Eyre Square fountain broken for past six years

Galway City Tribune – The Mayor of Galway has called on the Council to ringfence some of the money it earns from commercial events in Eyre Square to fix the iconic hooker fountain – which has been broken for more than six years.

The fountain – which features the sails of the famous Galway fishing boat – was added to the city’s Record of Protected Structures in 2016.

However, it has remained a dry fountain since at least 2012 after the pump stopped working and the estimated price tag of €80,000 was deemed too high a price to fork out during the recession.

Mayor Niall McNelis said he regularly receives emails and letters from visitors to Galway as well as locals who decry the “grubby” state of much of the city’s buildings. And the fountain is no exception.

“I can’t actually remember when it was last on. But we’ve had food festivals, comedy festivals, arts festivals, Christmas markets beside it and they all pay money to be there,” he stated.

Galway Chief Executive Brendan McGrath told the Galway City Tribune that a fortnight ago staff were assessing the extent of the damage to the pump caused by corrosion.

“We will have a report shortly about what needs to be done and a costing. The cost will depend on whether it’s just the pump that needs to be replaced or the whole tank, which may also be beyond repair.”

He said work would be carried out “sooner rather than later”.
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