General Manager of the Sports Centre at NUI Galway's Barry Phelan has scooped the title of 'Irish Leisure Manager of the Year' at this year's Institute of Leisure & Amenity Management (ILAM) Awards. The club also won the prestigious ILAM White Flag Award for a second year in a row. The €22 million Sports Centre at NUI Galway is operated by Kingfisher Group and the state-of-the-art facility is available to students, staff and the general public. The 6,500 sq.m. sports and leisure complex includes a 25 metre 6-lane swimming pool with moveable floor, squash and racquetball courts, a three-court basketball hall, multipurpose studios, a substantial gym and a high-tech climbing wall. At the recent ceremony the club was also awarded the ILAM White Flag Award, which is a quality mark designed to provide a quality standard for swimming pools, sports halls, fitness studios, health suites, spas and gyms in the absence of government legislation. Manager of the Sports Centre at NUI Galway, Barry Phelan says he is delighted with the award. "I am delighted to receive the award of 'Irish Leisure Manager of the Year'. It was certainly an unexpected accolade and the fact that I received it is due in no small part to the first class facility I was given to operate, the Kingfisher Group and the hard-working team I have around me. It is fantastic to have such a fine place to work in." Mr Phelan added, "NUI Galway in partnership with the Kingfisher Club provide staff, students and members of the public with excellent facilities in which to pursue physical fitness and wellbeing. The White Flag Award for the second year in a row is the standard we want to achieve and maintain in regard to staff training, health and safety and the provision of facilities. This is something we can continue to build on into the future." -Ends-

From the summer of 2009 to the summer of 2010, Ireland experienced a remarkable and unexpected sequence of weather disasters not seen for a generation or more. This sequence of events is the subject of a new book Deluge Ireland's weather disasters, 2009-2010 by NUI Galway Lecturer, Dr Kieran Hickey, which was launched yesterday (Thursday, 21 October). A record-breaking wet summer in 2009 was swiftly followed by a November which was the wettest month in over 200 years in many parts of the country. This accompanied by torrential rain led to severe flooding, especially in the West. Vast tracts of countryside and numerous villages and towns were flooded, including many new housing estates. In some places, the floods lasted until February 2010, coinciding with one of the most severe and persistent cold spells ever recorded in Ireland. When the snow and ice finally melted, it re-flooded areas that had only recently dried out from the previous deluges, causing tens of millions of euro worth of damage. Deluge: Ireland's weather disasters, 2009-2010 also looks at the planning process, the management of waterways, the role of local authorities and the response of central government, voluntary agencies and ordinary people. The book also covers the possible meteorite fall of early February 2010, the Co. Clare earthquake of 6 May 2010, and the Icelandic volcano eruption that caused such extensive travel chaos across much of Europe at times throughout Spring 2010. Speaking at the launch, Dr Hickey, said: "This book is a reminder that Ireland is not immune from natural disasters particularly of the weather variety but even volcanoes and earthquakes can affect us as well." Deluge Ireland's weather disasters, 2009-2010 is available in most book shops and is published by Four Courts Press. For further information, visit www.fourcourtspress.ie. -Ends-

The Centre for Irish Studies at NUI Galway is delighted to announce the appointment of Treasa Ní Mhiolláin, a native of the Aran Islands, as Sean-nós Singer in Residence for 2011. Treasa Ní Mhiolláin has an international reputation as a sean-nós singer, and in 1996 won the prestigious Sean-nós Cois Life award for her efforts in promoting and encouraging the sean-nós song tradition. Treasa is a renowned exponent of the great love songs of Connacht, but also possesses a store of locally composed songs and some English ballads. Popular songs include 'Sagart na Cúile Báine,' 'Dónall Óg' and Treasa's famous and unique version of 'Cúirt Bhaile Nua.' She is also a noted performer of the light-hearted songs with quicker tempo such as 'An Spailpín Fánach' and 'Bríd Thomáis Mhurcha.' Treasa has twice won the coveted 'Corn Uí Riada' award, the top prize for sean-nós singing at Oireachtas na Gaeilge (1972, 1979), and her distinctive singing was featured in Bob Quinn's television series Atlantean. Since returning to Aran permanently, Treasa has taught many younger singers the art of traditional Gaelic song, including Macdara Ó Conaola and the Mulkerrins brothers. She has also continued to tour and perform internationally over the years, having given concerts and taught in Germany, Switzerland and Sardinia among other countries. During the period of her residency, Treasa will participate in a series of performances and workshops at the Centre for Irish Studies and other venues throughout Connemara and the Aran Islands. She will also record her own work and that of other singers. The workshops, which are free and open to the public, will commence in February 2011 at the Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway. This project is funded by Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Údarás na Gaeltachta and An Chomhairle Ealaíon in association with the Centre for Irish Studies, NUI Galway. -Ends-

NUI Galway invites graduates from the classes of 1985 and 1990 to attend their reunion celebrations on Saturday, 6 November. The reunion will begin at 3pm in the Quadrangle with a reception and photo exhibition, followed by a bus tour of campus. The celebrations will continue later that evening in the Hotel Meyrick's Connemara Suite with a reunion dinner. An 80s and 90s disco will follow to round off the evening with some musical memories. JB Terrins, Director of Alumni Relations at NUI Galway, encourages alumni to come along: "Reunions are special opportunities for graduates to revisit NUI Galway and renew old acquaintances. Many alumni from the classes of 1985 and 1990 have already booked their places and many are returning from outside of Galway to be here. These events come around only every decade and our alumni never regret grabbing this chance to roll back the years with old friends." The Alumni Association at NUI Galway serves 80,000 alumni worldwide with an extensive range of programmes administered by the Alumni Association. These include alumni groups, both national and international, publications, reunions and alumni awards. Visit www.nuigalway.ie/alumni-friends for further details. For further information please contact Thelma de Paor or JB Terrins in the Alumni Office on 091 493750 or email alumni@nuigalway.ie. -Ends-

A new website which affords staff and students of NUI Galway the opportunity to arrange car sharing, was recently launched by the University. The website, www.carsharing.ie/nuigalway lets staff and students arrange car sharing on an informal basis with colleagues who have similar commutes by registering their details online. The scheme will contribute to the effective mobility management of staff and students at NUI Galway. An NUI Galway travel survey showed that of those questioned, 38 per cent of staff driving alone said that they would be willing to car share while 56 per cent of students driving alone were interested in participating in such a scheme. The scheme has the added incentive that where an unforeseen emergency arises with the driver involved in car-sharing, the remaining passengers are ensured of a way home under the 'Guaranteed Lift Home Scheme'. According to Mr. Keith Warnock, NUI Galway Vice-President for Capital Projects and member of the Mobility Management Group, "Car-sharing is a scheme that has the potential to work very well for both staff and students of the University. It will be an on-going project which we hope will be expanded to a more formal car-pooling scheme in the future. It is one of a number of measures that have been introduced by the University which should reduce traffic problems for the city." Mr. Warnock added that the Park-and-Ride facility located at Dangan in Galway is proving to be very popular this year. "We are delighted with the interest so far in this initiative. The feedback from staff and students is that they are very interested in protecting the environment and in reducing travel costs", says NUI Galway's Environmental Manager, Dr Aoife Collins. Dr Collins added that an additional beneficial outcome of the scheme is that roads could potentially become safer for pedestrians and cyclists due to a reduction in motorised traffic. -Ends-