Connacht Rugby is offering rugby fans a chance to win a trip of a lifetime!
Win 2 tickets to the IRB Rugby World Cup 2011 Final on 23rd October in New Zealand along with flights and accommodation.
Just purchase a ticket for only €5 below and be in with a chance….Good Luck!
*Draw will take place on 7th October 2011. Winner must be available to travel on week of the final.

Interior of La Maison Chic's LA Boutique - located on Abbeygate Street, Galway. Pic: Declan Colohan

Laurent Billiet, one of the West’s most prestigious, trendsetting interior designers has just opened his long awaited and much anticipated interior design boutique.

After six successful years, Laurent’s interior design business, La Maison Chic, has taken the next step with the opening the interior design boutique on Abbeygate Street in Galway city. Laurent tells, “I found many clients saying they wished they could pick up the objects I chose for their houses all the time and I always wanted to share my favourite designers and picks with a wider audience so I’m excited to be able to show case them now in my very own boutique”.

La Maison Chic retails Laurent’s favourites in home furnishings, silk flowers, candles, accessories, lightings, cushions, bedspreads, paints, fabrics, wallpapers along lifestyle pieces; such as handbags, children’s gifts, books and much more. The boutique is the perfect one-stop experience to pick up stylish, unique gifts for any occasion or individual, from weddings – La Maison Chic will also offer a wedding registry – house warming gifts to children’s birthday presents.

Interior Designer Laurent Billiet, owner of La Maison Chic. Pic: Declan Colohan

Laurent Billiet’s style is an exceptional blend of sophistication, elegance and refined beauty. With over nine years in the interior design business in France and Ireland, Laurent is frequently asked to advise on interior trends for national interior features and now La Maison Chic is filled with his delightful hidden home treasures.

Pop in and see La Maison Chic for yourself now open at 11 Lower Abbeygate Street, Galway. Opening hours are Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm. Keep up to date with newest interior trends on www.lamaisonchic.ie and be in with a chance of winning a monthly price on ‘La Maison Chic Interiors’ Facebook page.

The Umbro Galway Cup, the prestigious underage soccer tournament which showcases upcoming talent, today announced its sponsorship with Kinect for Xbox 360 who will sponsor the 1996 Elite category of this year’s tournament.

Speaking at the announcement, which was attended by former Irish internationals Ray Houghton and John Aldridge, tournament director Denis Burke commented, “We are delighted to have Kinect for Xbox 360 on board as an official sponsor for this year’s event.We encourage our youth to be fit and active, so there is a perfect fit between Kinect for Xbox 360 and the Umbro Galway Cup”.

Jackie Brannigan, Marketing Manager, Retail Sales & Marketing Division, Microsoft Ireland said, “We are delighted to be involved with such a fantastic competition which will see so many teams from all over the world come to Ireland to showcase their talent.  We look forward to working with the Umbro Galway Cup team in the run up to the event and offering the players and their families the opportunity to jump in and have fun with Kinect for Xbox 360 and Kinect Sports at our “fun-station” in Drom throughout the tournament”.

Pictured at the announcement is Jamie Barbour of Microsoft with former Irish internationals John Aldridge and Ray Houghton. Pic: Reg Gordon.

The Umbro Galway Cup, now in its 7th successive year, will takel place at Drom Soccer Park – home to Salthill Devon FC – from Wednesday the 3rd to Saturday the 6th of August.The competition welcomes 49 teams from five countries who will play 125 games in a competition that promises to display the talents of some of the brightest rising young soccer stars of this generation.Over 1,100 players and coaches are expected to attend this four day event, which in the past has seen many young Irish hopefuls go all the way to play at international and professional level. Launched in November 2010, Kinect for Xbox 360 makes it possible to play in a whole new way by identifying your movement and body position to create a truly immersive entertainment experience.See a ball? Just kick it, spike it, or even give it a little top spin.  Browse through a menu with the wave of a hand.  Kinect for Xbox 360 is fun that’s good for you.

‘Kinect Sports’, currently the top selling Kinect title, features a multitude of games, including soccer, beach volleyball, bowling, table tennis, track and field, and boxing, providing your whole family with an all-new way to stay fit, where you are controller!With no gadgets to hold or pads to step on, every Kinect game gets you off the couch and moving – from fitness-specific titles like ‘Your Shape: Fitness Evolved’, dance games like ‘Dance Central’, or ‘Kinect Sports’, which John & Ray both experienced. 

For more information on the Umbro Galway Cup, and for a full list of teams competing at the 2011 event, log onto www.galwaycup.com

Members of the public can share the fun on the Xbox 360 Facebook page at www.facebook.com/xboxie

GALWAY HOTELS GROUP TOGETHER TO SPONSOR DAY ONE OF RACE MEET FOR THIRD YEAR

Pictured at the launch of the Galway’s Best Hotels Race Day taking place on Monday 25th July as part of the Galway Races Summer Festival are representatives from Galway’s Best Hotels - the Claregalway Hotel, Salthill Hotel, Hotel Meyrick, Ramada Hotel, Carlton Hotel, the Galway Bay Hotel, the g Hotel, Clayton Hotel and Radisson Blu Hotel. Pic: Reg Gordon.

For the third consecutive year, Galway’s Best Hotels have stepped up to the plate to ensure that the Monday of the Galway Racing Festival can remain a seven day event, as they once again announce their sponsorship of the first day of the Galway Races.

Galway’s Best Hotels are made up of the G Hotel, the Salthill Hotel, the Radisson Blu Hotel, Hotel Meyrick, the Galway Bay Hotel, the Ramada Hotel, the Claregalway Hotel, the Clayton Hotel and the Carlton Hotel, and in their third year of sponsoring the first day of the Galway Races, hope this to be the most successful and prosperous year so far.

“Galway’s Best Hotels are delighted, once again, to be a part of such a wonderful event. The Galway Races brings people and businesses together every year, and gives such a positive boost to the city; both economically and socially”, says Paul Gill of the Irish Hotels Federation.

Galway’s Hotels employ 4,500 individuals on a full and part time basis, playing not only an essential role in developing tourism in the city but also a key importance in maintaining employment levels. That, coupled with the activity that they are doing in promoting Galway as an attractive destination for visitors, show the importance of the service Galway’s Best Hotels provide to the economy as a whole. 

Galway Chef Asta Beilskeine is pictured with jockey Paul O Neill and his horse Mister 250 at the launch of the Galway’s Best Hotels Race Day taking place on Monday 25th July as part of the Galway Races Summer Festival. Pic: Reg Gordon.

The most lavish and colourful fixture in the Irish Racing Calendar, the Galway Races sees hundreds of thousands of people flock to the city year after year. Despite the impact of the recession, the Galway Racing Festival brings an estimated €50 million to the city annually; a much needed boost to the local economy. It is the most important week on the calendar for anyone operating in the hospitality industry in the city and Galway hotels greatly appreciate the business local companies and visitors have given over the years.

 Galway’s Best Hotels Race Day takes place on Monday 25^th July at the Galway Racecourse in Ballybrit. For more information on the Galway Races and its sponsors, log onto www.galwayraces.com/sponsors or check out the individual websites for each of the hotels to see what they have on offer this Galway Race Week.

Catwalk Model Ma¡ire dons her Race Week style to launch Halos Best Dressed Lady competition which will be taking place next Thursday 28th July in conjunction with ladies boutique, Daisy, as part of Halo's Race Week celebrations. The club will be open from Wednesday to Sunday this Race Week. Doors open from 10:30pm on Ladies Day (Thursday) and from 11:00pm every other night. Also pictured is Marina Healy, co-owner of Daisy Boutique and Paula Feeney, Marketing and Events Manager of the Central Park Group, who will be judging the Best Dressed Lady competition on the night. Pic: Reg Gordon.

Don’t let Ladies Day end at the racecourse; step out in your best racing fashion for a night in Halo Nightclub and be in with the chance to be named Halo’s Best Dressed Lady! The most stylish filly will strut away with a €250 voucher and a personal shopping experience in the most talked about addition to Galway’s fashion scene, Daisy Ladies Boutique on Eglinton Street.

Best Dressed Lady will be judged on the night by Marina Healy, co-owner of Daisy Boutique and Paula Feeney, Marketing and Events Manager of the Central Park Group. Marina tells what she will be looking for, “On the night I will be looking for someone who really stands out from the crowd whether it is something simple or flamboyant”. While Paula is looking for someone with a little individuality, “It’s all about the elegance and style factor. Race fashion is meant to be individual, there are no rules!” Do you think you have what they are looking for?

The lucky winner will visit Daisy, run by fashion-duo and mother and daughter team, Bernie and Marina Healy, and be dressed head to toe by Marina. The boutique caters for ladies with a contemporary style and love of all things fabulous. Daisy stocks clothing from top fashion destinations from L.A to Madrid with brands loved by many celebrities such as the Kardashians and Taylor Swift. Brands stocked include Aryn K, BB Dakota, Jovonnista, BDBA, Miss Patina, Supertrash and many more.

So, step out for a night in Galway’s prestigious nightclub, Halo, and walk away with a celebrity wardrobe from Daisy Boutique. Halo Nightclub is open from Wednesday to Sunday this Race Week. Doors open from 10:30pm on Ladies Day (Thursday) – so come earlier to avoid disappointment – and from 11:00pm every other night. For more information, visit the ‘Halo Nightclub Galway’ Facebook page or visit www.halonightclub.com.

Underage soccer tournament set to generate over €2 million in revenue for Galway city this Summer

Oughterard native and Aberdeen and Irish U19 International, Joe Shaughnessy, launches the 2011 Umbro Galway Cup with the help of Salthill Devon FC players Gary Kinneen (14) in the Aberdeen strip, Brian Lally (14) in Maccabi Haifa FC kit, Josh Marvesley (13) in Valerenga, Michael Costello (14) in PK35 Helsinki strip and Tommy McClean (13) in Glasgow Celtic. All clubs will be participating in this year's event. Pic: Reg Gordon.

Drom Soccer Park, home to Salthill Devon FC, is set to open its gates from Wednesday the 3^rd to Saturday the 6^th of August, to play host to the prestigious underage Umbro Galway Cup. Now in its 7^th  successive  year, this competition welcomes 49 teams from five countries who will play 125 games in a competition that promises to display the talents of some of the brightest rising young  soccer stars of this generation. Over 1,100 players and coaches are expected to attend this four day event, which in the past has seen many young Irish hopefuls go all the way to play at international and professional level.  

The organisers of the tournament have been hugely successful over the past number of years in attracting some of the top teams from the UK and Ireland, and this year is no different. The 2011 competition welcomes FAI’s Emerging Talent together with Glasgow Celtic and Aberdeen. Many players that have been with the FAI’s Emerging Talent squad in earlier years have gone on to be signed by teams in the UK. Recent success stories include former Salthill Devon player Joe Shaughnessy, who played in the 2006 and 2007 editions of the tournament and who recently made his first team debut for the Scottish club.

“Since its inception back in 2005, the tournament has become a major recruiting opportunity for the FAI who see the event as an ideal opportunity to spot talented young players who have the potential to play for Ireland at underage level and hopefully at senior level. The fact that players like Joe Shaughnessy, Greg Cunningham & Stevie Folan  have all gone to make careers for themselves just goes to show how a tournament like this can help launch the careers of talented young players and can make such a difference to the lives of young players with a dream”, said Denis Burke, Tournament Director.

The Umbro Galway Cup is not only regarded as a significant contributor to the promotion of sports in Ireland; the economic benefits to the city of Galway are notably substantial. Organisers of the event have estimated the tournament is worth €2.2 million to the local economy. This impressive figure will come at a time where a positive injection into the tourist industry is much needed, not only for Galway but for Ireland as a whole.

For more information on the Umbro Galway Cup, and for a full list of teams competing at the 2011 event, log onto www.galwaycup.com or contact Denis Burke, Tournament Director, on 087-7442877.

Salthill Hotel was joined by National Hunt jockey, Paul Carberry this week to launch their Galway Race Week programme for 2011.

Veteran race goers, and indeed those who simply love the atmosphere, travel from all over Ireland and all around the world for the unique experience that is, the Galway Races. The adrenalin-pumping atmosphere, breath taking style and lively music doesn’t have to stop once you leave the racecourse. This year, as one of the proud sponsors of Galway Races, Salthill Hotel has an action packed ‘off the track’ entertainment programme, with a superb line up of the best live bands that Galway City has to offer. There will be nightly events in the hotel from Monday 25^th July right through to Sunday 31^st July, with entertainment and live music in the front bar and Rockbarton Suite from favourites The Conquerors, Kif, Elastic Band, Oddity, Weightless Astronauts, Pyramid, The Cosmonauts and more. See www.SalthillHotel.com for a full line up of race week events with free admission throughout the week.

This year, the hotel is proud to be sponsor of the SalthillHotel.com Handicap Hurdle taking place on Monday 25^th July as part of Galway’s Best Hotels Race Day. Salthill Hotel is also delighted to sponsor star of the turf and National Hunt Jockey Paul Carberry.  Paul is resident with Salthill Hotel for the week, plus he will be hosting two breakfast mornings throughout the week on Wednesday 27^th July and Thursday 28^th July, where he will talk about his tips for the day ahead, his mounts for the week and discuss his horse racing career to date. Speaking on his sponsorship, Paul commented, “I am delighted to be sponsored by the Salthill Hotel for this year’s Galway Races. Salthill has always been a popular venue during our annual trip to the west and Salthill Hotel looks to be where all the action will be happening after the meetings. I also really look forward to meeting all the racing enthusiasts at the morning’s breakfast, where we’re sure to put our heads together and get the day off to a good start! ”.

Tickets for ‘Breakfast with Star of the Turf Paul Carberry’ are priced at €15, inclusive of a full Irish breakfast to help get you started for the days racing ahead of you. To book your place, contact the hotel on 091 522711.

Located on Salthill promenade and just minutes from the Galway city centre, Salthill Hotel will be a hub of activity this race week. To check out Salthill Hotel’s race week programme in detail and make a reservation, log onto www.SalthillHotel.com or call 091 522 711. Keep up to date with special offers and events on ‘Salthill Hotel’ Facebook page. Also, check out the new PROM restaurant located at Salthill Hotel on www.prom.ie.

Attention Fashionistas! BORN Clothing’s Summer Sale starts this Thursday! Up to 50% off ladies fashion, menswear and footwear so whether you’re packing for holidays, getting ready for that big summer festival, the races or just thinking of your next big night out… get down to BORN Clothing to be kitted out!

Check out BORN Clothing facebook for more details.

Going to the PROM takes a new meaning this summer with the opening of Galway’s newest restaurant. The new PROM restaurant, which is located at Salthill Hotel overlooking Galway’s famous promenade, opened its door last week and is set to complete the overall feel of sophisticated elegance that Salthill Hotel possesses.

PROM brings an exceptional new dining experience to the seaside location of Salthill with spectacular views of the bay and the Clare hills. This casual dining experience offers something to suit all taste buds and preferences. The menu boasts a wide variety of salads, pastas, steak, seafood, pizzas and more, carefully prepared using the freshest ingredients in welcoming  surroundings.  

“We are delighted with the opening of PROM and look forward to welcoming all our new customers, to what will be a truly memorable culinary experience in comfortable and relaxed dining environment”, tells head chef, Adrian Brennan. Brennan joins the team from the Huntsman where he held the post of head chef for the past eleven years with his cuisine recognised in the Bridgestone guide for the past four years. He focuses on always using fresh ingredients cooked properly and commented, “I am looking forward to a new challenge with PROM and Salthill is an exciting opportunity for me”.

The opening of PROM Restaurant brings great positive news to Galway, as not only will to offer a tasty new dinning option but it will also create twenty four jobs from its opening. Sinéad Cassidy, Sales and Marketing Manager at Salthill Hotel, comments, “We are delighted to announce the opening of our new restaurant and the employment opportunities it will create for Galway. The restaurant, which seats up to 120 people, is the ideal venue for intimate gatherings or large parties”.

Pictured at the launch of the inaugural 'Great Spin Out West' in aid of Cancer Care West is Connacht Rugby Player and Irish International Gavin Duffy, Galway Hurler David Collins with event organiser Niall Bishop and Sharon Fitzpatrick of Cancer Care West. Log onto www.greatspinoutwest.com for more information. Pic: Reg Gordon

Saturday August 6^th next will see an inaugural charity cycle event take place in the scenic surrounds of Connemara in aid of Cancer Care West.

The Great Spin Out West is an open charity cycle that hopes to attract cyclists of all ages and levels. The event will start and finish in Oughterard, using the Connemara Gateway Hotel as its base, taking in well known locations such as Maam Cross, Clifden, Kylemore and Leenane along its 125km route.

For an entry fee of just €30 participants can enjoy a challenging route, take in some of the most stunning scenery Ireland has to offer while raising money for one of the country’s largest cancer patient and family care organisations, Cancer Care West.

Speaking at the Launch of the Great Spin Out West in Galway last week, event founder Niall Bishop outlined his hopes for a good turnout for the event “There has been an explosion in recent years in the number of people who have taken up cycling. The Great Spin Out West is not a race and is open to everyone, from those just beginning and looking for a challenge to those who want to test themselves around the hills of Connemara. So there is something there for everyone.”

“We’re very fortunate here in Galway to have the natural beauty of Connemara on our doorstep, so we’re hoping it will be an enjoyable day for anyone that decides to take part. 120km is only a short spin so hence the name!”

Niall also added “A cancer diagnosis is devastating news to not only to the patient but the wider family. Cancer Care West are doing some great work in trying to support those whose lives have been effected by cancer. So this cycle will go in some way to supporting that work and ensuring it continues.”

Also speaking at the launch was Sharon Fitzpatrick of Cancer Care West “The Great Spin Out West is a great way of enjoying a wonderful cycle route that is unique to Galway while raising monies that will allow Cancer Care West to continue its work here in the West. We’ve always had wonderful support and we’re sure this time will be no different. So let’s hope people come out in their droves on the 6^th!”

Those interested in taking part can register directly for the event online at www.greatspinoutwest.com while those unable to take to the road, but wish to support the event, can do so online also.

Register now and find out more about the Great Spin Out West 2011 at www.greatspinoutwest.com