#SHANNON FLOODING - Galway Bay FM reports that Galway county councillors have postponed making any decision on an Oireachtas report into flooding in areas adjacent to the River Shannon.

The move was taken on the suggestion of Cllr Dermot Connolly in the wake of a joint Dáil and Seanad committee report that highlights eight proposals for dealing with flooding issues along the longest of Ireland's inland waterways.

Cllr Michael Connolly has suggested that Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan and Minister for the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan should meet to discuss the report's findings from both a flooding and environmental stance.

Meanwhile, the Irish Independent reports that the Office of Public Works (OPW) has agreed to carry out tests at Meelick weir on the Shannon in Co Offaly after thousands of acres of farmland were flooded over the summer, ruining silage crops and summer grazing land.

Waterways Ireland has denied allegations that a failure to open sluices and lift boards at the weird contributed to the flooding.

#OBITUARY - The Sunday Independent paid tribute this past weekend to round-the-world sailor and Galway native Bill King, who died last Friday 21 September aged 102.

William Donald Aelian King was the last surviving commander of a submarine in the Second World War - in charge of the British Navy's T-class Telemachus that sank a Japanese sub in the Strait of Malacca, between Malaysia and Sumatra, in 1944.

Decorated many times for his service by the end of the war, King went on to become a trailblazing solo sailor.

At the age of 58, he was the oldest participant in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race sailing Galway Blazer II, a junk rigged schooner he designed himself.

After a number of abortive attempts, including an incident with "a large sea creature", he finally completed his solo circumnavigation of the globe in 1973.

Beyond his aquatic escapades, King settled with his wife Anita (who died in 1984, aged 70) at Oranmore Castle outside Galway after the war, where he later developed a pioneering organic farm and garden to help tackle his wife's asthma.

The Sunday Independent has much more on the story HERE.

#RESCUE - The Irish Examiner reports that a man has been airlifted to hospital after taking ill on a fishing vessel off Galway yesterday Friday 21 September.

The man reportedly experienced chest pains on board the fishing boat off the coast of Spiddal.

Galway RNLI's lifeboat was dispatched to the scene to attend to the man before he was airlifted by Irish Coast Guard rescue helicopter to Galway University Hospital. His condition is as yet unknown.

#ROYAL CANAL - The Royal Canal towpath is an "obvious candidate" for a stretch of the new cross-country cycle route from Dublin to Galway proposed by the Minister or Transport.

The Irish Times reports that Minister Leo Varadkar has instructed the National Transport Authority (NTA) to examine possible routes for the project, which would involve development of the present towpath along the waterway from Mullingar to Maynooth.

The NTA is already funding preparatory work with a view to upgrading the canal path as a premium quality Greenway Route for cyclists and pedestrians in the Fingal area from Ashtown to Westmanstown - and will now look at the feasibility of extending this project through Leixlip to Maynooth.

“A national off-road cycle trail would be a first for Ireland and would be a great tourism asset," said the minister, who added that the scheme has "the potential to bring in at least €15 million per annum, much of that going straight into local businesses along the route.”

#ANGLING - The Irish Fly Fair and International Angling Show returns to the Galway Bay Hotel in Salthill this November for the third year running.

As the Galway Independent reports, the show will run over the weekend of 10-11 November from 10am to 5pm daily featuring a wide range of exhibitors and trade stands.

Sixty of the world's greatest fly tyers will be on hand to give their advice in the new fly-dressers' workshop.

And angling personalities such as Hywel Morgan, Glenda Powell, Peter O'Reilly, Stevie Munn and Paddy McDonnell will return to give their helpful angling clinics and fly-casting demonstrations.

Meanwhile, younger anglers will have another chance to give the pros a run for their money in the second youth fly tying competition run by APGAI Ireland.

More details on the weekend will be forthcoming on www.irishflyfair.com.

#SEA KAYAKING - One of the best ways to see the sights of Galway is by sea, as Belfast writer Mark McCormick found out recently.

Writing in the Belfast Telegraph, he describes the "spectacularly beautiful scenery" and "medley of contrasts" he and his wife were treated to on a two-day guided sea kayaking tour of the region surrounding the City of the Tribes.

Being kayaking novices was no barrier to the couple as they paddled in a calm Kinvara Bay at sunset with a guide from Outdoors Ireland, joined by some playful seal pups, before drifting on to the preserved 16th-century Dunguaire Castle - one of the west's most popular tourism spots.

More urban sights were in store the next day as they joined a bigger group for a tour of the city's docks and the Claddagh, including the area's famous swans.

Outdoors Ireland has much more from the Telegraph story HERE.

#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - The organisers of this summer's Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Galway are set to hold meetings with stakeholders in what Galway Bay FM calls a 'last ditch' effort to make a third bid to host the event.

Let's Do It Global will meet in the coming weeks with Galway City Council, Galway Port officials, publicans, hotel owners and the media with a view to drumming up much needed financial support for a bid submission, the deadline for which is the end of this month.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Galway City Council has already announced it is not in a position to underwrite the bid, leading Let's Do It Global to describe its application as "unlikely" without a "different mechanism" of funding support like the city or state partnerships in other host ports.

Organisers have also questioned the will at Government level to back up their hosting of the round-the-world yacht race, despite expressions of support and assurances from Galway TDs.

Meanwhile, the organisers of the Volvo Ocean Race are currently recruiting for a brand and marketing managers to join their commercial team in Alicante as plans build up steam for the next edition of the race in 2014/2015.

Full details of the postion are available on the Volvo Ocean Race website HERE.

#GALWAY BAY - Galway City Council lifted the swimming ban on Salthill at the weekend, clearing the way for the upcoming Ironman 70.3 triathlon in the City of the Tribes.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, concerns had been raised about the Galway beach closure last week resulting from elevated levels of E.coli above the EU's mandatory safety theshold.

But subsequent testing showed that levels had returned to below the safe limit, and Galway Bay FM reports that a second test confirmed that E.coli presence was "well below" permitted values.

Despite the bathing ban on Grattan Beach, triathlon organisers were confident that the event would "not be impacted".

According to the Galway Advertiser, some 2,500 particpants are registered to compete in the Ironman 70.3 triathlon this Sunday 2 September.

The second annual race comprises a 1.9km swim along the Salthill Promenade, a 90km cycle through Connemara and a 21.1km run through the streets of Salthill and The Claddagh.

As many as 25,000 visitors are expected in what marks another tourism boost for Galway, following on the heels of the Volvo Ocean Race finale last month.

#CRUISE LINERS - Galway Bay is set to welcome a visit from the 'floating campus' MV Explorer this Friday 21 August, as the Galway Independent reports.

The cruise liner, with more than 800 students, academics and crew on board, operates as part of the Semester at Sea study abroad programme which invites students from 25 universities across the Unites States to travel the world and experience its diversity.

PhD student Sarah Cosgrove of NUI Galway's Ryan Institute for marine science - who joined the cruise at its last port of call in Halifax, Nova Scotia - will talk to the visiting students about Galway, its port and the university.

At 590 feet in length, the 10-year-old vessek is too large to enter Galway Harbour so will instead drop anchor out in Galway Bay.

Its arrival follows that of two other liners, Le Diamant and the Discovery, that arrived in Galway in Friday 17 August with 1,400 passengers and crew between them. Both are set to return to the City of the Tribes next month.

The Galway Independent has much more on the story HERE.

#GALWAY BAY NEWS - The Connacht Sentinel reports that a series of steel piles in the River Corrib in Galway city centre are to be removed over concern at the danger posed to canoeists and kayakers.

The eight stanchions, which were installed at the mouth of the Corrib as part of the support structure for the temporary pedestrian bridge across the river during the Volvo Ocean Race finale last month, will be removed "as soon as possible" according to Galway City Council.

A spokesperson for the council said race organisers Let's Do It Global had encountered difficulties removing the steel piles from the stretch of water between the Spanish Arch and Claddagh Quay due to "unfavourable tides and poor weather".

Meanwhile, the Galway Harbour Company has declared that it made more profit from its car parking operation than from harbour activities.

Galway Bay FM reports that the company's accounts for 2011 show that more than 50% of its income is derives from car parking and rent.

Overall the harbour operator saw an 8% fall in revenue on the previous year, with a disappointing 18% drop in throughput. No comment has yet been made on these figures.