Breaking News
Rainfall causes deterioration of road conditions in parts of Galway
Galway Bay fm newsroom – update as of 9am – Motorists and cyclists in Galway are being urged to take extra care this morning as road conditions in many areas remain dangerous.
A fall of snow and sleet over the weekend coupled with sub zero temperatures overnight have made road conditions particularly slippy today.
Galway gardaí are reporting that roads around the city are manageable this morning as most have been salted.
However pedestrians are warned to be cautious on footpaths as they have not been treated.
In Oranmore, local roads and estate roads are extremely slippy this morning but the N6 dual carriageway into the city has been treated.
In the Tuam area, the main roads are driveable as they have been treated however minor roads are particularly dangerous.
Some areas for motorists to take extra care in are Corofin, Monivea, Kilconly and Dunmore.
Gardaí say a rain shower in the past few minutes has made conditions in Corofin treacherous and a truck has jack-knifed near Cummer Cross.
No-one has been injured but motorists should approach the area with caution.
In the east of the county, conditions seem to be very difficult.
Ballinasloe gardaí say that while the M6 motorway has been treated, motorists still need to exercise extra care.
Hills are particularly difficult to manoeuvre and roads in the Kiltormer area are treacherous.
On the M17/M18 motorway, road conditions are particularly bad near the Ardrahan exit and locals roads which are not treated are also extremely slippy.
In the west of the county, sea breezes have resulted in slightly higher temperatures so there are no reports of any particularly treacherous routes, however motorists are advised to still take care as heavy rain falls.
All motorists are advised to keep a safe distance from the car in front and approach junctions at a slower speed.
The only school closure we have been notified about is Leitrim National School in Kylebrack, Loughrea which is closed today.
Bus Eireann says buses in Galway are running as normal or with minor delays.
The death has occurred of the former Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Martin Drennan, six years after he announced his retirement on health grounds. He was aged 78.
The Galway Diocesan Office confirmed the death this (Saturday) afternoon of the Bishop and Apostolic Administrator Emeritus, who oversaw the Diocese for eleven years.
Born on January 2, 1944 in Piltown, County Kilkenny, he studied for the priesthood at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, from where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1968. His brother Michael is also a priest.
Following his ordination, he continued his studies in Rome where he was awarded a Licentiate in both sacred theology and sacred scripture. He returned to Rome in 1980 to become spiritual director at the Pontifical Irish College for the next five years.
He became a lecturer in sacred scripture at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, where he continued to teach until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin in 1997 with responsibility for East Wicklow and South Dublin.
Following the retirement of Bishop James McLoughlin, Bishop Drennan was appointed Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora and he was installed on July 3, 2005 in Galway Cathedral.
Outgoing Cllr Terry O’Flaherty (Ind) is on course to retain her City Council seat – and top the poll in City East.
With 33% of the boxes tallied, Cllr O’Flaherty is polling strongly, particularly in Renmore.
Michael John Crowe is ahead of his running mate Alan Cheevers for the Fianna Fáil vote, according to the early figures, although that could change when Doughiska and Roscam boxes are opened.
The Green Party’s Claire Hillery is on about 7%, with Fine Gael on 10% and Sinn Fein on 5%.
The opening of boxes for the local elections began at 9am this morning in Leisureland when the tallymen (and women) kicked into gear.
As regards the Galway County Council elections, the smaller areas are being opened first which means that the four-seater Connemara North boxes will be first in the pecking order.
It will be followed by Gort-Kinvara (5 seats), Connemara South (5 seats), Athenry-Oranmore (7 seats), Ballinasloe (6 seats), Loughrea (5 seats) and finally Tuam (7 seats).
The boxes in these areas will be opened and tallied in that particular order before being transferred to the Galway Lawn Tennis Club on Threadneedle Road where the counting will commence around mid-morning.
That is when the fun will really begin – although the tallies should give a good indication as to where most of the seats are destined.
As regards the city, the Galway City East boxes were opened first, followed by Galway City Central and finally Galway City West. These votes will be transferred to the Westside Centre by around 11am for counting.
There are 39 seats on Galway County Council to be filled with 18 on Galway City Council. The City Council count is expected to conclude on Saturday night but the County Council count – with seven electoral areas to be filled – could well go into Monday.
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