Galway Talks - with John Morley

Galway Talks with Ollie Turner Wednesday December 3

Today on Galway Talks with Ollie Turner: 

9am-10am

• Knocknacarra resident’s dog killed by truck while out for a walk  

• National Famine Commemoration 2026 to take place in Portumna  

• Galway GAA set aside €155,000 to clear up tax issues  

10am-11am

• IFA claim Recall of Brazilian beef leaves safeguards redundant  

• Motoring slot with Gerry Murphy 

• Public information event to take place on proposed Athenry peaker plant   

11am-12pm

• Financial advice with Dave McCarthy 

• Katherine Zappone - Former Minister for Children, Disability and Equality - joins us in studio to talk about her new book  

• History Talks - The history of Horse racing in Ireland 

Galway Talks with John Morley Monday December 2

Today on Galway Talks with Ollie Turner: 

9am-10am 

• Tributes paid to Killannin GAA senior manager Gay O’Brien  

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pays first official visit to Ireland as part of ongoing push for peace 

• We speak to a Galway City Teen selected to take part in an exclusive academy for activists 

10am-11am

• Galway Taxi drivers to protest Uber fixed fare system  

• Carbon tax blamed as petrol and diesel prices rise again at the pumps  

• Sinn Fein launch new traffic management discussion document  

11am-12pm

• Galway rowing novice set for 4,800km Atlantic crossing for charity   

• Galway Schools Called to Unite for “Christmas Jumper Day for Cillian”  

• Santa Show info revealed

Galway Talks with Ollie Turner Monday Decemeber 1

Today on Galway Talks with Ollie Turner: 

9am-10am

• Scaled back city park and ride for Christmas week 

• Clarinbridge and Craughwell receive major funding increase for wastewater infrastructure  

10am-11am

• Alert across Ireland as suspected case of Bluetongue virus found  

• It’s Cyber Monday – We speak to the CCPC as they warn of surge a in online scams for Irish consumers  

• Hidden Hearing opens new Centre of Excellence in the West  

11am-12pm

• Our Galway Great is Regina Rogers of Galway Ballet 

• And we’ll have our sports preview after a busy weekend 

Morley's Mouthfuls: This week on Galway Talks (30th November 2025)

We started off this week by paying tribute to the activist, actress, and author, Margaretta D'Arcy, who passed away last Sunday.

 

Tributes were paid from right across the political spectrum, and we also heard from some key people involved in activism, political representatives, and people from the Arts as well. We started off by hearing from Joe Coughlan who knew her from Woodquay.

 

​The City Council budget was also passed this week, with one businessman very disillusioned by the 3% increase in commercial rates and by increases to parking charges in the city.

Brendan Holland, owner of Holland's shop in town, said that it is unthinkable to consider a commercial rates increase, and the fact that a 13% increase was even in the conversation is beggars belief.

 

​Cash is very much King. We heard about the Access to Cash legislation which has come into force. We debated this with Independent Ireland Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice. He weighed up the pros and cons of this legislation, adding that there is a lot of work to do in terms of getting access to ATMs in smaller villages.

 

​The maroon and white rejoiced as a €3 billion funding investment in infrastructure was allocated for Galway this week. Whether it isthe City Ring Road getting a billion, also the Western Rail Corridor and Bus Connects it was a significant investment in the NDP. Other projects being earmarked for progression, included the Claregalway Bypass and the Athenry Inner Relief Road.

 

We discussed that on the programme with a number of relevant stakeholders, including the Galway Commuter Coalition, one of the householders of the Ring Road route who have been left in limbo for the past 15 years, and representative of Western Rail Corridor Group, Councillor Peter Feeney.

Galway Talks with John Morley Friday November 28th

Today on Galway Talks with John Morley: 

9am-10am

• 35% increase in termination notices issued by landlords 

• Today is Black Friday - we look at the pros and cons  

• Mullagh woman completes Mera Peak climb for Parkinson's Ireland  

10am-11am

• European Commission recommends extension of nitrates derogation for Ireland 

• Over €634,000 in CLÁR 2025 funding confirmed for 10 Galway community projects  

• Renmore residents this morning protested the rat runs in their area

11am-12pm

• Galway Thoughts panel  

• Sports review 

Galway Talks with John Morley Thursday November 27th

Today on Galway Talks with John Morley: 

9am-10am 

• Galway secures €3billion in revised National Development plan   

• Nearly €150k spent on proposed Clifden railway bridge before NTA pulled funding  

• COPE Galway offers Essential Lifeline to over 3,000 people, annual report shows  

10am-11am

• Pathway now clear for establishment of  Anti-Social Behaviour Taskforce in Ballinasloe  

• Demand for answers after turf cutting injunction  

• Kennys Bookshop & Art Gallery celebrates 85 years in business  

11am-12pm

• Culture Corner - The Reincarnation of Cornelius Agrippa  

• Connacht Tribune Headlines   

• Anti-Genocide group to protest at Honorary Doctorate cermony at University of Galway  

• Music Mornings - SAILHYMN  

Galway Talks with John Morley Wednesday November 26th

Today on Galway Talks with John Morley: 

9am-10am

• Galway City Budget 2026 criticised as changes to parking and commercial rates passed  

• Amnesty petition calls on TikTok to make platform 'a safer space'  

• The Minister for Social Protection and Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht joins us   

10am-11am

• Mayor slams Uisce Eireann’s refusal to appear before City Council Committee  

• Reform of migration procedures on Cabinet agenda  

11am-12pm

• Financial advice with Dave McCarthy

• We hear all about Galway’s newest Christmas market opening today 

• History Talks - Kennys Bookshop & Art Gallery celebrates 85 years in business 

Galway Talks with John Morley Tuesday November 25th

Today on Galway Talks with John Morley: 

9am-10am 

• City councillors rail against commercial rates and parking charges in revised 2026 budget  

• 19,107 learner drivers on the roads in Galway 

• Irish Farmers Journal probe 'undermines' EU-Mercosur trade deal, says IFA 

10am-11am

• New law on 'access to cash' to come into force this week 

• Renmore Area Traffic group to hold protest this Friday 

• Galway man releases new book of short stories  

11am-12pm

• We hear about a new documentary about an unsung Irish hero 

• Evergreen slot  

• Music Mornings - The Stunning

Galway Talks with John Morley Monday November 24th

Today on Galway Talks with John Morley: 

9am-10am 

• Tributes to ‘mad, bad and dangerous’ Galway peace activist and artist Margaretta D’Arcy who has died aged 91  

• Athenry school open time capsule sealed for 30 years  

• Croi event raises

10am-11am

• Galway County Council refuse planning for Windfarm in Killimordaly 

• We hear about a solidarity event which took place over the weekend 

• Two Athenry Football Club’s U14 players diagnosed with serious health conditions 

11am-12pm

• Galway Great - Bam Artiste 

• Sports review 

Morley's Mouthfuls: This week on Galway Talks

It was an incredibly busy week in Irish politics. Government, media and the general public were quite shocked by the resignation of Finance Minister Paschal Donoghue. Thus meant that Cabinet Ministries had to be reshuffled, and into the senior Ministry of Education and Youth came Hildegarde Naughten, a big achievement for Ms. Naughten, a first for Fine Gael in the Galway West constituency, and a first minister for the constituency since Éamon Ó Cuív was a minister back in 2011. We discussed and congratulated the appointment with Hildegarde Naughten.

Staying with education now, and Scoil an Chroí Naofa National School in Ballinasloe has been waiting for a new school build for some 24 years. There've been a number of false starts and false promises, and the school has really intensified a campaign, searching for locals and people interested in this area to sign up and demand a school build to be put top of the agenda in the Department of Education. We discussed this on the programme with the Principal of Scoil an Chroí Naofa, Christine Connor.

It's a pivotal time for the Irish farming community and farming in general right across the European Union. The Mercosur trade agreement will be debated and voted on in the European Parliament this coming Monday.

​Now, we've been discussing this throughout the course of the week on Galway Talks, and we had Ciarán Mullooly, Independent Ireland MEP for the Midlands–North-West constituency, on the programme. He has a number of concerns with the Mercosur trade agreement in its current form as they seek to get assurances that Irish farming will not be left uncompetitive with South American countries who may not be up to the regulatory standards that we have here in Ireland and across the European Union.
​We discussed this on the programme with MEP Mullooly and also farming in general.

Now, as Ireland gets ready to hold the Presidency of the European Union next year, security of our nation and topics like neutrality really come to the fore.
​But the situation this week with the spy ship which is coming down by the coast of Scotland has really geared up talk on what the Russian threat exactly is and are we best placed and prepared here in Ireland to deal with that threat?
​We discuss it on the programme with Dr. Brendan Flynn, who is from the School of Political Science and Sociology at the University of Galway.