The Irish Guide Dogs for the blind are doing a charity cycle on Saturday the 28th of September 2024. I was asked by the manager of the Galway Branch if the community of Kinvara could support the cycle by handing out refreshments at St. Josephs School on that day. If you have about 2 hours to spare on the day please contact Gerhard at 0860841218 or gtlanze@yahoo.de. Please see the link below for more information about the event. https://www.guidedogs.ie/events/galway-cycle-2024

Kinvara Palestine Solidarity Group: The war on Gaza continues with no signs of an imminent ceasefire. Our group has been active throughout the summer. We organised a series of vigils at Shannon airport, which ran every Saturday and Sunday throughout July and August, between 6am and 3pm. We were joined by people from Clare, Galway, Dublin, Kerry, Cork and many other parts of Ireland, making incoming and outgoing travellers aware of the US Military use of Shannon airport, a direct contravention of Irish neutrality. The vigils will continue every Sunday during September. Support from motorists has been extremely heartening at these vigils, and also at the ‘bridgils’ organised by the Gort Palestine Solidarity Group on a motorway bridge near town.

We ran a hugely successful stall over the weekend of the Cruinniú, selling books, badges, flags and textiles. There was great interest in the stall and we engaged in lively conversations with visitors from Ireland and beyond.

Kate Thompson, with assistance from other group members, has put together a small book, Palestine A – Z, which will be launched by Senator Catherine Connolly at Charlie Byrne’s in Galway on September 13th at 6pm. All welcome. Copies are available now from the group. Contact kinvarasolidarity@gmail.com to get a copy of the book, or to find out how to join us in our ongoing support for Palestine.