Impact & Opinions | Tionchar & Tuairimí

Culture

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07 July 2025
21  MINS

The Gaeltacht on Screen: A Discussion About Irish Arts, Film, and Television with Darach Ó Tuairisg, EMBA Student

Darach Ó Tuairisg, Student | CEO & Co-Founder at Fíbín Media

Is é Darach Ó Tuairisg Stiúrthóir agus bunaitheoir Fíbín. Is fiontraí den chéad scoth é Darach atá tar éis an comhlacht Fíbín a mhúnlú agus a fhorbairt. Tá Fíbín anois ar cheann de na príomhchomhlachtaí neamhspleácha léiriúcháin in Éirinn. Tá Darach i gcroílár na mean, agus é tumtha i ngach gné de chursaí teilifíse, drámaíochta, dubála agus foilsitheoireachta. Thosaigh sé amach ag aisteoireacht ar an teilifís agus ar an stáitse agus lean sé ar aghaidh chun drámaí a léiriú ar stáitse ar bhonn náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta. Darach Ó Tuairisg is CEO and co-founder of Fíbín Media. An accomplished entrepreneur, brand-builder, and trusted children’s creative content advocate, Darach has grown Fíbín into one of Ireland’s leading independent live-action production companies in children’s TV. He has worked at the intersection of television, theatre, dubbing, and publishing. Darach began his career as a stage and screen actor and went on to produce many of the company’s theatre productions, which have been staged both nationally and internationally. Over its 20 years history, he has since produced hundreds of hours of TV content.  Excerpt from: Fíbín Media | Darach Ó Tuairisg

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In Focus
05 June 2025
20  MINS

All Together Now: Working Collaboratively For Climate Action Success

Tiarnan McCusker, Community Climate Action Officer, Galway City Council

Winning Hearts and Minds on Climate Action In this article we hear the thoughts of Tiarnan McCusker, the Community Climate Action Officer for Galway City. Tiarnan shares his thinking on young people’s passion for sustainability and nature, the exciting community projects the Council is funding, and the first-of-its-kind 2024 Galway climate festival. He tells us about benefitting from the expertise of University of Galway academics, and how we need all sectors of Galway to work together for successful climate action.

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In Focus
22 May 2025
29  MINS

Media Regulation: Working Towards Online Safety, Cultural Inclusivity, and Independent Voices

Rónán Ó Domhnaill, Media Development Commisioner, Coimisiún na Meán | Alumnus

A journalist at heart: Upholding integrity, protecting Irish-language culture, and promoting inclusivity through media regulation   University of Galway alumnus Rónán Ó Domhnaill has been an unstoppable force in the Irish media landscape from his early days as a journalist with Nuacht, to nine years as An Coimisinéir Teanga, to his current role as Media Development Commissioner at Coimisiún na Meán.  He gave Cois Coiribe an insight into his role in combatting mis/disinformation, the vital importance of independent journalism, and working with the European Commission in the area of online safety. He explains his positive view of how traditional and digital media can work together, and of the strong role regulation can play in protecting truth, restoring trust in media, and promoting cultural inclusivity. Read on for a fascinating journey through the worlds of media, regulation and Irish-language culture. 

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Global Impact
20 May 2024
13  MINS

Overview of Mary Robinson’s Archive

Niamh Ní Charra, Archivist , University of Galway

The 21st of May 2024 marks the 80th birthday of one of Ireland’s most influential, celebrated, and hard-working citizens, former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson. The University of Galway is proud to house her archive, and while work to catalogue it continues, we mark this significant milestone with an overview of the archive’s contents and an update on progress. University of Galway is also a partner of The Mary Robinson Centre in the former President’s home town of Ballina, Co. Mayo, and together we are honouring her life and legacy by engaging scholars of all ages in the major themes of her archive.  

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SDG Champion
18 December 2023
11  MINS

Críocha an Chroí—An Artist’s Return to the Heartland

Christina McBride

A residency in the University of Galway’s Gaoth Dobhair Centre in 2022–23 allowed Glasgow visual artist Christina McBride to explore the natural and built environment of her mother’s homeplace in nearby Bun an Inbhir in a series of analogue photographs developed using local fauna and peatland materials. McBride’s residency in Donegal and the resulting exhibition, Críocha an Chroí / Heartland—was made possible by a partnership involving the University, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Ealaín na Gaeltachta and the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny. In autumn 2023, a second exhibition, Thall Udaí / Over By, focusing on the people of the place, was mounted in Sean-Scoil Bhun an Inbhir and a third is planned for Glasgow in 2024.

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SDG Champion
06 November 2023
22  MINS

Cultural Values in a Sustainable Future

Prof Lillis Ó Laoire

We may not associate SDGs with culture, but the UN’s 2030 Agenda acknowledges the need to safeguard the world’s diverse cultural heritages, and the role of culture in fostering a collective sense of responsibility and belonging. Award-winning writer and singer, Prof Lillis Ó Laoire asks: how can we steward our cultural heritages to realign them with sustainable futures?

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21 July 2023
11  MINS

Bold Nostalgia: Enda Burke at GIAF

Meadhbh McNutt

Galway International Arts Festival welcomes Enda Burke’s Far Away & Close to Home to Outset Gallery this year in a unique showcase of the Galway artist’s bold visual language. Recently awarded the International BarTur Photo Prize, Burke’s work has been published in various media from The Guardian to Rolling Stone Magazine. Here, University of Galway Editorial Manager, Meadhbh McNutt contextualises this multidisciplinary body of work in a short creative essay.

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Creative Galway
11 January 2023
11  MINS

Making a Cultural Galway

Dr. Patrick Collins

Creativity as an aspirational goal has found its way into policy and popular discourse in recent years. It is a goal that, according to Patrick Collins – University of Galway Lecturer and author of the upcoming Galway: Making a Capital of Culture – requires a historical, cultural and geographical context. While Galway boasts a rich creative economy, here Patrick asks: does it have the capacity to support young creatives to make new types of culture in the future? Feature image: Artist: Galway Community Circus. Performance/event: LifeLine. Photographer: Emilija Jefremova.

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Creative Galway
10 January 2023
14  MINS

Earth Writings: A Toolkit for The Climate Crisis

Dr Nessa Cronin

What makes the knowledge systems of the arts and humanities uniquely valuable in addressing our current planetary predicament? Lecturer Dr Nessa Cronin brings together artists, academics, scientists and community activists to explore this key question. Together with her collaborators, she has created a creative toolkit in Earth Writings—a critical and inquisitive lens through which to navigate the climate emergency—the impact of which is now reaching classrooms across numerous disciplines.

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AI & Human Creativity
16 December 2021
16  MINS

A Different View: Data Visualisation and Engaging Research

David Kelly

David Kelly explains how data visualisation techniques allow researchers to communicate complex data and ideas to researchers, policy makers and the wider public.

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Internationalisation
29 July 2021
5  MINS

Global Citizenship & NUI Galway

Two international NUI Galway students write home about their experiences of living and studying in Galway.

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17 January 2021
15  MINS

The University as Space of Curiosity and Source of Ethics

Michael D Higgins

As someone who spent many years teaching political science and sociology in NUI Galway, I feel a close bond with the university, an affection that stays with me to this day as I recall so many wonderful years of teaching and research there, as well as the lifelong friendships forged.

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