Tag: #galway

Galway County Council Launches Revamped Bilingual Website

Galway County Council has launched a completely redesigned bilingual website aimed at delivering faster, clearer, and more accessible information to residents, businesses, and visitors.

The new site, available at Gaillimh.ie and Galway.ie, was developed by award-winning Irish web services company Annertech. It now offers 100 per cent Irish-language content, improved translation management, and the ability to deliver dynamic updates including rich media, event announcements, and severe weather alerts.

Core services, including Planning, Housing, Environment, Libraries, Climate Action, Community, and Business and Economy, are easily accessible from the home page. Visitors can also sign up for location-based alerts on road works, planning applications, severe weather, and community notices through the MapAlerter service.

With the majority of users accessing the site on mobile devices, page layouts automatically adjust to fit smartphones and tablets.

Liam Conneally, Chief Executive of Galway County Council, said, “We have incorporated the views of elected members and the public, along with best practices in local government web service delivery, when redesigning the site. This ensures that the most up-to-date information about our services is presented in a modern, user-friendly interface with improved navigation and accessibility features.”

Katie O’Connor, Director of Finance, Motor Tax, ICT and Digital Transformation, described the launch as “a major step forward in making our services clearer, faster, and more accessible.”

She added, “The upgraded bilingual site ensures reliable access to council information and services at all times. It follows the Local Government Service Catalogue, presenting information around what people need.”

Michael Martyn, Head of Information Systems, commented, “By rewriting all content in plain English and Gaeilge, building on an open-source platform, and making Irish-language content a core feature, we are making it easier for people to find what they need, when they need it. This is about putting the user first, whether they are a resident, a business, or a visitor to Galway County.”

The site is built on Local Government Drupal, an open-source platform shared by councils in Ireland and the UK, with sharing of additional development and features on a build-once, share-many basis.

Visit www.Gaillimh.ie and www.Galway.ie.

Galway’s Severe Weather Tech Goes National

Galway County Council and Galway Fire and Rescue Service have been recognised for leadership in emergency technology after their Severe Weather Event Management System (SWEMS) proved instrumental during Storm Eowyn and was recently showcased by Government as part of its storm review.

The local authority received the Best Local Government Authority Project Award at the 2025 Business Post Public Sector Digital Transformation Awards, held at the Mansion House in Dublin.

Developed in-house by Galway County Council and built on the ESRI ArcGIS platform, SWEMS provides emergency teams with a live, interactive map of severe weather events, enabling faster and more informed decision-making. The system also connects to public-facing platforms, including social media and a text alert service, giving residents real-time updates as conditions change.

“Up to now there has been a lag getting information, and we found we were behind the curve straight away,” said Paul Duffy, Senior Assistant Chief Fire Officer. “This system means all our information is there in front of us. From an organisational point of view, hours could be saved during severe weather and wildfire events.”

He continued, “The award recognises exceptional innovation in digital public service delivery, particularly in the face of increasingly frequent and severe weather events. With national rollout now underway, the SWEMS team is proud that our technology is set to redefine how Ireland prepares for and responds to climate-driven emergencies.”

Michelle Hennelly, Senior Assistant Chief Fire Officer, confirmed that the system was recently demonstrated to the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment (DCEE) as part of its storm review. She also highlighted a multi-county exercise led by Galway at the National Emergency Coordination Centre (NECC), involving eight local authorities and coordinated by the Office of Emergency Planning (OEP) under the Department of Defence.

“The exercise showed that SWEMS could be scaled across counties and departments with minimal cost,” Ms Hennelly added.

Project Lead Mackenzie Boland, from the council’s Geographical Information Systems (GIS) team, said SWEMS now underpins severe weather response for both Galway County and City Councils, supporting assessment teams and frontline crews alike.

Hennelly extended thanks to Michael Martin, Head of Information Systems at Galway County Council, and Barry Doyle, former GIS Lead, for their support throughout the project.

Galway County Council’s StoryMaps Wins eGovernment Award

Galway County Council’s innovative StoryMaps project, which has digitised the heritage of communities across County Galway into interactive online experiences, has been named a category winner at the 2025 Ireland eGovernment Awards.

The project received the Open Data Award, having been shortlisted alongside the National Cancer Registry of Ireland.

Galway County Council’s Heritage and GIS sections, working in conjunction with community groups and academia, have so far created over 40 town and village StoryMaps showcasing the rich heritage of the County’s towns, villages, and townlands.

In addition, historical information relating to 1,000 townlands has been digitised, providing a valuable resource for communities, schools, heritage groups, Tidy Towns committees, academia, and the public.

By integrating mapping technology with text, images, and multimedia content, StoryMaps delivers location-based stories that can be accessed on any internet-enabled device, from desktop computers to tablets and phones.

Cllr David Collins, Cathaoirleach of Galway County, said, “This project showcases and promotes knowledge of, and pride in, the rich heritage of our townlands, villages, towns, and other aspects of our heritage. It presents this heritage to local, national, and international audiences and serves as an extremely valuable resource.”

Liam Conneally, Chief Executive of Galway County Council, added, “This project is a fantastic example of how local history can be preserved and shared using modern technology and innovative research techniques. The partnership approach to developing StoryMaps shows how collaboration is central to preserving and sharing our local history.”

Liam Hanrahan, Director of Services for Planning and Economic Development, said the project places a strong emphasis on community engagement, presenting local heritage in a way that is easily accessible to the public, the Irish diaspora, and scholars at home and abroad.

Led by Galway County Council’s Heritage Office and GIS Department, the project was developed in collaboration with the Galway County Community Archaeology Project, University of Galway, Atlantic Technology University (ATU) Galway, ICAN (Irish Community Archive Network) Galway, Galway County Heritage Forum, The Heritage Council, and local Tidy Towns, heritage and community groups.

Bridin Feeney, GIS Analyst in Galway County Council’s ICT Department, said the project is about unearthing stories, local lore, and forgotten histories and presenting them in an engaging digital format.

Outlining the background to the project, she added, “Several community groups approached us wanting to develop a digital platform to showcase the heritage and history of their local areas but lacked the capacity or resources to do so. Working with these groups, our GIS team and Heritage Officer developed a framework to create StoryMaps for their heritage trails and townland research. Some communities had the knowledge but not the digital expertise, so we worked with them and trained them on the possibilities of StoryMaps and how they could reach their target audiences.”

Heritage Officer Marie Mannion said the primary goal of StoryMaps is to make heritage accessible to everyone.

“We initially expected to train local communities and students on how to create StoryMaps and make this information available as open-source data. It has turned out to be much more than that,” she explained. “It has given people confidence in their skills and fostered a strong sense of pride in their communities. The StoryMaps are used by local residents, schools, academics, the diaspora, and many others. They have a myriad of uses, and we are only now discovering additional applications, including their use in ATU Galway’s Heritage Studies course.”

The Ireland eGovernment Awards celebrate excellence, innovation, and creativity in Ireland’s public sector and are recognised as the benchmark for digital government services. This year’s awards were presented by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD at O’Reilly Hall, UCD.

Giles Newsome, CEO of iConnect101 and a member of this year’s judging panel, said, “This submission proved very much the value of using GIS, open-source mapping data to deliver something very valuable from Galway County Council to the people of Galway and beyond. What has been done here is the creation and curation of very valuable content on interactive maps about places of interest, historic monuments, historic sites right across County Galway. A fantastic smart use of mapping technology.”

The StoryMaps project is available at www.tinyurl.com/StoryMapGalway.

New state-of-the-art facility for Arm opens in Galway

Arm, the company that is building the future of computing, recently celebrated the official opening of its new state-of-the-art facility in Galway City. Since establishing operations in Galway in 2014, Arm has expanded to 90 staff members locally, and more than 4800 employees across Europe.

Arm’s facility at Crown Square, which recently welcomed a visit from Taoiseach Micheál Martin, will become home to innovative advancements in technology.

This project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment Peter Burke TD said: “The opening of Arm’s new facility in Galway is a strong endorsement of Ireland’s position as a global hub for research, innovation and advanced semiconductor technologies. We recently launched Silicon Island: Ireland’s National Semiconductor Strategy which aims to have Ireland firmly at the forefront of the global semiconductor industry, targeting emerging technologies, showcasing our manufacturing expertise, R&D capacity, and enterprise supports which will generate high-quality, highly skilled employment opportunities across Ireland.

I thank Arm for its continued commitment to Galway and look forward to the positive impact this will have on the region and the wider economy. I wish all the team at Arm every success for the future.”

“Ireland’s new National Semiconductor Strategy underscores the country’s growing importance in the global technology landscape,” said Mike Lardner, senior director, Engineering, Arm. “We’re proud that our teams in Galway are helping deliver the computing foundations for the next era of innovation — advancing research, strengthening the local ecosystem, and building the future of AI on Arm.”

IDA Ireland CEO Michael Lohan said: I wish to congratulate Arm on this strategic move into a new state-of-the-art facility in Galway City.  A key player in the semiconductor industry, Arm is recognised for its capability in mobile and licensing of chip designs. This new Galway facility is part of Arm’s strategy to expand its market reach and talent pool in Ireland, supporting innovative work in semiconductor and technology development.  I’d like to wish Arm continued success.

Teen-Turn Launches 2025 Incubator in Galway

Last Saturday, teenage girls from across Ireland gathered at Portershed, a modern co-working hub in Galway’s city centre, for the launch of Teen-Turn’s 2025 Innovators programme, which is backed in part by BNY. The event marked the beginning of a year-long initiative designed to help participants turn promising afterschool projects into viable tech start-ups.

Each year, several Teen-Turn teams develop ideas with real commercial potential — projects that could be brought to market or at least developed into minimum viable products (MVPs). The Innovators programme supports these teams through incubator and accelerator phases. By offering expert mentorship and hands-on support, with guidance from industry and academic professionals, participants are taken through the early stages of the start-up process — from concept to MVP, and, in some cases, company formation.

“I’m really looking forward to this year’s Incubator and the opportunity to work with such a talented and driven group of young women,” said Iseult Mangan, Regional Manager for Teen-Turn. “It’s a privilege to be part of a programme that helps transform those ideas into real-world solutions with impact — empowering these girls to become founders, build sustainable companies, and contribute meaningfully to society.”

The projects in this year’s cohort are solving problems that are both personal and surprisingly universal — the kinds of ideas that don’t always come from the tech industry, but should. Examples include, from Shannon, Caoimhe, Chloe and Biella are building Focus Future, a platform to help families manage the day-to-day challenges of dementia care. From Claremorris, Ema and Simona are developing Evolve Era, an AI-powered health journal that helps track, analyse and potentially flag skin conditions before they escalate. Michaela (Galway), Orlaith (Mayo), and Flourish (Limerick) are behind Own It, an app designed to help girls and young women navigate menstrual health alongside their sporting and academic lives. And Laila (Longford) and Sofiia (Wicklow) are working on Sweet Health, a diabetes and sugar intake management app.

At the launch, the 2025 cohort had the chance to meet alumnae from previous years of Innovators — and get a glimpse of where their own projects might be headed next. Companies from the 2024 year group, who have graduated from the Incubator to the Accelerator phase, are now introducing to the market their tested MVPs. Donna Mae (Clare) and Dana (Mayo) created Gestura, a sign language learning and translation app. And Nora and Elizabeth, both from Galway, developed UNDump, an app encouraging the reuse and recycling of clothing and household items.

From the 2023 Innovators cohort, Mary Lillibeth, Katie and Aoibheann, all from Mayo, will now embark on the final programme phase of the Teen-Turn initiative, known as Vector. Vector groups benefit from PayPal supports. Their app, HerdSync, is a farm management tool designed to digitise how Irish farms are run. What started a couple of years ago as a Technovation project after school is now being adopted by target users.

At Saturday’s launch, the girls had the chance to work with mentors Joe Smyth, SVP of R&D, AI, Digital and Journey Management at Genesys and Co-founder of Altocloud, and Alice Shaughnessy, Clinical R&D Engineer at Luminate Medical and Co-founder of Mirr. Both entrepreneurs shared their own journeys to startup exits and offered guidance throughout the day. Providing young founders with the opportunity to meet people who have actually built something — those who have taken an idea and turned it into a real product, a real company — is a key part of the Innovators programme. “It wasn’t a huge event — just a small, focused group of teen girls and mentors in a hub — but it felt like the right space to start something meaningful,” said Laila Faissal, one of this year’s participants.

For those girls entering into the incubator phase, in particular, the day marked their first step into the business world not just as learners, but as creators and early-stage founders. With mentorship, peer support, and the backing of industry professionals, they’re developing skills — and products — that could shape Ireland’s future.  The work ahead of them won’t be easy. But the message is clear: they belong in the room — and they’re just getting started.

About Teen-Turn: Teen-Turn is an Irish non-profit organisation that provides teen girls, particularly those from underserved communities, the opportunity to gain hands-on STEM experience and the support to acquire qualifications and jobs. More information on their activities and the support they provide to girls is available at www.teen-turn.com.

From Townlands to Tablets: Galway Heritage Gets a Digital Makeover

Six of Galway’s historic civil parishes are stepping into the digital age with the launch of an innovative project that turns local heritage into interactive online StoryMaps.

In a major collaboration between Galway County Council, University of Galway, Galway County Heritage Forum, The Heritage Council, and community heritage groups, the rich histories of Stradbally (Clarinbridge), Monivea, Moylough, Moycullen, Gort, and Loughrea have been meticulously researched and digitally transformed.

Officially launched this week at a special event in Áras an Chontae, the project brings together traditional townland research and historical records in a newly digitised format. Drawing on rich sources such as O’Donovan’s Ordnance Survey Letters, Griffith’s Valuation, the Down Survey, and the 1901 and 1911 censuses, the initiative makes these valuable archives more accessible than ever.

The initiative is powered by the work of University of Galway students Carlos Grace, Giada Solito, Liam Flaherty, and Laura Daly. Over the past year, they have worked in close partnership with local communities and Galway County Council’s Heritage Office and GIS Department, unearthing stories, local lore, and forgotten histories that now live on through this accessible and engaging digital format.

The research has been digitised for townlands in the six parishes, while immersive digital StoryMaps have been created for Loughrea, Moylough, Moycullen, and Gort. Combining the latest mapping technology with text, images, and multimedia content, the StoryMaps tell powerful location-based stories accessible from any internet-enabled device with a web browser, including tablets and phones.

Cllr Martina Kinane, Cathaoirleach of the County of Galway, expressed her enthusiasm for the project: “The launch marks a significant milestone in how local history is preserved and shared. With an eye on Galway’s global diaspora and future generations, the project is a powerful example of how technology and tradition can converge to deepen our understanding of place.”

“As we navigate the digital landscape, we honour the traditions of the past while embracing the opportunities of the future,” she added. “Through these StoryMaps, we invite you to immerse yourselves in the essence of our townlands, towns, and villages, to witness the evolution of time reflected in the fields, roads, and streets we walk, and the buildings, landscapes, and structures we admire.”

Dr. Lisa Walshe, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Sociology at the University of Galway, commended the students’ efforts: “It has been a privilege for our university to collaborate with Galway County Council on this initiative, which highlights the rich heritage of Galway County through innovative student research. This partnership exemplifies the value of academic and civic engagement, and I commend our students for their dedication, creativity, and commitment to preserving and sharing our local history. Together, we are helping to deepen public appreciation of Galway’s unique cultural landscape.”

Liam Conneally, Chief Executive of Galway County Council, said: “The accomplishments of these outstanding students and their significant contributions to preserving and promoting the heritage of Galway County are immense. Their efforts exemplify the power of collaboration and the necessity of investing in future generations.”

Marie Mannion, Heritage Officer of Galway County Council, highlighted the collaborative nature of the initiative: “This project is a testament to the power of collaboration and the importance of investing in our future generations. The dedication and passion of the students, combined with the support of our local communities and the expertise of the Heritage Office and GIS Department, have brought this initiative to life.”

There are over 64,000 townlands in Ireland of which there are in the region of 4,556 in County Galway, Ireland’s second largest county. Almost half of the County’s townlands have so far been digitised as part of the ‘Galway County Heritage Trails’ project.

The Townland Research is available at www.tinyurl.com/townland, while the StoryMaps may be viewed at www.tinyurl.com/StoryMapGalway.

CCI Global Expands European Operations at Platform94, Galway

Just six months after opening its first European base at Platform94 in Galway, global customer engagement leader CCI Global have announced a major expansion, moving from a 3-desk startup space into a 30-person office unit. The new office space will provide the capacity needed to support CCI’s ambitious growth plans in the region, with room to scale their team steadily over the coming months.

CCI Global operates across key African markets including Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Egypt and South Africa, with Botswana launching soon. With over 15,000 employees across 15 sites on the continent, the company’s expansion into Galway marks a strategic step in building distributed global tech hubs. Galway’s vibrant talent pool, innovation-driven culture, and strong connectivity make it an ideal European base to complement CCI’s growing African operations.

The expansion was officially announced at a private event today at Platform94, with speakers including Mervyn Pretorius, Group CTO and CCI Ireland Lead and Marie Donnellan, CEO of Platform94. The event was also attended by IDA Ireland.

Martin Roe, Group CEO of CCI Global commented: “This strategic move has been thoughtfully planned and is a key step in our global growth. We chose Ireland as the home of our IT Hub because of its strong reputation for tech talent and the incredible support from the government and local ecosystem. We’re excited to be expanding into a larger space in Galway, strengthening our IT capabilities, and creating more high-quality jobs here in Ireland.”

Mervyn Pretorius, Group CTO and Ireland Lead, added: “Establishing our European base at Platform94 is a strategic move for CCI as we continue to grow our global delivery capability. The team here is already contributing to key areas of our technology and client support operations, and this expansion positions us to deliver even more value to our partners worldwide.”

Marie Donnellan, CEO of Platform94, welcomed the news:
“The speed of CCI’s growth speaks not only to the strength of the local ecosystem for ambitious global tech businesses, but also to the calibre of the team they’ve built here in Galway. We’re proud to support them on this journey and excited to see what’s next as they scale their European presence from their base here at Platform94.”

Denis Curran, Head of Emerging Business at IDA Ireland said: “CCI Global’s expansion in Galway is a strong endorsement of Ireland’s position as a strategic location for ambitious, growth-focused companies. Our pro-business environment, combined with access to skilled talent and a supportive innovation ecosystem, continues to attract firms from across the globe”

This expansion marks a significant milestone for CCI Global. Galway’s rich talent base and dynamic innovation ecosystem have positioned it as a cornerstone of CCI’s global growth strategy.

Ireland’s games industry stands at a crucial “inflection point”

In a challenging environment for the games industry, Ireland is creating “incredible incentives and structures” to support and “elevate” Irish game developers in “the way they deserve to be uplifted”.

This was the observation of Xalavier Nelson Jr., the BAFTA-nominated and Forbes 30 under 30 Studio Head of game developer and publisher Strange Scaffold, one of the key speakers at the FÍS Games Summit 2025, which took place last weekend in Galway, Ireland.

Mr Nelson was responding to the announcement at the Summit of the Digital Games Portfolio, a major new fund designed to further develop and strengthen the Irish games industry’s rapidly growing international reputation.

The Digital Games Portfolio is a €500,000 funding scheme, launched by Screen Ireland, and which will be managed by Ardán, the Galway based organisation supporting creatives in film, TV, games, and animation, and Imirt, the national organisation for game developers and creators in Ireland. 

The DGP will fund a variety of new initiatives, the first of which will be IndieDev 2025, a cross-border prototype fund in collaboration with NI Screen to help teams of creators turn their game ideas into prototypes.

The fund will also see Dublin and Galway become ‘incubators’ to support individuals at the early stage of their careers. There will also be a pilot development fund targeting established Irish game studios, to allow them develop IP within their work spaces.

The funding comes at what Ardán CEO, Alan Duggan, called a “pivotal” moment and “an inflection point” in the Irish games industry.

“There’s a tremendous enthusiasm and vigour in the Irish games industry,” he said. “We’re swelling into a wave and that’s really running contrary to a lot of what’s happening internationally.”

Colm Larkin, CEO of Imirt, said: “At a State level, Ireland is looking at games and games developers as a culturally relevant art form and is saying, ‘Yes, we need to support this.’ This is just going to be the first step towards really growing our sector.”

The Minister for Arts, Culture, Media, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan TD said: “The international games industry represents a huge contestable market, one in which Ireland can excel based on our technical, design and storytelling competencies. This funding combined with the recently introduced tax credit for games are key steps along the government’s path to developing a national strategy for games.”

The future of the industry, AI, and creativity

In his address, Xalavier Nelson Jr., said the games industry “makes miraculous art” but is poor at delivering on time, within budget, and in certain instances, quality.

He noted how missing deadlines and exceeding budgets has become normalised within the industry, and said current industry models often prioritise long development cycles for single projects, leading to burnout and limiting opportunities for artists to experiment.

He called on game developers to recognise they are artists, but also encouraged them to develop a strong business sense, in order to “confront these realities”.

Industry legend Tom Hall (Commander Keen, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom), who now works in Ireland as Design Lead at the Galway based Romero Games, explored the creative process.

He encouraged game developers to embrace ‘Drift Time’, his concept of allowing the mind to wander freely in order to create. He encouraged Summit attendees to “play around with an idea” especially if it “may make you feel uncomfortable”.

Hall also advised developers to take a ‘bottom-up’ approach to game creation, in order to work out core gameplay issues and mechanics, instead of top-down design, where the story and universe are prioritised.

AI and its role in the Games Industry was addressed by Finlay MacAree, Technical Director at Xbox Game Studios. He said while AI can enhance the creative process by generating ideas, assets, or code, allowing developers to focus on higher-level design and storytelling, AI itself “will never replace art”.

“I want someone’s actual history, feelings, and emotions in the game,” he said, and warned that relying solely on AI will lead to generic outcomes. He said human creativity and input remained essential as it is informed by personal experiences and emotions, fostering innovation and originality.

As well as national and international guest speakers, the FÍS Games Summit 2025 had close to 300 people in attendance from Dublin, Belfast, Cork, and across Ireland. The Summit has doubled in size from 2024, with the addition of roundtables for developers of marginalised genders; writing and pitching; and a games room where attendees could try out new demos by Irish games companies.

Ireland’s Esports Boom: How Competitive Gaming is Taking Over

Esports in Ireland is thriving. Once a niche interest, it’s now pulling in massive audiences, serious investment and a new generation of competitive players. Whether it’s grassroots tournaments in local gaming hubs or Irish players making waves on the international stage, the scene is evolving fast.

Advancements in technology are accelerating this growth. Digital wallets and online payment systems make it easier than ever for players to stay competitive, instantly accessing new content and premium features. With the rise of in-game economies, safe and convenient transactions are a key part of the modern esports experience.

Irish Esports is on the Rise

Across the country, gaming communities are more active than ever. Local tournaments are popping up everywhere, from Dublin to Galway, bringing together casual and pro-level players alike. Universities are launching esports societies, giving students a structured path into competitive gaming. Streaming platforms are turning Irish gamers into global stars, opening doors that didn’t exist just a few years ago.

For players looking to stay ahead, in-game purchases play a big role—customisation, upgrades and competitive advantages all come into play. Without using a credit card, which risk exposure to theft and identity fraud, an alternative like a PSN card for PlayStation makes it simple to top up accounts, grab premium content and ensure players are ready for high-stakes matches.

Building an Esports Infrastructure

Esports in Ireland isn’t just about players—it’s about the entire ecosystem. Dedicated gaming arenas are starting to appear, giving teams and solo competitors proper spaces to train and compete. Investors are paying attention, too, with both private companies and government initiatives looking to put Ireland on the map as a European esports hub.

From Hobby to Mainstream Sport

Gaming has turned from a hobby to a cultural movement. Traditional sports clubs are getting involved, adding esports teams to their rosters and giving gaming the same respect as physical sports. Major events like Insomnia Dublin and Celtic Throwdown are drawing thousands, proving that the demand for high-level gaming experiences is only growing. The 2024/25 Ireland Esports Collegiate Series, for example, saw a 36% increase in competing teams and a 17.7% rise in registered players across various games, indicating a growing interest among students.

What’s Next for Irish Esports?

With more investment, more players and more recognition, Ireland’s esports future looks bright. Bigger tournaments, better infrastructure and more Irish players competing at the highest levels are all on the horizon. What was once an underground scene is now a full-fledged industry, and it’s only just getting started.