Galway Christmas Market organisers angry at ‘premature’ cancellation

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – Galway City Council has cancelled the annual Christmas Market in Eyre Square this year, with the Chief Executive claiming a “safe, socially distant event cannot be delivered”.

However, the organisers of the Market for the past 10 years have branded the decision premature, arguing that nobody could foresee what restrictions would be in place when the event was due to commence in late November.

Managing Director of Milestone Initiative, Maria Moynihan Lee, told the Galway City Tribune that she was “beyond disappointed” by the decision of the City Council Chief Executive Brendan McGrath, as her company had been working with the local authority for a number of months to produce a proposal that could operate safely under Level 2 restrictions.

“We’re all committed to the plan for ‘Living with Covid’ – committed equally as a society and Government, local and national – but that commitment has to be consistent. We have to believe in the plan, that by going to Level 3, it’s a route back to Level 2 and if we don’t believe that, how do we get people to commit to Level 3 restrictions?,” said Ms Moynihan Lee.

Level 3 was only set to be in place until October 27, she said, while a flexible date to begin the Market had been set for between November 13 and 27. She questioned how City Hall could have concluded that Level 3 or higher restrictions would be in place so far in advance.

Trojan work had been done to produce a “Christmas experience” that would have been safe and enjoyable, but the City Council’s move meant it was in vain.

“The risk and responsibility for the Christmas Market is 100% on us – we own the insurance policy and if I did something wrong, I know I would never work again. We were never going to deliver an event that was anything other than safe and highly controlled.”
This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read the rest of the story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.