Decision by 14 Galway City Councillors to overrule the Public Consultation on the Salthill Cycleway Undermines Local Democracy

 

Decision by 14 Galway City Councillors to overrule the Public Consultation on the Salthill Cycleway harms Local Democracy. In September, 17 Galway City councillors voted in favour of a temporary cycling infrastructure for Salthill. Only one voted against. This was welcomed by so many of us as a major step in finally implementing a 2002 policy to develop a safe citywide cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. In the largest ever consultative process organised by Galway City Council in January, nearly 7000 submissions were received from the public on the options put forward on the type of Cycleway that would be installed next month and which would remain in place until September. The cost of this infrastructure would be funded by the National Transport Authority. Much of these monies could later be recouped if the Cycleway became, with critical reconstructs, a permanent cycle way. Now 14 city councillors have signed a motion to revoke their backing for the Salthill cycle path trial before the results of the public consultation has even been published. Mayor Colette Connolly, Deputy Mayor Martina O'Connor, councillors Owen Hanley and Niall Murphy are not part of the 14 councillor grouping. I am shocked at this decision and in all my years since the mid 1980s when I started engaging with Galway City Council as a community activist, I have never seen such arbitrary action. This in my opinion is a slap in the face to every person that took the time and effort to submit their views in the consultation process. It undermines trust in City Hall, makes a mockery of public engagement and puts a question mark over every future local government consultation. Every person that took part did so in good faith and felt that the option favoured by the majority would be implemented on a trial basis. For councillors to change their opinion, based on new information etc, is their right and is good in many cases. But no matter how people voted, it is only respectful to wait for a new motion until the results of the consultation are published. I know most of the 14 councillors involved and some of them I consider good friends who have done great things for the city over the years. Even if the consulation is non-statuary, their present action harms local democracy. Our great city and its citizens deserves better than this. There are renowned practitioners in the arts, science, technology, education, health, small business, corporate business, sports and amongst NGOs in Galway that serve as inspiring role models to people all over the world. Their perseverance, innovation and pioneering spirit is respected by so many and has given Galway an international reputation second to none. But sadly governance in some parts of City Hall is seriously stagnating. The European City of Culture 2020, the Pálás Cinema and Eyre Square episodes were badly handled and cost the taxpayers millions. We are now falling behind other cities in terms of genuine community engagement and in not implementing the polices that are needed to create a sustainable economy and society to tackle the Climate and Biodiversity Crises. The council also recently voted not to include the Galway National Park City initiative, and a Waterways Strategy, in the City Development Plan 2023-2029 that would laid the foundations post COVID to build our city back greener and better. These decisions defy logic in the 21st century. Does our city now need a new generation of MichaelDs who have the courage, vision and passion to provide the political leadership that is soo desperately needed to fulfill our United Nations (17 Sustainable Development Goals), EU (Green Deal) and national (walking/cycling/public transport) commitments? None of the options presented represented the solution that could have been designed to meet the needs required and sadly have turned good people, that should have been natural allies, against each other. I voted for Option 2 but it was a question of Hobsons Choice for so many of us. Much more thought should have been given to the planning of these proposals before they were issued. The councilors and officials collectively could have worked together to come up with something much better. The people of Galway urgently require a city wide safe pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. We have waited 20 years and we need a sustainable way forward.

This is Cork! Why is it not Galway?

I took this photo in Cork city a few months ago and deeply regret that no similar scene exists in Galway city.
But it was agreed twenty years ago that such a cityscape would be part of the fabric of our own city.

In  2002, the “Strategy for Economic, Social and Cultural Development 2002-2012” for Galway City was published after two years of deliberations and discussions by the Galway City Development Board which grew out of EU and national directives to reinvigorate local government in Ireland. It comprised all of the major stakeholders of the city including Galway City Council, the community and voluntary sector, IDA, Chamber of Commerce, health board, state agencies, education bodies, trades unions, the Western Development Commission, An Garda Síochana, Ireland West Tourism, Galway City Partnership and Údáras na Gaeltachta whose Vision was to have a Galway that was ‘Inclusive, Progressive, Historic, Sustainable, Accessible, Equitable, Creative and People-centred’. I was a member of that collaborative board in my capacity as a community forum (now GCCN) representative. One of its key objectives was to “Develop a Safe Citywide Pedestrian-friendly, Cyclist-friendly, Disability and Child-friendly infrastructure” with an agreement to “explore the feasibility of having a sustainable integrated transport infrastructure based on the following hierarchy: 1. Pedestrians. 2. Cycling 3. Public transport 4. Private motor car.” It was also agreed to review the possibility of having a light rail system into and around the city. There was a shared sense of positivity, respect and a belief that we together could create something really special.

Much progress was undertaken in the early years towards achieving the Strategy’s goals. But in the last decade as more and more cities across the world enthusiastically reimagined their cities where walking, cycling and public transport were prioritised, we still seem to have an outdated health-damaging greenhouse gas emitting car-centric culture. The recent furore about the temporary Salthill cycleway is understandable as it is a prime example of Hobson’s Choice with both options in their present form not coming up with viable solutions and causing in the process serious problems to pedestrians, cyclists, bus users and disabled parking permit holders. Galway City Council could and should have done better and consulted more in advance before coming up with these alternatives that are pitting good people against good people. The taxpayers and citizens of this great city deserve better from our public servants. The so-called third option of ‘no change’ is though unacceptable as the present situation represents a serious barrier to creating a healthy sustainable future for our increasingly urbanised world. In spite of a myriad of attractive facilities such as Galway Atlantaquaria, Quincentenary/Circle of Life Park, Salthill Park, large children’s playground, fine pubs and restaurants as well as possessing one of the most famous scenic seascape views on the planet, Salthill needs a major revamp in order to reclaim its status as the country’s leading seaside resort both for locals and tourists alike. 

Making the locality walking and cycling-friendly is fundamental to this transformation. I have taken part in all of last year’s Galway Urban Greenway Community mass cycles to Salthill involving people of all ages and have seen how these events have made the ambiance of the area more relaxed and more family-friendly. 

On the other hand, I was working last weekend in Salthill and the contrast to the cycling days could not have been more starker. Over much of last Saturday and Sunday it was bumper-to-bumper traffic belching out smoky toxic fumes with the harsh noises of cars revving a constant unwelcome disturbance.

Therefore I am making a submission to City Hall this week supporting Option 2 that includes a two way cycle lane on the Prom with two way vehicular traffic along the R336 (from the Grattan Road Junction to the Pollnarooma West Junction) but with the proviso of supporting disabled parking at Ladies Beach, and a pedestrian and a bus flow. A properly planned two way cycleway in Salthill can become part of the promised safe citywide pedestrian and cycling infrastructure that we have waited decades for. 2022 is the year that Galway has to redirect its transport infrastructure towards pedestrians, cyclists and mass public transport. There is no future otherwise.  

'Black Lives Matter Day': Online Garden Meeting with the residents of the Eglinton Direct Provision Centre.

I was disappointed that I was not at the 'Black Lives Matter' protest yesterday afternoon in Eyre Square as I thought, based on media reporting, that it was called off.
But anyway yesterday morning I was facilitating the first online (Zoom) meeting between garden volunteer residents of the Eglinton Direct Provision Centre in Salthill, garden supremo Kay Synott and artist extraordinaire Monica de Bath.
This has been our first get-together since the beginning of the Great Lockdown and it was so wonderful to finally met up once again 'face-to-face' with my Eglinton friends.
Eight residents were in attendance- Georgina, Jihad, Pretty, Beltar, Elizabeth, Innocent, Thom and Stanley.
A few others were unfortunately missing due to sickness including our good friend and the queen of hearts herself, namely Carole Raftery, a key member of the staff of the Eglinton.
The attendees agreed today on a set of guidelines and a roster to help build on the work that has been done over the last few months under the chairperson of Georgina. Kay has been brilliant during that period in ensuring the delivery of seeds and plants to the Eglinton whilst Monica has kept the spirit of 'art in nature' alive amongst the children of the Eglinton.
I have a special affinity with the residents, management and staff of this direct provision centre since I started volunteering there in 2004. Over the years I have seen so many hard-working people in the Eglinton get Irish residency, and contribute positively to the greater good of their new homeland. Today that tradition continues as the present garden chairperson Georgina will be leaving the centre tomorrow to start a new life elsewhere in Galway. I wish her the very best.
In my time there, I have made many life long friendships amongst residents and staff.
It was really lovely to see today also that the legacy of former residents such as Lyudvig Chadrjyan in putting so much effort in helping to start the community garden over five years ago is still bearing fruit (& vegetables!)

Library for all ages set up in Eglinton Direct Provision Centre.

Supporting Community during the COVID-19 crisis

Thanks to the support of staff (well done Carole!), management (Patrick) and residents (thanks Adelina & Jihad in photo) we managed, after weeks of hard work, to convert a former nightclub counter bar into a library. What was once stocked with whiskeys, gins, vodkas, brandies and liqueurs is today populated with books catering for all ages. It is divided into sections for adult male and female, teenagers, children, parents with babies, education and ecology. We also have a myriad of boardgames, jigsaw puzzles, guitars and sewing machines. It is now a facility that will become an important resource to the residents during the coronavirus crisis and help overcome boredom whilst also acting as a centre for learning and entertainment.

 

Note: The ‘Library/Leabharlann’ image in the centre of the photo represents the large sign displayed in front of this new facility.

Eglinton 'Direct Provision Centre' Galway- A Place of Hope & Friendship.

I would recommend everyone to read in full the very informative article by Stephen Corrigan in the Galway City Tribune newspaper that finally and publicly tells the truth about the Eglinton #DirectProvision Centre in Salthill Galway. It will be an eye-opener to those that have never been inside its doors and those who are afraid of such centres being built in their towns and neighbourhoods.

For far too long there have been rumours and false stories being spread about the Eglinton such as that a nightly curfew is imposed on residents, that there are no facilities, that no proper selection of foods is served, that staff and management are indifferent even hostile to residents etc. 
But these myths, based on the portrayal of the place being some sort of ‘inhumane’ prison camp, are an insult to both the people who work there and to those who live there.. As someone who has volunteered there almost on a weekly basis since 2004, I know most residents of the Eglinton over the years have recognised it as a place of sanctuary, of friendship and of community. So many of them tell me over and over again that Ireland provides a haven of peace far from the place of violence, racism, sectarianism, hatred, oppression, gang warfare, poverty or exploitation that their homelands have become; and that the Eglinton serves as a wonderful place of transition towards a better life for them and their families.

There is no doubt that this premises is indeed an old hotel that could do with a considerable injection of funding for a major overall renovation; that its owners (who I have never met in my 15 years there as a volunteer) make a nice profit from government grants; that personal living quarters are small with often up to three single people sharing rooms; and that the asylum-seeking process drags on for far too long leaving its applicants in a state of limbo. 
But the facility has a wide range of onsite facilities including a fine canteen, a state of the art pre-school, a community organic garden, a coffee bar, a function room for events such as Christmas (Santa's grotto for the kids) and birthday parties, an outdoor play area, and a computer room. Volunteers and residents will next weekend work together on completing a library. There is also a homework club for children, regular offsite activities for young and old, medical support and a weekly meeting every Friday evening where staff, residents, volunteers and support agencies get together to discuss issues, educational and recreational programmes as well as problems impacting on the lives of the Eglinton community. People from outside call every day to drop off gifts and meet residents. Whilst so many current occupants of the Eglinton are well known across Galway as volunteers in a range of city NGOs, from sporting to religious to environmental. 
One of the key strengths of the Eglinton is the high level of respect and friendship that exists between management (led by Patrick Mcgovern), staff and residents. It feels at times as if they are one very big family. A good example of the high esteem that staff are held in is that former residents regularly call in for a social chat with front line staff such as Carole Raftery.

The opening of such centres can actually benefit neighbourhoods. But of course local communities need to be consulted well in advance and local residents need to be brought to existing centres to see at first hand what they are like and how their occupants view them.

I wish all my friends at the Eglinton peace, friendship and prosperity for 2020

The Last Christmas Party (for 2018) with Galway’s Forgotten Heroes

-->

Recently I was invited to attend the Christmas Party of the staff of the Eglinton Direct Provision Accommodation Centre.

What used to be referred too as Asylum Seekers’ Accommodation Centres have got a bad press for many years. This is perfectly understandable when one realises that family members of all ages can live in a single room in an old hotel/hostel building, often occupied by one hundred to two hundred people from many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, over a long period of time. There can be a loss of personal dignity and a feeling of being downgraded as a human being for the occupants of such a dwelling.  Quite a few of these adults and children have encountered war, death and persecution in their homelands and come to Ireland hoping to start a new and better life as quickly as possible.

Hence to find themselves living in such surroundings for a number of years can seriously impact on their wellbeing and on their relationships with others.

So it takes a very special type of person, that is endowed with a heightened awareness and sensitivity towards others, to work with people who may be fragile and vulnerable.

I can honestly say that the Eglinton staff have these qualities in abundance.

I started to work as a volunteer in this centre in 2004. Over the subsequent years, I have helped in setting up a well-equipped Computer Room, an onsite community organic garden, a residents’ committee, a library, a residents’ website and regular offsite recreational/educational activities for all ages.  I have also witnessed the establishment of a crèche, a games zone, the hosting of regular festive parties and excursions, and the active encouragement of involvement by bona fides external organisations and volunteers. None of these developments would have been possible without the generousity of spirit, the genuine sense of caring and concern displayed by the management and staff towards the residents who they treat as equals and indeed as friends.  It says everything when the Eglinton children refer to Anne, Carole and others on the front desk as ‘Auntie’.  For there is a genuine warmth and affection between most staff and residents that very few in the world outside would have ever thought possible in such surroundings.

In my professional capacity as a Science Education and Public Engagement Officer at NUI Galway, I have worked in many other Direct Provision Centres across Ireland. But I have never ever experienced the humanity displayed by the Eglinton staff who time and time again go over and above the call of duty in helping others.

So, as they at long last got to enjoy a late great Christmas Party, I was honoured to be with them in enjoying a night of food, drink and good cheer.

Finally, I join with the staff and residents in extending best wishes to the Eglinton general manager, the hardworking and benign Patrick McGovern, as we eagerly look forward to his return.

Voice of a Celtic Angel is no longer with us

Like so many people across the world. I was shocked to hear of the death last night of Dolores O'Riordan.

On American Thanksgiving Day (July 4th) 1993, the Cranberries played Club Setanta in Salthill, a nightclub that I had named and co-set up in 1991.
The gig was part of a series of 'Indie Rock Nights' organised with my dearly departed and much loved friend Sean Puirséal (Purcell).
The band were starting to chart in Britain by this time but they were still relatively unknown and it was the following year that they achieved international success.
When the Cranberries came on stage, the venue was full of mainly young Irish-Americans and Irish that were merry, boisterous and loud.
The sounds of guitars and drums permeated the hall. Nothing out of the ordinary for a live music rock venue. The lead singer was a small very young looking female with short cropped hair who seemed somewhat out of place in the large, dark cavernous hall. Then Dolores started to sing. Her voice instantly captivated the audience. Melodic, raw, haunting, it delved deep into our Celtic souls. The banshee wail seemed to transport us back in time to the music, songs, bards and rituals of a dim and distant past whilst also giving us a taste of the sounds of the future.
We were spell bound.
Dolores had a powerful magnetic singular presence on stage that night. But afterwards as we sat down and chatted, I found her warm, shy but very friendly with an engaging smile.

Farewell Dolores, you are a legend that will not be forgotten.

Help Clean Up a Forest & Create a Community Garden

Get involved this Saturday (February 15th) in a double Eco-Community event: cleaning up a section of Terryland Forest Park followed by the continuation of the task of establishing a Community Garden at the Eglinton Asylum Seekers Hostel in Salthill.

Last Saturday, great preparatory work was undertaken by a band of enthusiastic residents and external volunteers in transforming a wasteland into what hopefully will become a productive vegetable and fruits organic garden for those living in the Eglinton. This activity will continue this Saturday at 2.30pm. Max 2hr duration. Rendevous: Eglinton reception.

For committed tree lovers & eco-volunteers everywhere, there will also be a one hour clean up from 12.30-1.30pm in the Terryland Forest Park (aka "The People's Park"). Rendevous: Ballnfoile Mór Community Organic Garden located in the forest park, behind Lus Leana and Cluain Fada.
Light refreshments at both locations!

Support Setting Up a Community Organic Garden at Asylum Seekers Hostel

The management of the Eglinton Asylum Seekers' Accommodation Centre in Salthill Galway city have allocated space and resources for the establishment of a community organic garden onsite to benefit the residents of the hostel. Growing their own vegetables, fruits and herbs will help residents prepare food dishes based on their own traditions.

The first step will be the removal of rubble,  the preparation of the ground area and the installation of a series of raised beds made by a very talented staff member of the Eglinton.
These activities will take place from 11.45am on Saturday February 15th.
Volunteers are urgently required in helping residents undertake this necessary preparatory work.

Cumann na bhFear and the Terryland Forest Park Conservation Volunteers will be providing garden implements for this work.

It is worth noting that the many of the asylum seekers who come from a wide range of countries in Africa, Asia and Europe will have traditional culinary and garden skills that could benefit other local community gardens in Galway.
If you want to help out this Saturday, contact me at speediecelt@gmail.com