Large crowds expected for weekend of good weather

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – A good weekend of weather is expected to attract large crowds of people to outdoor areas of the city with the Spanish Arch, Eyre Square and Salthill again likely to be main gathering points.

According to passersby, the Spanish Arch and Claddagh Quay areas were ‘jammed with people’ on Saturday evening/night last, while Eyre Square also attracted large numbers of people.

Gardaí reported that while there were large numbers of people out and about last weekend, and again earlier this week, they were for the most part ‘well behaved’ with little by way of any trouble.

However, some residents have expressed concerns about the sheer volumes of people coming together despite the pandemic restrictions and over the levels of outdoor drinking taking place.

A Galway City Council spokesperson said while there was a whole move towards outdoor dining and people having a drink in areas outside restaurants over the coming weeks, it was illegal under the city bylaws to consume alcohol in non-designated public places.

However, with a growing trend in the serving of takeaway pints and off-licences also reported to be doing a ‘roaring trade’, the outdoor drinking bylaws restriction has been regarded by many observers as unenforceable due to the sheer volumes of people involved.

A Council spokesperson said: “It’s not an organised thing but when a lot of small groups come together in the one location, you don’t feel the numbers adding up.

“We will be working closely with An Garda Síochána on these issues but we are approaching midsummer, and on fine evenings, people will tend to meet outside.”

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.