Browsing Tag

connection

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Taking a walk on the west side

August 10, 2023

Writing about Galway’s Westend Walking Tours in This Is Galway

“Oh I never knew that about this place” A line repeated about Galways westend as soon as people
discover the neighbourhood. Filled with small independent shops, art spaces, cafes, restaurants and
one of the biggest nightlife scenes in the country, heading back the west is the place to be always.

To know more about how it became the place we all get to enjoy today, we need to learn how it has
come to be. The Galway Westend Walking Tours which started just in June has given locals and
people visiting this opportunity.

Running twice daily from Ravens Terrace, you are taken on a social
and cultural exploration of Sea Road, touching on the Claddagh, through Dominick Street, along the
canals and onto Henry Street, sneaking into the Small Crane and then onto Williams Street west.
The stories of the west are told by an array of guides who have connections for very different and
diverse reasons with the area. Some live and work (ed) here, some came, fell in love, and never left,
some have studied it and others have taking the reigns and have a desire to share the magic of the
west with as many people as possible.
The walking tours explains the history of the buildings, the public spaces from Lady Gregory holiday
residence to a small potato market, to famous traditional public houses to national music
institutions and that is before you even eat a bite of food in the many award-winning restaurants.

There is a beautiful park that so many do not know about and ample stories of trade on the
Eglington canal which now in our times just acts as a beautiful waterway we walk, run and cycle
safely along up to the University.

Take a westend walking tour and understand the origins of this wonderful neighbourhood and just

why its has that special draw for everyone who spends time here. Book here:
www.galwayswestend.ie

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SALT

May 4, 2023

An exploration of our connection to the sea, through the power of personal story, collective song, poetry, and light art

Over 2,000 people attended two multidisciplinary ritual beach performances that celebrated our ocean took place in Kinvara on Trácht Beach and Ladies Beach in Salthill, Galway City on April 30th and May 1st as part of Galway Theatre Festival 2023.

A Community Choir of 60 voluntary participants sung alongside a performing ensemble cast made up of professional performers Daniel Guinnane, Johanne Webb, and Sophie Hutchinson who performed with artist and vocalist Ceara Conway. 

The Salt Community Choir consists of members of the community in Kinvara and its surroundings, most of them sea swimmers themselves. Over an extended period of three months, the choir rehearsed with composer Robbie Blake and Vanessa Earl exploring together soundscapes of the sea and Ode. 

An exploration of our connection to the sea, through the power of personal story, collective song, poetry, and light art.

SALT, a collaboration between a community of sea-swimmers based in Kinvara, composer Robbie Blake, poet Mary Madec, and marine scientists, led and directed by theatre-maker Vanessa Earl and produced by Culture Works will celebrate our connection to the sea as a coastal community.

SALT, inspired by the powerful personal stories of local swimmers gathered during the pandemic, is about belonging, authentic connection, healing and empowerment. To belong, to be part of, and to be connected with ourselves, each other and the sea.  These themes have informed the creation of a 30-minute site-responsive, outdoor performance. 

In this collective positive action of celebration, we will foster an understanding of our common humanity; reconnect to our natural home, foster conscious living through our love and respect for our ocean. This is Positive Intrinsic Cultural Activism. (PICA)

The long-term ambition for SALT is to perform on beaches at all four cardinal points in Ireland and ultimately, to share the ode and music with community choirs in coastal communities across the world to raise awareness of our intrinsic relationship to the ocean and the vital need to protect it and take positive action in order to do so.

SALT champions the work of FairSeas who are working to fully protect 30% of Ireland’s ocean territory by 2030, thus making Ireland a world leader in marine protection. Galway Bay has been identified as an area of special interest due to its’ high density of bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoise and the 65,000 birds who breed here every year.

This project is funded by The Arts Council’s Arts Participation Project Award, Creative Ireland, Galway County Arts Office, Galway and City Council. 

SALT champions the work of FairSeas who are working to fully protect 30% of Ireland’s ocean territory by 2030, thus making Ireland a world leader in marine protection. Galway Bay has been identified as an area of special interest due to its’ high density of bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoise and the 65,000 birds who breed here every year.

For more information get social on Instagram @saltprojectgalway and @cultureworks.ie 

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Connection, Compassion and adventure in Finding Victoria

June 27, 2022

New Book to help when things don’t go according to plan

Parenting small children can be challenging at the best of times. There are hundreds of books out there listing things for parents to do, but what happens when you’re in the real world, and things don’t go as planned?

Finding Victoria is Peter Pan meets Mary Poppins…with the science. This book written by Kristin Ruane (who is from New Jersey but has been living and working in Galway for the past eight years) is a training guide to the science of Applied Behavior Analysis written as a novel. The idea is to bring some awareness of the science to parents in an accessible, yet enticing way, by adding context to the lessons through relatable characters, and unexpected plot twists.

Finding Victoria is a book for anyone who enjoys a story about connection, compassion, adventure, and magic! The story follows Victoria, an adorable, yet stubborn child who meets her match when her mother, Valerie, decides to call a behavior analyst. Kay is an experienced therapist who has been working with families for years, but she’s never met a girl quite like Victoria. Kay works hard to untangle some of her challenging behaviors, and to teach Victoria her most hated task – writing. Therapy takes a sudden turn when Kay immerses herself in Victoria’s play world and discovers her secret – she’s magic.

The book is for parents, teachers, behaviour analysts, psychologists, and pretty much anyone who knows children.

“For a long time, I wrote fairytales. It never occurred to me to write about what I did for a living, until one day, I was talking with a parent that I was working with, and she told me, “You need to write about this!” It was then that I realised I could combine my love of writing fairytales with my love of psychology, teaching and behaviour analysis. I’m hoping the book will help to increase awareness of the field of ABA, and offer support to parents that need it,” explained Kristin.

“This book is a great example of how to humanize the science of behavior and allow the general public to appreciate what wonders it can do for us. Kristin Ruane perfectly blends scientific knowledge and years of experience of its application to solving human problems with a deep sense of compassion and empathy for her subject and packages this in a beautifully-written story of progress and hope. Thoroughly recommended!” Dr. Ian Stewart NUIG.

“As the mother of an energetic four-year-old, I found this book to be incredibly valuable in learning how to manage my son’s tantrums and to help improve his listening skills. It is written in a way that is both engaging and informative, making it a worthy use of any busy parent’s time.” Megan Gibbons, Mother.

Practical, insightful, compassionate – a lifeline for the modern family.” Niamh O’Regan, Mother.

“I’m fascinated by connection, it’s why my research was what it was, and it’s why I’ve written this book. The world has changed so much, and I think we’re unaware of how much we’re disconnecting from each other, and ourselves. We probably all have a lot to learn about why we do the things we do, and if we’re honest with ourselves, we probably all need a little hope and magic in our lives, too,” Kristin said.

People can support the project by pre-ordering a book from the Kickstarter website. The books are offered at a discounted price on Kickstarter (€15/€18) retail price is €20.

For now, you can find the book at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/findingvictoria/finding-victoria , or on Instagram @kristinruane, or @princesscottonfairy. The hope is that it will be available at all of the local book shops.