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Communication Strategy for IdeasLab University of Galway

March 27, 2023

Building our community within and outside the University of Galway has been priority for IdeasLab over the past 12months. Lisa has supported us in understanding how important our mission, vison and communications are in this process. Understanding these elements from the unit perspective but also how our personal profiles impact on our community has been insightful. Lisa has successfully helped us grow and connect with a broad community in Galway city and beyond and we are now equipped to nurture and grow this community even further in the next 12 months.

Jenny Mullery University of Galway IdeasLab

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CreateHer with University of Galway IdeasLab International Women’s Day event

March 10, 2023

CreateHer with University of Galway IdeasLab International Women’s Day event at Druid Theatre Company

This year through my ongoing work with IdeasLab I was asked to moderate, MC and hold a panel discussion for International Women’s Day. As always my recommendation for this was The Mick Lally Theatre which is ran by the wonderful Siomha and is one of my favourite spaces in Galway.

We have talked alot about equality over the years and now we are looking at how we can move towards a more equitable society.

Simply put: Equality means everyone gets a shoe.
Equity means everyone gets a shoe that fits.

The passionate, captivating, and creative tour de force, Noeline Kavanagh who has brought so much joy and our imaginations to life through her work with the internationally acclaimed Galway-based theatre spectacle company Macnas – Spectacle Theatre Company agreed to be our keynote speaker.

She was the first female and the youngest person at 23 to ever direct the Macnas parade which happened in 2008. It was one of the largest parades ever – with over 500 community participants in it.

Driven by love, imagination, friendship, possibility, chance, choice, challenge, Noeline Kavanagh is a person that offers and delivers so much. Her words on the night lifted the roof and everyone in the room, it was in her vulnerability and honesty we saw her true character and what an incredible person she is. A true leader.

On the panel was Vanessa Creaven
Co-Founder + CEO Spotlight Oral Care
Dr. Natalie Walsh
Director of Entrepreneurial Development University of Galway
Mary Ryan
Deputy CEO WestBIC

These conversations began with defining personal success and how that is ever changing, how we can practically support each other throughout our careers, why being amped up and super charged on busy mode is so 2018 and what we have changed our minds about and why that is a very good thing. Nothing is as enjoyable as good conversation and connection with other people in real life.

This night was all of that.

Thank you Tribe Hospitality Group for the refreshments and WestBIC for sponsoring.

Martina Regan was on hand to capture the ,magic.

Lisa Regan Public Relations (Me) handled all pre and post communications and the MC’ing duties on the evening to which I take very seriously as I love nothing more than researching and being invested in those I am talking and listening to.

Thank you Lisa. 

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The Kings Head Bistro Special International Women’s Day Lunch for Africa

March 6, 2023

Paul and Mary Grealish and the staff of The Kings Head Bistro at 15 High Street, Galway are inviting people to join them on Wednesday the 8th of March from 12.30pm to 2.30pm. They will host a lunch to celebrate International Women’s Day and to support the work of Self Help Africa with some of its Women and Family projects in Africa.

Tickets for this 3 course meal with all proceeds going to the charity are priced at €40.

International Women’s Day Lunch for Self Help Africa’ will be an opportunity for you to have fun, raise awareness and do some fundraising to support women and families living in some of the poorest communities in Africa. Self Help Africa works with these communities – provide women and families with the ability to produce more food, earn more from their farming activities and help mothers and fathers to provide a better life for their children. 

One of the guest speakers at this special event in The Kings Head Bistro will be Mary Sweeney of Self Help Africa who has worked on Women and Children’s projects in Africa for the past 30 years and she will share with you her great experiences and stories of some fantastic women doing great work to make life better for their families in some of the poorest regions in our world.

To reserve a seat or table for this event contact The Kings Head at (091) 566 630 or Ronan Scully at (087) 6189094 or email paul@thekingshead.ie or ronan.scully@selfhelpafrica.org

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ITWD CreateHer at The Druid

March 6, 2023

IdeasLab at University of Galway are amplifying the female voice and action this International Women’s Day and you are invited to be part of the conversation.

The awe inspiring Noeline Kavanagh former Artistic Director at Macnas will deliver a Keynote speech that will lift you from your seat! Then a panel discussion with Dr Natalie Walsh, Dr Vanessa Creaven and Mary Ryan will give a real insight into career progression and how success looks and feels very differently to us all.

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Effective Commination Workshop in Review by Jigsaw

February 14, 2023

‘Lisa delivered a workshop on effective communication to our Youth Advocates (YAs). Lisa has worked with Jigsaw in the past, and having recruited some new YAs we wanted them to have the Lisa experience! Our YAs are working on a number of projects and Lisa gave really good advice on interviewing techniques, delivering a radio show and using social media effectively. She really highlighted the importance of relationship building ,and how when it comes down to it each of us just wants to be seen, heard and validated. Lisa practices what she preaches. She tuned into the needs of the group and was a knowledgeable, engaging and funny facilitator. I would highly recommend her but most importantly the YAs loved it! A little snippet of what they had to say;

‘She is incredibly passionate about what she does and I learnt so much from the training!’ 

‘She brought a really great energy to the room and lots of great lessons on communication’

Laura Herlihy, Youth and Community Engagement Worker with Jigsaw Galway

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Galway Street Art Walking Tour

February 2, 2023

How community development can contribute to and influence social change?

Today I began my working day talking with Anna Daly a 4th year Social Sciences at University of Galway who for her final year dissertation, wants to look at how community development can contribute to and influence social change. In particular she’s interested in how communities can promote positive climate action?

We have been working on being a dynamic, inclusive and progressive community in Galway’s Westend through the businesses, through creativity, with the wonderful residents who are the heart and soul and with ensuring we are respecting our environment.

Anna nailed all of this in her words below and its so wonderful to get validation for all the work and in terms of driving our message through PR and Marketing this was such great feedback to get.

“I think that Galway’s Westend has huge potential to be one of these dynamic communities. It’s already one of the most proactive and eclectic neighbourhoods in the city. When you walk around the Westend it’s easy to pick up a vibe which is pro local businesses, pro creativity and pro sustainability and the collective marketing of the Westend through its website and social media has explicitly identified itself as a community that really values these principles.”

Today I joined the Galway Street Art Walking Tour with Finbar247 Shane O Malley Galway City Council to explore the city and how bringing artists and local government to work together to ensure Street Art is part of our street scape. The value to society through colour, creativity and the economy is only positive.

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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 based artist Lorraine Fletcher launches new collection

November 17, 2022

Time & Place exhibition symbolises the impacts of relationships and memories

Galway based artist Lorraine Fletcher who creates a series of wildlife inspired prints and giftware showcasing the beauty and strength in animals through colour is launching a new collection titled Time & Place.

Time & Place has been created from her workshop at The Burren Nature Sanctuary with her trusty dog Amber, Lorraine has developed a distinct style of work. Her paintings are a combination of vivid colours and focus on the subject. Beginning with an initial sketch and finishing with an original acrylic painting. A select range of originals are then captured to produce limited edition giclee prints on fine art paper using archival inks.

The paintings within Time & Place are symbolisms of relationships and memories, the people and the impact they have had over the years. The subject matter is Irish wildlife and in particular the hare, a song written by Dick Gaughan “The Granemore Hare”,which tells a tale from where she grew up.  

Expressions, stance and compositions of each piece are what tell the story of what Time +Place means to me as an artist, individual, partner, mother, friend, musician, and family explains Lorraine.

Time and Place has different meanings to the three artists within the exhibition, none of which have seen each other’s work or will not until opening night. “For me it has a strong link of home from home. I have lived in Galway since 2002 on and off going travelling but always returning. The place is Galway to Armagh and back, I could drive these roads with my eyes closed. The journey is imprinted at this stage.

Expressions and compositions are important in Lorraine’s work, with an importance on the beauty and strength in each animal, from the elegant stag to the curious and beautiful fox. If you love wildlife and colour, you have found the right place.

Time & Place exhibition will be opened in Armagh Marketplace Theatre on 11th November 2022. Lorraine has created 15 paintings all of which are acrylic on canvas or board in varying sizes. The entire collection will be available to view from www.lorrainefletcherartstudio.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/.