High tide fears over festival plan at Spanish Arch

The City Council is considering flooding precautions at Spanish Arch before it will give permission to the Vodafone Comedy Carnival to erect the Spiegeltent there.

The organisers of the festival – which takes place from October 20 to 26 next – have indicated they want to erect a unique venue at the Arch.

But the festival will coincide with some of the highest tides of the year, and the Council needs to draw up a plan for when to install the inflatable aqua dam which it purchased last year.

Chief Executive Brendan McGrath confirmed this week that the Council has no problem in principle with the Spiegeltent.

“The practical problem is there will be some of the highest tides of the year, particularly the last weekend of November.

“There are tides of 5.7 metres forecast – there will be overtopping even if there’s no wind or rain – any consent has to be on the basis of operator’s risk. I think we can work through it,” he said.

For more on this story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune