University of Galway spin-out Lua Health has officially launched its next-generation, AI-powered, workforce wellbeing intelligence platform. Founded in 2023, Lua has pioneered proprietary AI algorithms capable of accurately detecting early indicators of declining wellbeing based on how a person writes. Lua is fully GDPR-compliant and 100% anonymised, integrating seamlessly with enterprise communication tools like Microsoft Teams and deploying in under a week. Designed for enterprise scale, Lua delivers a real-time, evidence-based solution for organisations ready to move from reactive care to proactive, precision-led wellbeing.By discreetly analysing written language across workplace communication platforms, Lua identifies early signs of stress, burnout, and disengagement - without accessing private messages or individual identities. Employees may receive personalised, opt-in prompts to support self-awareness, while leaders gain aggregated insights at the team, department, or location level. The result is timely, data-driven intervention that improves outcomes and prevents issues before they escalate. A spin-out of University of Galway’s Business Innovation Centre and Insight, the Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics, Lua was founded by University alumnus Dr Mihael Arcan. Dr Mihael Arcan, founder and chief executive of Lua, said: “While it is about identifying issues as early as possible, it is also about creating a workplace that is appealing and placing a priority on attracting and retaining talent.” Lua has been backed by Enterprise Ireland’s commercialisation fund and private investment company Growing Capital. Gianni Matera, Founder of Growing Capital, said: “With Lua, organisations can move from reactive care to precision wellbeing - building healthier, higher-performing teams. We are proud to support Lua’s mission to help individuals better understand and manage their wellbeing before issues become crises.” Lua’s technology is research-driven, interdisciplinary innovation at the intersection of AI and psychology - designed to deliver measurable wellbeing outcomes, reduce attrition, and demonstrate clear return on investment. Lua combines behavioural science, data analytics and enterprise technology to deliver a disruptive approach to organisational wellbeing. By passively analysing written language and interaction patterns within enterprise communication platforms like Microsoft Teams, Lua detects early indicators of stress, burnout and disengagement. These insights enable precisely targeted, personalised interventions, improving outcomes while reducing the burden on internal teams. Lua is helping forward-thinking companies deliver personalised, data-informed support at scale. One such partnership is with the CPL Group, a consultancy business that explores, questions and designs future work solutions. Maria Souza, Future of Work Institute, CPL Group, said: “Lua presents a highly impressive and insightful approach. What stood out most is the significant value it can deliver through its methodology alone.” Ends

Panoramic settlement overlooking Galway Bay unearths Western Ireland’s place in the wider world - past and present   Archaeologists have confirmed a ringfort overlooking Galway Bay as a settlement for rulers and nobles in Ireland’s Early Medieval period, a site with a remarkable ancient history. Rathgurreen Ringfort, in the Maree area of Co Galway, has been described as an impressive “high-status” settlement that could date anywhere from the 5th to 12th century AD. An eight-week archaeological excavation, directed by Dr Michelle Comber and Dr Noel McCarthy of the Discipline of Archaeology at University of Galway, has also revealed exciting new layers to the story of this panoramic site with views south to the Burren, west to the Atlantic, and north across Galway. The ringfort was first investigated and proposed as a high-status settlement - home to a local ruler such as a king or lord - by Professor Michael Duignan, then Chair of Archaeology at the University, in the late 1940s. Excavations now suggest that parts of the site are potentially 1,000 years older than previously thought, with evidence of contact with Rome, Scotland, France, and Scandinavia, possibly including the trade of valuable purple dye made at Rathgurreen. A team of professionals, students and volunteers took part in the archaeological dig this summer on a section of the 100m-diameter ringfort.             Dr Comber, lecturer in Archaeology at University of Galway, said: “What we can say with some certainty is that Maree is an ancient territory. There are up to 40 ringforts in the area, most of which are only a third the size of Rathgurreen, not to mention a number of earlier prehistoric sites. The name Mearaí (Maree) appears in several early legends, often associated with warriors or other figures bearing that name. Our research confirms that Rathgurreen was the home of a noble family - hence the description as high-status. “But the story is much deeper and richer. We have evidence of continuity and change at this site – a settlement that possibly dates back to the Iron Age, that was later developed into a very fine ringfort. A new home with links to ancestors would certainly have been very attractive to Early Medieval nobility.” The archaeology team found a number of glass beads, some coloured blue and another turquoise and red. These have parallels in other parts of Ireland and Scotland in the Iron Age - the era that immediately precedes the Early Medieval period. The dig has also confirmed the presence of Early Medieval pottery from northern France and amber beads likely connected with Scandinavian trade routes used by the Vikings. Evidence of the manufacture of purple dye at Rathgurreen comprises the remnants of dog-whelk shellfish that were processed at the settlement to produce the rare, and therefore, valuable colouring.             Dr Comber added: “We are working in an ancient high-status settlement located roughly mid-way along the Atlantic seaboard. In no sense, though, would it have been viewed as ‘wild’ or isolated - on the contrary it was part of a wider community and had links with other parts of Ireland, Scotland and mainland Europe. The adjacent coast provided relatively easy access to the outside world - seaways were the motorways of their day. “The big takeaway from this site is that a place like Galway had a wider significance in the past, and that significance translates into the present. This one site has many tales to tell, and roles to play. People come to the west of Ireland and they think it’s isolated and remote, but Maree’s ancient remains tell us that western Ireland was not cut off from the wider world, geographically or culturally.” The modern excavations began with geophysical surveys that provided hints of what might be present beneath the grass. In conjunction with the results from the 1940s, these helped guide the work this summer. The excavation marks the launch of a new research project exploring land use through time on the Maree peninsula in Galway with the University team hoping to continue digs at the site in 2026 and to pursue other locations in the area in future years. The larger project is partnering with the Discovery Programme: Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland. It also involves local, national and international communities - developing a Conservation Management Plan for Rathgurreen, in conjunction with landowners, ecological and archaeological experts and funded by the National Monuments Service Community Monuments Fund via Galway County Council. Community volunteers, University of Galway archaeology students, and international students from Uppsala University in Sweden (a partner of University of Galway in the ENLIGHT European University Alliance) came together this summer to investigate this site, contribute to a new research project, and gain skills vital to pursuing in-demand careers in the archaeological profession. Ends

Moonfish Theatre, Oein DeBhairduin and Galway International Arts Festival present the world premiere of Why The Moon Travels A new production celebrating the beauty of Irish Travellers’ nomadic heritage and co-directed by a University of Galway academic is being hosted on campus as part of the Galway International Arts Festival.  Why the Moon Travels is a haunting and magical retelling of Irish Traveller folktales, presented by the award-winning Moonfish Theatre and writer Oein DeBhairduin and featuring performances by an all-Traveller ensemble of Catrina Connors, Ellen Doyle and Sarah McDonagh.  The sold out production is directed by Dr Máiréad Ní Chróinín, Moonfish founder and Druid Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Studies at University of Galway and Ionia Ní Chróinín, also a director and Moonfish founder.  Devised from DeBhairduin’s best-selling book, modern Ireland meets an older Éire as Why the Moon Travels interweaves stories of kind animals, otherworldly beings and hapless humans with memories and experiences from the performers’ own lives, mixing the wisdom of folklore with their own words.   Using oral storytelling, song, and evocative shadow puppetry, Why the Moon Travels celebrates the beauty of Irish Travellers’ nomadic heritage and gently examines the ways this heritage has been overlooked in the modern Irish state.  Dr Helen Maher, Vice-President for Equality Diversity and Inclusion at University of Galway, said: “As an Education Partner of Galway International Arts Festival, the University is very proud to host the theatre venue for Why the Moon Travels, which aligns with the University’s core values of respect and openness.  “University of Galway is committed to supporting both the access and meaningful participation of Irish Traveller students at all levels of their education journey. We recognise the important contribution of Traveller culture and history and proactively work towards equality and inclusion based on the lived experience of our Traveller community.”  University of Galway appointed its first ever full-time Traveller Education Officer, Owen Ward, in September 2021 and the University is also home to the Mincéirs Archive. This collection focuses on Irish Travellers from the 1960s when Ireland transformed socially, economically and culturally; its impacts on the nomadic indigenous community and the dawn of the Traveller rights movement in Ireland and Europe.  The collection contains items related to Traveller human rights, education, employment, accommodation, music, folklore and photographs of the community.  The University also setup the Mincéirs Whiden Society, the first Irish Traveller University Society in Ireland, formed to give Irish Traveller students a place where they can go and speak with other Irish Travellers. In June 2024 the University announced the dedication of a teaching facility on campus as the Galway John Room, named after well-known Irish Traveller John Ward, who was born and raised in Galway city.    The production was developed with the support of Galway International Arts Festival’s ELEVATE Programme, supported by the Arts Council of Ireland, Galway City Council and the O’Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance at University of Galway.   Why the Moon Travels will run from the 14th – 19th July as part of Galway International Arts Festival at the Bank of Ireland Theatre, University of Galway. Ends