town Hall last week with a great run of the Lionel Bart- penned classic Oliver. Directed by local man, Eoin Croffy , the accomplished and mature performances of this young cast belied their youth and expertly captured the light and dark shades in this Dickensian inspired drama.
Jane Corbett brought a wide-eyed innocence to the titular role. Her sweetness as Oliver was a perfect foil for the more cynical Artful Dodger, played by the charming Aisling Murphy. Laura Finn was a revelation as the ill-fated Nancy. Her plaintive rendition of “As Long as He Needs Me.” proved to be one of the more poignant highlights in this highly entertaining show. The Ardscoil Mhuire cast were equally gifted in capturing the more comedic moments in this musical standard. Kate Kelly played Mr. Bumble with bombastic pomposity and her scenes with Sarah Fletcher’s Widow Corney were a comic delight. Lauren Miller and Róisín McCollum were hilarious as Mr and Mrs Sowerberry , the mean-spirited undertakers who bought young Oliver.
Christopher Feeney played Bill Sykes with a menacing physicality and his threatening presence provided some of the show’s most dramatic moments. Matthew Comerford invested Fagin’s sly shenanigans with an energetic mix of humour and pathos. His gravel-voiced cockney was another of the show’s highlights.
The musicality of the cast was evident throughout this fine production. The cast shone from the memorable opening strains of “Food, Glorious Food” to the hypnotic harmonies of “Who Will Buy” and were a credit to their hardworking and equally talented musical directors, Caroline Jackson and Maeve Higgins.
Overall this was a confident and hugely entertaining production. Well done to all involved.