Connacht Tribune
Chamber outlines Galway’s benefits in post-Brexit era
Galway Chamber launched a programme to attract inward investment from the UK and further afield with two events in London last week.
The Irish Embassy hosted an evening function for a delegation from Galway and invited guests from the business community in London at which Galway Chamber’s new brochure ‘Why Galway?’ was launched.
The following day the action moved closer to the heart of the financial district with a reception at the offices of Keltie LLP at 1 London Bridge, overlooking the Thames and The City of London.
The aim of the programme is to build on the work done by IDA Ireland – which attracts investment to Ireland – and encourage businesses to come to Galway rather than other locations in the country.
“We are acutely aware of the importance of foreign direct investment to Galway.” says Conor O’Dowd the outgoing President of Galway Chamber.
“While we have had significant success in attracting multinational companies, we are committed to ensuring that Galway remains a wonderful location to run a business, to work and to live. Our mission here is to deliver this message to key influencers in London and is the first of several such engagements over the coming years”.
Ambassador Dan Mulhall said that smaller locations such as Galway need to make sure they tell their stories well in order to attract investment away from Dublin, Cork, etc.
“Areas around Ireland that have something special to offer, like Galway, can’t assume that everyone looking to invest in the country knows what makes them special,” he said.
“Galway has a huge amount to offer in terms of its location the quality of life and the people, its academic institutions as well as a critical mass of industries. This story needs to be told to the right audience”
The Galway Technology Centre and the Portershed at the Galway City Innovation District organised the trip with Galway Chamber and both were identified as key elements for the success of this strategy.
“Overseas companies want to be able to grow quickly once they decide on a location and having the ability to make a ‘fast landing’ is key to this”’ says Michelle Conaghan, Head of Emerging Business UK and Europe at IDA Ireland based in London.
“Galway is fortunate to have facilities such as the Galway Technology Centre and Portershed to ensure that this can happen.”
Keltie is well placed to judge how well Galway performs as a business destination. The London-based company specialises in intellectual property law and took the decision to set up an Irish operation a week after the UK voted to leave the EU.
‘We took the decision to open in Galway because it fits with the technologies of the clients we love to work with, it’s full of creative people and above all else it has a massive amount of energy’” says Sean Cummings, a partner in Keltie LLP’s London office and now head of its Irish operation.
“That energy creates change, innovation and a start-up culture, all of which give rise to business opportunities for a company like ours.”
The Chamber plans to build on this launch with a digital version of its Why Galway? brochure which will contain more case studies, video and a lot of the hard data needed by prospective investors to help make business decisions.
It’s envisaged that this message will be brought to key centres of investment potential in Europe and North America in the next 12 months.
Maurice O’Gorman, the incoming President of Galway Chamber, says: “We realise that we need to do this for ourselves. We cannot always rely on the national government to promote Galway.”
“We need to get the Chamber, local government, local development agencies, real estate and the educational institutions working together to promote Galway. This has been a great start and we need to do a lot more of this to ensure Galway continues to grow.”
Galway Chamber also launched a brief video to complement the brochure. See the video here.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
