Brothel being operated in the vicinity of City Hall, says councillor

A brothel is operating near City Hall, according to a former mayor, who raised fears of trafficking of prostitutes.

Galway City Councillor Pádraig Conneely (FG) said the house with prostitutes was located in a mature estate near the offices of Galway City Council.

“There is an increase in the number of brothels in the city. I’ve raised this matter before. I’m aware of another brothel in the city, close to here.

“It’s in an elderly residential estate. It is disturbing for the elderly residents living in that old estate,” said Cllr Conneely.

He was speaking at the Galway City Joint Policing Committee, and said he was concerned some of the people working in the brothel may have been trafficked.

Chief Superintendent Tom Curley asked him to supply any information he had about the brothel after the meeting to Superintendent Marie Skehill, who would look into it.

Cllr Conneely told previous JPC meetings the city’s brothels were “raking in” over €1,700 per hour.

“Over a four-hour period there were 17 entries into the apartment, and on average each of them spent about €100, that’s a total of about €1,700 in four hours. That’s not a bad business – that’s not a bad enterprise,” he said

Cllr Conneely gave information previously about two brothels operating in the city, including one near a church.