2020 breathes life into airport

The site of the former Galway Airport at Carnmore is going to utilised for music and artistic events during next year’s European Capital of Culture programme.

Both Galway City and County Councils, who manage the property together since they acquired it five years ago, have allowed the terminal buildings and the surrounding site to be used in recent years for music festival events and for plays during the Galway International Arts Festival.

A feasibility report has considered the potential of the site and how it can be strategically utilised for the benefit of the region, not just the city and county. However, it has not yet been decided by the two Local Authorities how exactly that will be carried out as the owners are still in the process of coming to a conclusion.

But this week, Cllr Jim Cuddy, who had asked for an update on the status of the site, said he was still astounded that there was still no mention of maintaining an airstrip at Carnmore or that there was no mention of the Galway Flying Club in the reply he received from the Council this week.

The Club continues to operate from Carnmore but they have been told to seek an alternative home though Cllr Cuddy can’t imagine why they couldn’t remain where they are or why an airstrip for both educational and emergency situations could not be maintained.

“Galway is the only city in the country that doesn’t have an airport or an operating airstrip even and that still staggers me as we have so many multi-national companies based in the city, a city that has serious traffic issues.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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