Galway City Council

Galway City Council (Irish: Comhairle Cathrach na Gaillimhe) is the local authority in the city of Galway, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The council has 18 elected members. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the title of mayor. The city administration is headed by a Chief Executive, Patricia Philbin. The council meets at City Hall, College Road, Galway.

Galway City Council

Comhairle Cathrach na Gaillimhe
Coat of arms or logo
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Eddie Hoare, FG
Structure
Seats18
Political groups
  •   Fianna Fáil (5)
  •   Fine Gael (3)
  •   Green Party (2)
  •   Labour Party (1)
  •   Social Democrats (1)
  •   Independent (6)
Elections
Single transferable vote
Last election
24 May 2019
Motto
Laudatio Ejus Manet In Secula Seculorum
"His Praise Remains unto Ages of Ages"
Meeting place
City Hall, Galway
Website
Official website Edit this at Wikidata
The area governed by the council

History

The earliest known charter dates from a grant of Richard II of England in 1395.[1] The first Mayor of Galway was Peirce Lynch. A board of town commissioners was established by local act in 1836.[2] The corporation was dissolved under the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840, with the town commissioners as its successor.

In 1853, 24 town commissioners were appointed under the Galway Town Improvement Act 1853.[3] In 1899, under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, the county of the town became an urban district of County Galway, with an urban district council succeeding the town commissioners.[4] In 1937, the Urban District of Galway became the Borough of Galway, remaining party of County Galway.[5]

In 1986, the Borough of Galway became the County Borough of Galway and ceased to part of County Galway.[6][7] The council was known as "The Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the (County) Borough of Galway" from 1937 until the enactment of the Local Government Act 2001, under which it was renamed Galway City Council.[8][9]

On 6 June 2018, the government announced that Galway City Council and Galway County Council were to be merged into a single local authority by 2021.[10] As of late 2021, this proposal was reportedly "off the agenda".[11]

Regional Assembly

Galway City Council has two representatives on the Northern and Western Regional Assembly where they are part of the West Strategic Planning Area Committee.[12]

Local electoral areas

Galway City Council has 18 seats, divided into the following three local electoral areas, defined by electoral divisions.[13]

LEA Definition Seats
Galway City CentralCladdagh, Dangan, Eyre Square, Mionlach, Newcastle, Nuns Island, Rahoon, Shantalla, and Toghroinn San Niocláis.6
Galway City EastAn Caisleán Gearr, Baile an Bhriotaigh, Ballybaan, Lough Atalia, Mervue, Murroogh, Renmore and Wellpark.6
Galway City WestBearna, Cnoc na Cathrach, Rockbarton, Salthill and Taylors Hill.6

Councillors

The following were elected at the 2019 Galway City Council election.

2019 seats summary
Party Seats
Fianna Fáil 5
Fine Gael 3
Green 2
Labour 1
Social Democrats 1
Independent 6

Councillors by electoral area

This list reflects the order in which councillors were elected on 24 May 2019.[14]

Council members from 2019 election
Local electoral area Name Party
Galway City Central Mike Cubbard Independent
Ollie Crowe[lower-alpha 1] Fianna Fáil
Eddie Hoare Fine Gael
Frank Fahy Fine Gael
Martina O’Connor Green
Colette Connolly Independent
Galway City East Declan McDonnell Independent
Terry O’Flaherty Independent
Alan Cheevers Fianna Fáil
Michael Crowe Fianna Fáil
Noel Larkin Independent
Owen Hanley [lower-alpha 1] Social Democrats
Galway City West Donal Lyons Independent
Pauline O'Reilly[lower-alpha 1] Green
Níall McNelis Labour
Peter Keane Fianna Fáil
Clodagh Higgins Fine Gael
John Connolly Fianna Fáil
Notes
  1. Replaced during term, see table below for details.

Co-options
Party Outgoing Electoral area Reason Date Co-optee
Green Pauline O'Reilly Galway City West Elected to Seanad Éireann at the 2020 Seanad election March 2020 Niall Murphy
Fianna Fáil Ollie Crowe Galway City Central Elected to Seanad Éireann at the 2020 Seanad election March 2020 Imelda Byrne
Social Democrats Owen Hanley Galway City East Resigned January 2023 Alan Curran

References
  1. Commissioners appointed to inquire into the municipal corporations in Ireland (1835). "Town and County of the Town of Galway". Appendix to the First Report, Part I: Southern, midland, western and south-eastern circuits, and part of the north-eastern circuit. Command papers. Vol. 27. HMSO. p. 317. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  2. "Galway Improvement Act 1836 (c. cxvii)". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. 4 July 1836. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  3. "Galway Town Improvement Act 1853 (c. cc, 16 & 17 Vict.)". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. 15 August 1853. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  4. Clancy, John Joseph (1899). A handbook of local government in Ireland: containing an explanatory introduction to the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898: together with the text of the act, the orders in Council, and the rules made thereunder relating to county council, rural district council, and guardian's elections: with an index. Dublin: Sealy, Bryers and Walker. p. 424.
  5. Local Government (Galway) Act 1937, s. 4: Formation of the Borough of Galway (No. 3P of 1937, s. 4). Enacted on 10 June 1937. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 24 June 2021.
  6. Local Government (Reorganisation) Act 1985, s. 5: Establishment of Borough of Galway as County Borough (No. 7 of 1985, s. 5). Enacted on 3 April 1985. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 24 June 2021.
  7. Local Government (Reorganisation) Act 1985 (County Borough of Galway) (Appointed Day) Order 1985 (S.I. No. 425 of 1985). Signed on 18 December 1985. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 24 June 2021.
  8. Local Government Act 2001, s. 10: Local government areas (No. 37 of 2001, s. 10). Enacted on 21 July 2001. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 24 June 2021.
  9. "History of the City Council". Galway City Council. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  10. Kelly, Briain (7 June 2018). "City and County councils will merge by 2021". Galway Daily. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  11. "Council merger is now off the table". Connacht Tribune. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  12. Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014, Article 5 and Schedule 3 (S.I. No. 573 of 2014). Signed on 16 December 2014. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 19 April 2023.
  13. City of Galway Local Electoral Areas Order 2018 (S.I. No. 617 of 2018). Signed on 19 December 2018. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 23 February 2019.
  14. "Local Elections 2014: Results" (PDF). Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. pp. 38–43. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
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