Council grant to Galway Port slashed due to ‘handsome salaries’

There was consternation among councillors that its marketing promotion fund would hand over €10,000 to the Port of Galway to attract cruise ships when the harbour body lavished handsome salaries on its executives.

In a debate over how to divide up the yearly fund worth €206,000, Fianna Fáil Councillor Mike Crowe said he believed directors of the Harbour Board were ‘handsomely paid’ and it was questionable whether they should be compensated by the Council to do their job.

The concern was taken up Cllr Donal Lyons (Ind), who noted that the Galway Harbour Board was a private company and that at the minute the port was unable to accommodate large cruise ships due its tidal nature.

Fine Gael’s Padraig Conneely recalled that the fund was set up in the wake of the Volvo Ocean Race to pay for free public events during a new, large festival which had the capacity to draw in large crowds.

“I maintain it has lost its way, it’s direction, particularly this year…we have the Council handing out money . . . it’s only a cash cow. Will I ask the Galway Port for their accounts? No, I won’t, because they’re a private company. We give them money and there’s no comeback.”

His party colleague Frank Fahy said some of the Harbour Board’s executive board were getting better paid than the Taoiseach.

Councillor Billy Cameron (Lab) tabled a motion calling on the €10,000 to be divided evenly instead between Macnas and Connacht Rugby, the two entities which brought the most people to Galway.

His colleague Cllr Niall McNelis said on the one hand councillors were saying they supported the harbour expansion and on the other side they would not put up €10,000 to attract cruise ship business.

Cllr Mike Crowe retorted that €10,000 was peanuts to the Harbour Company.

“From what I understand of the wages, it wouldn’t pay a part-time cleaner or a part-time barman – which I am both.”

Cllr Terry O’Flaherty (Ind) asked if the Council was sending out the wrong message to the Harbour Company as the amount of money was not huge.

Cllr Cameron replied that all organisations which were receiving marketing money were run with the help of volunteers.

The motion was voted down, but a second one by Cllr Declan McDonnell (Ind) to leave the Harbour Board with €5,000 and give the other €5,000 to Macnas – giving it a total of €20,000 – was carried.

Connacht Rugby, Galway United and the Galway Food Festival also got €20,000, while the Galway Comedy Festival was awarded €10,000, the Galway International Arts Festival’s First Through programme got €7,500. All other groups received €5,000 – Blue Teapot, Galway Women’s Football Club, Galway Energy Conference, Galway City Innovation District and Atlantec, a software conference due to take place in May.

Applicants turned down included the Galway International Oyster Festival, Challenge Galway – which had applied for €100,000 for a major triathlon – Open House Galway, Baboró International Arts Festival for Children and the RTE Mojocon conference.

A further €78,500 will be held for upcoming events. A review of the marketing promotion fund has also been agreed later in the year.