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Get flirty with Galway Food Tours this February

February 2, 2023

Experience the perfect blend of food and romance with Galway Food Tours

Galway Food Tours Valentines Food Tour on February 15th offers a refreshing alternative to the traditional Valentine’s Day and post the Hallmark pressure date! 

The romantically undecided can join for a fun-filled evening that will take them from Farmhouse cheese paired with delicious wine to an award-winning restaurant followed by a special seasonal Valentine’s cocktail.

“The craic, fabulous food, and romantic zing in the air have already proven successful in the love department on previous Valentine’s tours – it’s certainly one of our best! It does tend to be a little female-heavy; we get a 70% female and 30% male interest, so we want to see more men join us this year! Let’s level the playing gents – can you help?!” smiled Sheena Dignam, Romance expert and owner of Galway Food Tours. 

The tour kicks off at 6pm and is priced at €85. To book visit www.galwayfoodtours.com.

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Galway Food Tours get crafty in 2023

November 17, 2022

Gifting experiences is THE gift of 2022

The award-winning Galway Food Tours who guide people through the food scene of Galway have launched their craft and food tours gift vouchers. The gift vouchers can be for one of their food and experiential tours or can be out towards joining their craft tours which they launched in November 2022.

Long after the festive season, you can enjoy a craft tour in Galway. This February 12th join Galway Food tours as they take you on a journey through Galway like no other. Beginning in Galways westend, In Plamas where a coffee and sweet treat from Kai is the order of the day before heading up the town to the hear and learn from the icon that is Anne O’Maille who runs O’Máille – The Original House of Style, founded in 1938 in the heart of Galway City. Famous for their unique Hand Knitted Aran Sweaters. Proudly showcasing Top 100% Irish Weavers | Contemporary designs for Men, Women & Home in natural fiber.

Then it’s onto one the city’s most iconic restaurant spaces, Ard Bia where lunch is served. The creative juices can then be awoken with a Weave workshop where you will make a St Bridget’s cross with Sarah Jenkins in the surroundings of the Galway City Gin Distillery and talk (and drink!) about Imbolc – Early Childhood with Claire Davey.

“People want experiences now, so we wanted to bring the best of fashion, craft, and food together. We are so lucky in the west to have all these incredible people, places, and resources. So, get your friends together or come on a date with us yourself, a brilliant day eating, chatting, a tipple or two and of course having conversations, getting creative and learning from the people that are around us. Perfection,” said Sheena Dignam Owner of Galway Food Tours.

Tickets for this tour are €85 pp. Reserve your spot with Sheena on 086-7332885 or galwayfoodtours@gmail.com.  Check out www.galwayfoodtours.com

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Galway Ranked 13th in Global Sustainability Index

November 17, 2022

Galway Named One of the Most Sustainable Business Cities

Galway has been ranked 13th in Europe in the latest Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index, a rating system designed to recognise responsible practices in the business tourism and events industry. The GDSI Results showed an improved score from 67.50 in 2021 to 73.16 for 2022.

Galway has also been named as the 30th most sustainable business city in the latest Global Destination Sustainability (GDS) Index for 2022, recognising the city’s proactive approach to responsible practices in the business tourism and events industry.

The rankings are designed to help MICE planners choose progressive destinations with top sustainability credentials. The index is compiled by measuring and comparing the social, environmental, supplier and destination sustainability strategies, policies, and performance of participating cities around the world.

Under the Convention Bureaux of Ireland brand, Fáilte Ireland provides both strategic and operational direction as well as funding via service level agreements.

Galway Convention Bureau, which led the city’s application, welcomed the news. Niamh Stack, of Galway Convention Bureau, said:

“We are delighted to have improved our score year on year. There were a lot more entrants in 2022 which is another positive step in ensuring that countries and this industry are not just playing lip service to the very real environmental problems we are facing. We have a lot of work done but we still need to do more in the area of sustainability. But we can now confidently market Galway as a sustainable destination to the global events industry which may help secure future sustainable conference business to Galway.”

“We are looking to improve at getting better all the time. Our aim is to see Galway breaking into the top 10 in the next 2-3 years. Working with our industry partners as a collaborative effort, and leading the way Galway can become a world leader and set the start for sustainable green business tourism.”

Ruairí Lehmann, Tourism Officer – ‘We are delighted to see Galway improve its scoring on the Global Destination Sustainability Index. This index showcases the great work being done within the sector and we would encourage more businesses to engage with the Galway Convention Bureau on improving their sustainability credentials. Galway City Council have a number of measures underway to improve the sustainability of the city and working together with the businesses and the Convention Bureau, we can continue to improve Galway’s position on the list.’

For more information check out www.galwayconventionbureau.com.

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Galway Bar wins best Outdoor Space in Ireland

November 17, 2022

O’Connells Beer Garden best in the country

O’Connells Bar in Eyre Square has been named as The Best Outdoor Space in Ireland at the Irish Pub Awards held in Dublin on Wednesday 16 November. After being named as Connacht Regional winner in September, the Galway bar went on to represent the west nationally and last night took home gold as they were named as the best Outdoor Space on the Island of Ireland.

The former Grocery Store that has been solely a pub since the 1970’s has become one of Galway’s most loved places to meet, have a drink and eat.

Inside the bar, the décor has all original features including tiled floors, antique lighting, stained glass windows, solid wooden seating and a pressed tin ornate ceiling in the main bar. Nostalgia fills every corner with historic photos lining the walls. 

Then outside, enter the O’Connells Beer Garden. The mock street outside is the ideal place to eat the award-winning Dough Bros Pizza and new addition to the garden Pratai Chips whilst enjoying the best of cocktails, pints of Guinness or sampling one of their many bottles of whiskey as well as live music. 

A custom-built bar was installed as well as retro fit vintage neon signage to bring the garden beautifully from day to night.

The bar also released exclusively their Powers 12-year-old Single Cask Whiskey in 2021. 200 years of expertise means the people in Midleton know all there is to know about creating some of the best whiskey Ireland has. With their help and guidance O’Connells have chosen a wonderful example of Pot Still Irish Whiskey. This cask was originally laid down to mature on the grounds of Midleton in 2007, released and bottled in 2021 and now available in the bar.

Pop in and enjoy O’Connells in Eyre Square 7 days a week or get social on Instagram at OConnellsGalway.

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Galway to become a gateway to connectivity to Europe

November 17, 2022

Work completed on telecoms cable between Galway and Iceland

Farice, (a company fully owned by the Icelandic Government, currently owns, and operates two submarine cables linking Iceland to Northern Europe) announced this week that the IRIS Sub-Sea Telecoms Cable System connecting Galway to Iceland and onwards to Denmark and the Nordics, on existing Farice networks is now in its final phase of implementation.

In 2019 The West coast of Ireland and Galway was designated as a landing location for international telecommunications cables with Increased availability of terrestrial networks across the country enabling this. This modern high-capacity telecom cable will connect Galway to Iceland, the presence of the Farice system landing in Galway will provide direct high-capacity links to Iceland but also to Northern Europe via Denmark and will greatly increase capacity and connectivity in the Galway region.

Farice signed a contract with SubCom, LLC, a global undersea fiber optic cable system supply company, to install the IRIS Cable System and SubCom has now received provisional acceptance for the IRIS Cable System, the final phase before officially handing the system over to its owner, Farice.

The IRIS system will be ready for service in the first quarter of 2023 and will be the third submarine fibre optic cable system connecting Iceland with Europe. The system provides further redundancy in telecommunication connection between Iceland and Europe, with low latency connections around 10.5 ms, between Reykjavík and Dublin. The IRIS system is integrated into Farice’s network in Iceland and Europe to enhance the network and provide comprehensive, diverse, and secure connectivity between Farice’s network POPs in Iceland and Europe.

Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Environment, Transport, Climate and Communications

‘The development of new digital infrastructure is essential for job creation and new business opportunities. Ireland is at the forefront of this digital development and is pursuing a strategy to be a gateway to Europe for all internet traffic. The IRIS subsea cable is a remarkable project which ensures we now have direct links from Ireland to Iceland and further diversifies the connectivity links across Ireland. This has extensive positive implications for Galway and the West, potentially opening up the entire region for new investment. And it highlights the West as a key destination for Europe’s internet connectivity infrastructure which is likely to attract future investments’

Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir, Minister of Universities, Industry and Innovation

IRIS, a new submarine cable connecting Iceland and Ireland, is a major milestone in strengthening and securing Iceland‘s electronic communications with Ireland and other countries. Together with Iceland‘s green and renewable energy sources this new submarine cable makes Iceland a highly competitive option for data centers, cloud service providers and high performance computing. Connecting Iceland and Ireland brings on new opportunities for both countries for co-operation in the highly connected digital world,“ said the minister in her message to Galway.

Sturla Sigurjónsson, Ambassador of Iceland

In his address, the Icelandic ambassador said that from the point of view of internet telecommunications, IRIS brings Iceland closer to Ireland. “We are two neighboring islands that share values and interests that are reflected in the history and culture of the nations. Recently, both countries have achieved very high levels of digitization and internet connectivity, including hosting data centers. IRIS shows that we can do things even faster and more efficiently and safely. The fourth industrial revolution has already begun, and the connectivity offered by IRIS improves our ability to embrace and leverage these fundamental changes even better.”

Ossian Smyth, Minister of state

Minister of State Ossian Smyth remarked that “Today is a landmark in the history of Irish communications. Ireland has been an intercontinental communications hub since 1858 when the first transatlantic cable linking London and New York was routed through Ireland. Today is the first day that a subsea cable has connected to Ireland that is not linked to the UK or North America. This is the start of a strategic move by Ireland to connect directly to Northern and Southern Europe. Ireland is now open for business to further subsea cables. These new connections will increase resilience and reduce latency. They provide the infrastructure needed for the 100s of thousands of people employed in Ireland in the ICT and pharmaceutical sectors.”

Þorvarður Sveinsson, Farice CEO

“IRIS will enable us to accommodate the capacity needs of customers, and bring diversity and resilience to our existing network by providing an important additional route for traffic flowing between Iceland and Europe,” explained CEO of Farice Thorvardur Sveinsson.

Debbie Brask, SubCom

“Our congratulations to Farice as they officially take the reins of the IRIS cable system,” said Debbie Brask, vice president of project management, SubCom. “IRIS presented SubCom with unique design, technology, and implementation challenges that were overcome in order to meet our customer’s needs. We worked closely with Farice to ensure that the system was manufactured and deployed according to its specifications. Reaching these final stages is a testament to the hard work, creativity, and resourcefulness shown by both the Farice and SubCom teams.”

Galway is identified as a landing site in Europe

Galway was identified as a landing site in Europe with suitable seabed approaches; the location had the ability to land a cable in the heart of the city therefore greatly enhanced the attractiveness of Galway as a landing site and as a potential hub of global connectivity. Explaining why Galway, Thorvardur commented, “After careful consideration of many factors, Galway was selected by Farice as the European cable landing location. . The suitable seabed conditions and strong local infrastructure was a key decision factor for us when selecting Galway as the landing site of our IRIS system. This coupled with Galway’s reputation for business, education and hospitality will lead to a win win situation. The enhanced global activity provided by the system will be a catalyst for attracting high tech business to the city and the regions.”

For more information on Farice log onto http://www.farice.is/.

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Macnas introduces CON MÓR 

October 4, 2022

Macnas Are Back with CON MÓR, The Giant  at Macnas HQ, Fisheries Field, Galway on Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th October 2022  from 12 noon to 8pm.
 
And they are inviting kids and grown-ups to join them in welcoming
this special visitor to Galway!
 
 29th September 2022 – This year, Macnas are back with something big and different! Come down to Macnas HQ at Fisheries Field, Galway to see CON MÓR, The Giant situated on the banks of the River Corrib on Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th October 2022.   
 
Noeline Kavanagh, Artistic Director said – “Con Mór celebrates the Macnas tradition of conjuring Giants into being… Who can ever forget Gulliver on the beach?!  
 
This year we are inviting the public to see Con Mór at Fisheries Field, our home in the centre of Galway city, where he will be for 48 hours only… It’s a rave, it’s a pilgrimage, it’s the Bank Holiday Weekend! Pop up performances on site across the two days. Bring your feathers, your messages of hope and your wellies and we’ll see you there…”
 
Adding – “For fans, devotees and lovers of another great Macnas tradition… The Halloween Parade… Macnas will reclaim the streets of Galway next year, October 2023. And we can’t wait!”
 
A stellar team of local and international talent have come together to bring CON MÓR, The Giant to life, with Director Noeline Kavanagh joined by Co-Designers Paul McDonnell and Dave Young, Lighting & Special Effects Designer Richard Babington, Costumer Designer Cherie White and Composer & Sound Designer Mathew Berrill, as well as local structural steel engineers Pat Rynn Engineering Ltd.
 
The Bank Holiday weekend will also see pop-up performances from the Macnas Drummers, Macnas Brass, Macnas Youth Theatre and Macns Stilt Ensemble across the city, made up of performers and participants from Macnas’s year round education and public participation programme.    
 
Famed for making giants in both familiar and unexpected landscapes around the world, this year Macnas will bring the magic to their own doorstep with Con Mór emerging for the first time at Fisheries Field in Galway city, the company’s home for over 35 years.    
   
And one for the diary! The spectacular storytellers will light up the streets of Galway once again in 2023, with the world-famous Macnas parade scheduled to make its return at Halloween next year.  
 
The Story of CON MÓR, The Giant
 
Inventors and explorers from all over the world are baffled by evidence of an ancient giant living underneath the Macnas workshop at Fisheries Field in Galway city. Macnas called on Professor Marjorie Morrigan, an expert on Giants & Where They Come From for help.
 
Marjorie told them – “This giant seems to have been here for centuries. There is a very large iron nose, so big and rusty, you could park a car in one of the nostrils.”
 
Marjorie Morrigan went on to confirm that this big fella belongs to the legendary Tuatha Dé Danann tribe. His name is CON MÓR and he comes from an ancient Island of Giants off the coast of Connaught. CON MÓR was so famous across Ireland for his love of birds and nature, his friends used to call him The Bird King!   
 
To help welcome him to Galway, Macnas is asking kids to make or find a feather – with a message of hope for the future – and deliver it to CON MÓR at Macnas over the Halloween Bank Holiday Weekend.  Visit www.Macnas.com for more information.
     
 
CON MÓR, The Giant is made possible by support from the Art’s Council, Galway City Council, University of Galway, Smyth’s Toys Superstores, Connacht Hospitality Group, AIB, Acorn Insurance, Galway County Council, The Latin Quarter and PWC.

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Galway Food Tours launch winter tour program

October 4, 2022

Fashion, food and getting crafty this winter in the west

The award-winning Galway Food Tours who guide people through the food scene of Galway have added to their offering this winter with a new program of tours that will combine food, fashion and craft through a vibrant tour of Galway city. 

Happening on Saturday 26th November, on this tour guests will get to discover some of Galway’s eco-conscious businesses and get the opportunity to meet some local entrepreneurs whilst taking in some of Galway’s best known and secret food haunts.

Beginning in Galways westend, In Plamas where a coffee and sweet treat from Kai is the order of the day before heading up Henry Street to The Tweed Project studio to meet one of its founders Aoibheann McNamara. The Tweed Project creates handmade, one-off pieces that combine beautiful Irish fabrics with modern tailoring for a truly authentic expression of Irish design. Their collections are made entirely of Irish fabrics, in Ireland for the world. Operating from a small Atelier in Galway, the collection is hand made from specially selected cuts of premium Donegal Tweed and Irish Linen.

Then it’s time to cross the river to one the city’s most iconic restaurant spaces, Ard Bia where a two course Lunch (with wine!) will be served. From here it’s onto Merchants Road to Galway City Distillery where Grace O’Connell owner and designer at Carve will lead guests through a fun and creative silver ring making workshop. Here you can design and sculpt your own unique ring out of jeweller’s wax, that will then be Cast in Silver for you to have forever. This activity will of course be paired with a Gin Cocktail.

“People want experiences now, so we wanted to bring the best of fashion, craft and food together. We are so lucky in the west to have all these incredible people, places and resources. So, get your friends together or come on a date with us yourself, a brilliant day eating, chatting, a tipple or two and of course having conversations, getting creative and learning from the people that are around us. Perfection,” said Sheena Dignam Owner of Galway Food Tours.

Tickets for this tour are 125€pp. Reserve your spot with Sheena on 086-7332885 or galwayfoodtours@gmail.com. Galway food Tours will be bringing more exciting creative tours in 2023 so stay tuned to their social channels or at www.galwayfoodtours.com

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Galway’s first Oyster Bar opens in Woodquay

October 4, 2022

McSwiggans cracks open Oyster Bar ahead of International Oyster Festival

One of Galway’s best loved bars is celebrating the Oyster in true style by officially launching Galway’s first Oyster bar. The launch is to mark their involvement on the Seafood Trail as part of the Galway International Oyster Festival 2022.

The festival kicks off this Friday 23rd September, with The McSwiggans Oyster bar being shucked open at 4pm. The Oyster bar will be fully stocked with Dooncastle Oysters over ice and customers will be able to enjoy Oysters as is or with a mignonette dressing.

Dooncastle Oysters are the main Oyster supplier for McSwiggans and will be on hand all weekend as part of the Seafood trail. Pair the oysters with a creamy pint of Guinness or choose from the McSwiggans extensive wine cellar. The launching of the Oyster Bar downstairs in McSwiggans is to celebrate seafood and to offer people in Galway the opportunity to enjoy Oysters in a very casual setting. Pop in for one or six, enjoy on a high stool or seated throughout the bar where suits you.

Irish Seafood will be king this weekend with a crock of Mussels served with the twice cooked skin on fries or a plank of prawns served with the very traditional Marie rose sauce. The menu will also include fish and chips as well as Seafood Chowder and their home made brown bread.

The landmark bar and restaurant has been a part of Galway life for over 30 years, evolving from a lively country store trading potatoes in the iconic Woodquay Market to now being a welcoming place to eat the best of what Ireland has to offer on a plate. Working with local suppliers and producers like Dooncastle Oysters is why McSwiggans has held its place on the very reputable Galway food scene map.

“I began as an assistant to oyster farmers, learning how to maintain and care for stock. In each farm I worked in I was taught something new and from this I developed my own technique. I decided rather than mass producing I would bring quality to the market, through this my oysters acquired their unique flavour, “explained John McHugh Owner of Dooncastle Oysters.

McSwiggans Oyster Bar will be open from 4pm this Friday 23 September and will be a feature within the bar post festival. For more information pop in or check out McSwiggans across social media channels, www.mcswiggans.ie or phone 091-568917

testimonial

Lifeline- Galway International Arts Festival Galway, Galway Community Circus, Jigsaw and the Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland 

September 6, 2022

We have worked with Lisa in the past in a training capacity (side note: she’s an incredible woman to facilitate a group of young people) but this summer we were delighted to work again with Lisa when she moderated a panel discussion on youth mental health as part of the Galway International Arts Festival, in conjunction with Galway Community Circus & the Finnish Institute in the UK & Ireland


The young people involved have said that they felt so comfortable with Lisa’s approach as a moderator and as an audience member I can tell you that she’s second to none. She’s kind, compassionate and yet she not afraid to ask difficult questions. She makes sure to make all participants feel involved, valued and most importantly heard. And did I mention she’s a gas woman?! We’re so, so glad that Lisa was free to lead this discussion, it was all the better for her involvement.

Aoife Guilfoyle Youth and Community Engagement Worker Jigsaw Galway,

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Baboró’s Back, Baby

August 11, 2022

First look at Baboró’s return to fully live festival in Galway this October

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children
Galway | 14 – 23 October 2022

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, Ireland’s flagship festival devoted exclusively to children and families, has announced that the 26th annual festival will take place from Friday 14th to Sunday 23rd October, 2022. Taking place across theatres, galleries, schools and communities in Galway City and County, Baboró returns to a full programme of over 50 live events for an extended festival of 10 days.  

The international festival, which celebrates children, families and community through art in all of its forms, will be welcoming companies from all over Ireland and Europe, including Belgium, Italy, Norway, Denmark,Scotland and England. Events for children of all ages will include a special collection of European work for early years children (0-6 yrs), residencies in special schools and child-led projects. 

Children aged 8+ are invited to join the surreal world of ‘Der Lauf’, where nothing is quite as it seems. Two circus performers from Belgian company Le Cirque du Bout du Monde, compete in a series of bizarre challenges as they juggle blindly, spin plates wildly and stack glasses wearing boxing gloves. As the glasses rise, so do the stakes. The children, as their only guide, help lead them to safety or towards further peril. 

Ballet Ireland will present ‘The Glasshouse’, a dance performance for children aged 6+. It is the story of earnest, young Fiach, who is on a mission to repopulate the world with plants and turn it green. This fun and compelling show, by exciting young choreographer Róisín Whelan, is about the courage of the human spirit, friendship and life’s determination to survive. ‘The Glasshouse’ is a feast for the eyes and senses, with moments of suspense and joy, exhilarating dancing, vibrant costumes and magical music to enthral children and families.

‘The excitement is building in Baboró HQ as we put the finishing touches to this year’s festival programme. We just can’t wait to welcome thousands of children, their teachers and families from across the city and county back to the festival. Baboró’s bumper programme has something for everyone, from tiny babies to older children as well as the young at heart. So, chalk down the dates and get ready for the excitement of a full festival again.’ – Aislinn O’hEocha, Executive Artistic Director, Baboró.

Branar, one of Ireland’s leading theatre companies making work for children, will present their new co-production with New International Encounter (UK/Norway) ‘Grand Soft Day’. A charming and curious new show for children aged 3-6 years, ‘Grand Soft Day’ celebrates the wonder of the world around us. It is a show of all seasons – splashing in puddles, wind whipping your hair, crunching frost under your feet and rain dripping on your nose. 

Theatre, dance, visual art, literature and creative workshops will feature in the full festival programme which will be announced when the box office opens in early September. For information about purchasing tickets, show announcements, and more sign up to Baboró’s newsletter, follow on social media or visit www.baboro.ie.

This year’s festival is supported by Medtronic, TG4, The Ombudsman for Children’s Office, and the businesses and venues of Galway City. Baboró is funded by The Arts Council of Ireland and Galway City and County Councils.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Baboró’s mission is to inspire children to engage with the world through their experience of the creative arts, and the festival is grateful for the support of its family of funders, sponsors, donors and partners who make it possible to deliver on this mission. This year’s festival is supported by Medtronic, TG4, The Ombudsman for Children’s Office, and the businesses and venues of Galway City. Baboró is funded by The Arts Council of Ireland and Galway City and County Councils.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Baboró International Arts Festival for Children will launch its programme in early September, at which time tickets will go on sale. For the latest programme announcements follow Baboró on social media or subscribe to their newsletter.

Newsletter: bit.ly/baboronews
Facebook: facebook.com/BaboroGalway
Instagram: @Baboro_Festival
Twitter: @BaboroGalway
Website: baboro.ie

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IdeasLab name ICTUS Medical and IRIS as Start100 winners for 2022

July 12, 2022

Celebrating student entrepreneurs Start100 showcase allows students to pitch investible ideas and innovations

 IdeasLab, the entrepreneurial and innovation hub at NUI Galway, has announced as the inaugural Start100 winners for 2022.

ICTUS Medical and IRIS were crowned the winners of the inaugural Start100 programme from NUI Galway’s IdeasLab.

ICTUS Medical received the overall award for Start100, with IRIS receiving the One to Watch award.

Nine teams of students presented at a special showcase event bringing their innovative ideas to a panel of judges from the worlds of academia, research, industry and enterprise after an intensive six-week programme hosted by IdeasLab.

IdeasLab launched their new student incubator programme, Start100 earlier this year. Start100 helps students with an early-stage concept to transform their ideas into potentially investible innovations.

The Start100 programme provides physical space, key networking opportunities, expert mentorship from alumni and enterprise, as well as a support fund of over €40,000. Students have access to funds to research and develop their idea throughout the programme, and have the chance to win a final event prize fund.

ICTUS Medical is spearheaded by Peter Best-Lydon, a Galway native and recent Biomedical Engineering graduate, and Ciarán McDermott, a final year student in Electronic Engineering. They are developing a painless monitoring device that empowers stroke survivors to take control of their health by detecting sleeping strokes.

“We are absolutely delighted to win. Start100 has been a massive help to us with all of the connections that we have made,” Peter Best-Lydon said. “There is a buzz every week in IdeasLab and it was great to get a sense of working in a start-up. We are really looking forward to making a significant impact to the patient.’’

The One to Watch prize was awarded to IRIS, which was co-founded by Keelan Rowley and Michael Dillon, both recent graduates of NUI Galway’s BSc in Project and Construction Management.

IRIS is a safety device that helps detect the presence of people and animals from machinery like Tractors, Diggers, Dumpers. A cost-effective device that saves lives and families. Winning this award will allow Michael and Keelan to focus on prototyping and validating their idea.

President of NUI Galway, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh launched the showcase event.

“At NUI Galway, our values – respect, openness, excellence and sustainability – are what define us and more importantly we strive to see them become not just words but actions and deeds. Supporting students on a journey of societal impact through enterprising ideas is part of that mission for the public good. It’s a great encouragement to see young people finding solutions to problems through innovation, ideas and solutions and also to see them being supported in that journey by our educators, our university community, and our civic and business networks,” Professor Ó hÓgartaigh said.

The difficult decision of selecting the most investable idea was made by a diverse judging panel representing some of Irelands best and brightest entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and academics. The panel for the final showcase included: Dr Helen McBreen, Partner Atlantic Bridge; Professor Michelle Millar, Dean of Students at NUI Galway; Dr Paul Dodd, Vice President Engagement, NUI Galway; Dr Vanessa Creaven Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Spotlight Oral Care; and Finn Hegarty, Co-Founder and Chief Procurement Officer at GloFox. 

Dr Natalie Walsh, Director of Entrepreneurial Development at NUI Galway, said: “In recent years, we have seen some fantastic student entrepreneurs create global businesses in the west of Ireland.  Through Start100 we now have a platform to support more students to achieve this type of success through the creation of commercial and social enterprises. Start100 is the first student incubator to launch in the University, designed with former and current students, our alumni and enterprise partners, we are incredibly proud to see Start100 come to life on our campus.”

A summary of nine projects showcased at the event included:

I Said Speak – An information awareness video that delves into Ireland’s drink culture among students

Receipt Relay – A customer insights software for retail and hospitality chains using point of sale and consumer app integrations

IRIS – A safety device that helps detect the presence of people and animals from farm machinery – saving lives and families

Matán Marketing – Digital marketing for gyms

Scrunch-UP – An anti-spike scrunchie for university students

ThoughtGarden – Self-administered CBT mobile game to reduce anxiety and depression

DataPals.io – A data-driven e-commerce agency that builds and optimises high-performance Shopify stores

Struts.app – An application that facilitates the remote capture of patient’s foot scan data using just a smart phone

ICTUS Medical – A painless monitoring device that empowers stroke survivors to take control of their health by detecting sleeping strokes

For more information check out

http://www.nuigalway.ie/Ideaslab

Or follow IdeasLab on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/nui-galway-ideaslab/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/IdeasLabNUIG

Instagram @IdeasLabNUIG

Ends


About IdeasLab

IdeasLab at NUI Galway is an open collaborative environment for the campus community to explore and accelerate ideas.  Programmes are open to all students from any year or course. Whether meeting new people, developing skills, working to solve global challenges or setting up a business is your aim, IdeasLab is the place to start.

Start100 is funded by the Human Capital Initiative (Government of Ireland) and the European Institute of Technology HEI Initiative.

Start100 Media

Quotes

Helen McBreen – Judge from Atlantic Bridge – Quote on all Start100 presentations

Through Start100 the student teams gained the experience and tools needed to build a business and that came across in spades in their presentations. The passion that came across in all of the presentations was huge. The friends that the student teams have built by engaging with one another and networking is fantastic. The impact of all of the ideas was impressive, every team spoke about huge problems in their target markets and spoke with passion, like most entrepreneurs do. The Start100 teams had a great understanding of the problems in their target markets and the need to solve them. 

Helen McBreen quote on One to watch – IRIS

IRIS were our One to Watch in terms of the impact, the passion of their presentation, the teamwork involved throughout and the transformation from week one to week six of Start100

Helen McBreen quote on Overall Winners – ICTUS Medical

There is a huge market ahead for this winning team and their technology around stroke detection. It is very early days and there is a lot of road to go, there is going to be a lot of head winds, a lot of tail winds and challenges but this team clearly presented and demonstrated how they progressed over the 6 week Start100 programme. ICTUS Medical presented a clear plan for the years ahead and the work that they will have to do to bring their technology into the stroke market was very impressive.

Vanessa Creaven – Spotlight Oral Care – Judge – On both winning teams

In the overall competition the winning team really stood out in terms of their passion and ingenuity. ICTUS Medical have a huge opportunity to make a real difference on an individual patient level but also on the healthcare service as a whole.  They presented a very structured and thoughtful plan and were seriously impressive Start100 participants. Both ICTUS Medical, as overall winners and ‘One to Watch’ IRIS were really patient focussed and would make a huge difference to the quality of life of patients.

President of NUI Galway, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh on Start100

At NUI Galway, our values – respect, openness, excellence and sustainability – are what define us and more importantly we strive to see them become not just words but actions and deeds. Supporting students on a journey of societal impact through enterprising ideas is part of that mission for the public good. It’s a great encouragement to see young people finding solutions to problems through innovation, ideas and solutions and also to see them being supported in that journey by our educators, our university community, and our civic and business networks

Natalie Walsh IdeasLab quote on Start100

In recent years, we have seen some fantastic student entrepreneurs create global businesses in the west of Ireland.  Through Start100 we now have a platform to support more students to achieve this type of success through the creation of commercial and social enterprises. Start100 is the first student incubator to launch in the University, designed with former and current students, our alumni and enterprise partners, we are incredibly proud to see Start100 come to life on our campus.

Peter Best-Lydon of overall winning team ICTUS Medical

Absolutely delighted to win. Start100 has been a massive help to us with all of the connections that we have made. There is a buzz every week in IdeasLab and it was great to get a sense of working in a start-up. We are really looking forward to making a significant impact to the patient.

IRIS – One to Watch

Michael Dillon

Start100 was a great programme. We really learned a lot and the lecturers that came in provided us with great insider information and helped us plan how we will expand our business. This prize really means a lot and will help us towards prototyping and field testing our design.

Keelan Rowley

Start100 has been critical in the development of our product. From the very beginning we were mentored throughout the entire process of the 6 week programme. We had brilliant tutors and lecturers. Winning this prize will be very important for our prototyping and validating the solution we have developed.

Featured In the Media Love

Laughing all the way to The Kings Head

July 12, 2022

The biggest laughs in the littlest room

The most intimate Festival comedy at its best will happen at The Kings Head this July! The Kings Head has been a venue for lunchtime Comedy during GIAF for over 25 years. This July you can catch some of Ireland’s best Comedians up close and personal in the intimate surrounds of The Ruby Room on the top floor of the 800-year-old Kings Head.

For many it’s a Festival within a Festival, with a different line up each day, it’s a rare chance to catch these stadium style comics in such an intimate setting. All this under the tutelage of host and MC Gerry Mallon.

No pre planning or booking, The Laughter Loft at the Ruby Room for Galway International Arts Festival is what Galway festivals are all about. Spontaneity and fun.

Enjoy the comedy styling of top acts including Foil Arms and Hog, Deirdre O’Kane, Neil Delamere, Emma Doran, Colm O’Regan, Martin ‘Beanz’ Warde, Sinéad Quinlan, Shrinidhi Kalwad and many more. Shows take place daily from Monday 11th to Sunday 24th July. Doors open at 12:30pm with all shows starting at 1pm.

There is no pre booking, first come first served with Tickets available on the door only. For all things The Kings Head check out www.thekingshead.iewww.giaf.ie or get social @TheKingsHead.

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Here is the Full Laughter Loft Lineup:

Monday July 11th: Karl Spain

Tuesday July 12th: John Colleary

Wednesday July 13th: Foil Arms and Hog , 2 shows 1pm and 3pm .

Thursday July 14th: Foil Arms and Hog , 2 shows, 1pm and 3pm .

Friday July 15th: Joe Rooney

Saturday July 16th: Emma Doran and Shrinidi Kalwad

Sunday July 17th: Patrick McDonnell

Monday July 18th: Kevin Gildea.

Tuesday July 19th: Neil Delamere

Wednesday July 20th: Danny O Brien,

Thursday July 21st: Sinead Quinlan and Ian Burke.

Friday July 22nd: Colm O Regan.

Saturday July 23rd: Martin ‘ Beanz ‘ Warde and Paul David Murphy.

Sunday July 24th: Deirdre O Kane