Galway City Council grinches accused of ruining Christmas event

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – Galway City Council has been accused this week of “cancelling Christmas” as a Santa visiting experience had to be abandoned on foot of an enforcement notice issued by the local authority.

The event, which began operating last weekend at Katie’s Cottage in the Claddagh, attracted what a City Council spokesperson said was “a number of complaints” under planning legislation, leading to its cancellation and a threat of further action if the order wasn’t complied with.

Organisers have been forced to move bookings to Arus na nGael on Dominick Street where they are running a second ‘Santa experience’ event.

Mike Walsh, owner of Katie’s Cottage, told the Galway City Tribune this week that it was his understanding that there had been one complaint from a neighbour, and blasted what he believed was a heavy-handed approach from City Hall.

“We built this place with all our own money – not one cent of public money went into it. Before Covid, we were running events every weekend for up to 50 kids, all free of charge, and we spent more money on it that we could ever make back,” he said of the cultural venue that was built in 2016.

A spokesperson for the City Council confirmed that an enforcement notice was issued last Friday, December 4, “requesting the owner and operator to immediately cease the unauthorised use of the property as a ‘Santa visiting experience’ including external structures/decorations”.

Mr Walsh conceded that there was a genuine oversight on his behalf and he believed that there had been planning in place, but even without it, he said he could not understand why the event could not go ahead.
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