In the News..

University of Galway has issued offers to more than 3,800 new students for the 2025/26 academic year.    With Round One of the Central Applications Office (CAO) process underway, Interim President of University of Galway Professor Peter McHugh shared a message of congratulations to the Leaving Certificate class of 2025 for their efforts and achievements.  With a record level of applications to the CAO in 2025, University of Galway is offering 3,871 places to first year undergraduate students.   Professor Peter McHugh, Interim President of University of Galway, said: “Each and every student who completed their school years this year deserves a very warm welcome, and the best of good wishes, for the next step on their journey - Comhghairdeas to the Leaving Cert class of 2025.  “These students will no doubt recall the challenges of their school years, from the pandemic, to the state exams, to the questions posed by grade inflation. What they should always remember is the tremendous amount they have achieved already, and that they are now set on a path towards further development and achievement, and the opening up of exciting new horizons.  “Our admissions team at the University of Galway is once again doing stellar work to facilitate such huge numbers of students, and we look forward to offering them the very best in education and an unrivalled student experience at the University.”  Some of the key trends in undergraduate courses at University of Galway for the 2025/26 academic year are:   Two thirds of courses have seen points increase.   All major subject areas experienced this trend, with the largest jumps evident in flagship omnibus programmes in Arts, Science and Business - BA Joint Honours up 50 points; Bachelor of Science up 40; Bachelor of Commerce up 24 points - pointing to increased popularity in flexible programmes that offer opportunities to specialise later.   As expected, Medicine is random allocation (728 points).   Pharmacy (MPharm), a new 5 year undergrad course at University of Galway, is also random allocation (601 points), with 40 places on offer. The course will expand to offer 75 places in September 2026, responding to the need for qualified pharmacists nationally and the demand for the career.   Reflecting the national trend in CAO applications for healthcare courses, many of University of Galway’s degrees in health and biosciences experienced strong growth - Biotechnology up 28 points; Biopharmaceutical Chemistry up 22; and a significant rise in points across all three nursing programmes.   All Engineering programmes are above 500 points, emphasising the significance of sectors such as medtech in the region and strong career opportunities for graduates.   Similar to the national trend of a 20% increase in CAO applications for Maths and Statistics courses, there has been an increase in the cut-off points for Mathematical Science up 32 points; Physics up 21 points; and Financial Mathematics and Economics up 36 points. These fields feed directly into high-demand careers in data analytics, AI and fintech.   Environmental Science has seen the cut-off points level up by 35 to more than 400 while Marine Science and Earth and Ocean Science are also above 400 points.     BComm (Accounting) rose by 21 points, reflecting the opportunities amidst a well-documented shortfall of professionals in finance and audit sectors. Commerce with Gaeilge was up 33 points.    Courses linked to societal impact also showed increased demand - BA Government (Politics, Economics and Law) is up 61 points; Human Rights up 55 points; BA (Child, Youth and Family, Policy and Practice) up 51 points and all Law programmes continuing to cut off well over 500 CAO points, including Law and Human Rights, up 14 points.  Ends  

Tá mionsraith cheannródaíoch le craoladh ar TG4 ina ndéanfar cíoradh ar chluichí Gaelacha ar an scáileán mór ó thús an fichiú haois. Clár a bhfuil dhá chuid ann is ea Iománaíocht Hollywood: Cluichí Gaelacha ar Scannán / Hollywood Hurling: Gaelic Games on Film ina dtugtar léargas uathúil ar an gcaoi ar cuireadh Éire, muintir na hÉireann agus ár spóirt náisiúnta i láthair ar an scáileán mór agus san áireamh leis sin tá scannáin a rinneadh i stiúideonna móra Hollywood chomh maith le scannáin a rinne stiúrthóirí mar John Ford, an Meiriceánach de bhunadh na hÉireann, a bhain gradam Oscar amach.  Is é an comhlacht léiriúcháin LMDÓC a rinne an clár do TG4, le maoiniú ó Choimisiún na Meán, agus tá sé bunaithe ar an leabhar clúiteach Gaelic Games on Film: From silent films to Hollywood hurling, horror and the emergence of Irish cinema (Cork University Press, 2019) leis an acadóir Seán Crosson de chuid Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, arb é a scríobh an script don tsraith freisin, agus a bhí ina léiritheoir comhlach. Déanann an clár rianú freisin ar an ról lárnach a bhí ag cluichí Gaelacha i dteacht in inmhe cultúr dúchasach scannánaíochta in Éirinn sa dara leath den fhichiú haois. Tá céad chlár na sraithe le craoladh ar an 4 Meán Fómhair ag 9.30pm (agus le hathchraoladh ar an 5 agus an 7 Meán Fómhair) agus tá an dara clár le craoladh ar an 11 Meán Fómhair ag 9.30pm (agus le hathchraoladh ar an 12 agus an 14 Meán Fómhair). Bhí an méid seo le rá ag an Dr Seán Crosson: “Pribhléid a bhí ann oibriú ar an tsraith seo leis an stiúrthóir Mac Dara Ó Curraidhín agus le TG4, agus leagan físiúil a dhéanamh den taighde atá ar siúl agam le beagnach 20 bliain anois ar an sciar den chartlann uathúil atá tagtha slán. Tugann na cláir seo (agus iad siúd ar fad a bhí rannpháirteach) léargas uathúil dúinn ní hamháin ar léiriú agus ar fhorbairt cluichí Gaelacha, ach ar shochaí agus ar chultúr na hÉireann i dtéarmaí níos leithne. Athimirt cluiche ceannais sinsir peile na hÉireann in 1914 idir Loch Garman agus Ciarraí an píosa scannáin is sine atá tagtha slán.” Dúirt léiritheoir na sraithe Mac Dara Ó Curraidhín: “Ba mhór an onóir é dul i gcomhar le Seán Crosson agus leis an bhfoireann agus criú léiriúcháin iontach chun sraith teilifíse a dhéanamh as an ábhar dúshlánach seo. Abraím é sin mar dhuine a bhí ina pheileadóir leathréasúnta, ach gan na scileanna céanna a bheith agam don iomáint ná don liathróid láimhe, agus a bhfuil luí agam le hábhair cartlainne, go háirithe físeáin agus grianghraif. Is fiú a lua go raibh ábhar cartlainne de chineál éigin i mbeagnach gach ceann de na cláir atá déanta againn le 31 bliain anuas.” Tá píosaí scannáin cartlainne iontacha ó thús an fichiú haois sa tsraith ina dtugtar spléachadh ar chluichí Gaelacha agus ar shochaí na hÉireann. Labhraíonn daoine mór le rá i réimse an chultúir agus na hacadúlachta sna cláir chomh maith, agus áirítear leo sin an tOllamh Paul Rouse, an tOllamh Mike Cronin, an tOllamh Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh, an tOllamh Dermot Keogh, an Dr Ciara Chambers, na déantóirí scannán Fergus Tighe agus Bob Quinn, an cineamatagrafaí Nick O'Neill, agus imreoir clúiteach Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Bhaile Átha Cliath Jimmy Gray, a bhfuil an tsraith tiomnaithe dó. Tá leagan faoi chlúdach bog den leabhar ar ar bunaíodh an tsraith Gaelic Games on Film: From silent films to Hollywood hurling, horror and the emergence of Irish cinema (Cork University Press, 2025) díreach foilsithe i gcomhthráth leis an gcraoladh seo, agus tá fáil air i siopaí leabhar maithe agus ar líne ar https://www.corkuniversitypress.com/9781782050186/gaelic-games-on-film/ Críoch

TG4 is to screen a ground-breaking mini-series exploring Gaelic games on film since the beginning of the 20th century. Iománaíocht Hollywood: Cluichí Gaelacha ar Scannán / Hollywood Hurling: Gaelic Games on Film is a two-part programme offering a unique insight into how Ireland, Irish people and our national sports have been depicted in cinema, including in productions from major Hollywood studios and directors such as seminal Oscar-winning Irish-American director John Ford. An LMDÓC Production for TG4 funded by Coimisiún na Meán, the series is based on the acclaimed  book Gaelic Games on Film: From silent films to Hollywood hurling, horror and the emergence of Irish cinema (Cork University Press, 2019) by University of Galway academic Seán Crosson, who also wrote and is associate producer of the series. The programme also traces the central role of Gaelic games in the emergence of an indigenous Irish film culture in the second half of the 20th century. Episode 1 from the series is to be broadcast on September 4th  at 9.30pm (with repeats on Sept 5th and 7th) and episode 2 will be broadcast on September 11th at 9.30pm (with repeats on the 12th and 14th). Dr Seán Crosson said: “It was a privilege to work with director Mac Dara Ó Curraidhín and TG4 on this series, realising visually and via the extraordinary surviving archive the research I have been engaged with for almost 20 years now. The films (and our many contributors) give us a unique insight into not just the depiction and development of Gaelic games, but also Irish society and culture more broadly from the earliest surviving footage of the 1914 all-Ireland senior football final replay between Wexford and Kerry.” Series director director Mac Dara Ó Curraidhín said: “As someone who has played our games - I was a decent footballer, but not as skilled at hurling and handball - and who has a a strong passion for archival materials, especially videos and photos - almost all the shows we've produced over the past 31 years have included archival content to some extent - it was genuinely an honour to collaborate on Iománaíocht Hollywood with Seán Crosson and the amazing production team and crew we gathered to turn this challenging subject matter into a series.” The series features stunning archive footage of Gaelic games and Irish society from the beginning of the 20th century. It also carries contributions from a range of leading cultural and academic figures including Professor Paul Rouse, Professor Mike Cronin, Professor Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh, Professor Dermot Keogh, Dr Ciara Chambers, filmmakers Fergus Tighe and Bob Quinn, cinematographer Nick O'Neill, and the late Dublin GAA legend Jimmy Gray, to whom the series is dedicated. To coincide with the broadcast, a new paperback edition of the book that inspired the series Gaelic Games on Film: From silent films to Hollywood hurling, horror and the emergence of Irish cinema (Cork University Press, 2025) has also just been published and is now available in all good book shops and online from https://www.corkuniversitypress.com/9781782050186/gaelic-games-on-film/ Ends