Council’s festive change of heart of Christmas Market

Galway City Council has conceded it had a significant ‘change of heart’ over this year’s Christmas Market, and granted a licence for its go-ahead.

This year’s market will take place from November 18 to December 22 at the top of Kennedy Park and on the northern-most ‘plaza’ outside the Imperial Hotel and along the taxi rank.

Permission was granted despite the Council stipulating last March that it would only consider an application for a market if it was made by the Galway City Business Association (GCBA).

The GCBA did not submit an application within the required timeframe. An independent application from commercial operator Milestone Inventive was approved last weekend.

The Council’s Director of Services for Planning, Joe O’Neill, said: “In light of the positive impact which a Christmas market would have on the city, it was decided to consider this application from Milestone Inventive. This was the correct decision, but I accept that it reflects a different position from that outlined to the Council in March 2016.”

A spokesperson for the Council said the licence was granted subject to agreement on details of layout, and discussions are continuing with the Roads Department.

The market will take over the roadway at the top of Eyre Square which will eliminate around 25 taxi rank spaces, leaving around 15 spaces to the east of the Square (between Garvey’s and Richardson’s).

Organiser Maria Moynihan Lee said there will be as many as 40 stalls at this year’s market, but added that it should not be judged on how many traders are involved.

“Galway is the best Christmas market in Ireland; Cork is only weekends, Waterford is spread all over the city, and we give Belfast a serious run for their money. It’s a huge destination attraction at that time of year.”

For more on the Christmas Market, see this week’s Galway City Tribune