CITY TRIBUNE
Larger-than-life publican who touched lives with generosity
OBITUARY
Pat Hughes’ love of sport not only made him a loyal fan but a generous sponsor of many local clubs, not to mention his popularity as a second generation publican in the family bar in Woodquay.
It was his consistent involvement in these sporting communities that made him a hero to many. His larger-than-life personality may have made him appear invincible to many and news of his recent death had come as a shock.
The large crowds at his removal and funeral mass in the Abbey Church was indicative of how many lives he touched with his generosity over the years.
Pat handed over the running of the family pub to his son, John, fifteen years ago. In that time, he took a back seat in the business but continued his support of his beloved Our Lady’s Boys Club and Liam Mellows.
A former chairman of Mellows, he continued his role of a trustee up until his death.
His retirement from the pub was blighted by a series of health issues, particularly in the past two years, leading to his death in University Hospital Galway. There he passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family.
Pat had big boots to fill as a publican when his dad, Mick, retired from the hugely-popular Woodquay hostelry, but he did so with aplomb in his own style.
Hughes pub continued to as popular as it ever was, not just with the local customers but with a new arty crowd, mainly from the Town Hall Theatre around the corner.
The longevity of any business is due to its ability to evolve with the times and, this, Pat encouraged. And when he passed the running of the bar to his own son, John, it meant that he too had big boots to fill.
John recalled in his eulogy that walking through the town with his dad took an age because he talked to everyone.
There was good reason for this popularity. Pat loved his home town, he liked talking to people and people in turn recognised him, not as a local publican but a man who not only supported local sporting clubs but was generous with his time and sponsorship. He wanted sports to thrive whether that was getting onto committees to future proof them or paying to kit out the team.
He will always be associated with Liam Mellows and Our Lady’s Boys Club, as well as with county hurling and rugby teams.
He also served on their committees, including the Galway Rowing Club. He was an accomplished oarsman in his youth and his interest never waned in that club, one that his own father, Michael, instigated and even laboured on the building of the clubhouse on the water’s edge.
Pat himself was as willing to be a player, be it hurling or whatever, to being a committee man or a chairman. But he was particularly honoured to serve as president of Our Lady’s Boys Club.
His good friend, sports broadcaster with Galway Bay FM, George McDonagh, remembers him, not just for his company and friendship but for his generosity in general.
“Pat loved all sport. His famed sponsorship of the Connemara All Blacks is legendary. Mellows, Our Lady’s, the Galway Hibernians and the Rowing Club all benefitted from his support and sponsorship,” said George.
In his tribute, George remembered Monday nights in Hughes celebrating the first day of the Galway Races every year and those immortal three words after the first round was ordered — ‘on the house.’
On those nights, everyone was welcomed, from punters, to owners to trainers. In Pat’s eyes, every customer was treated with respect. But Pat knew how to run it with a firm hand, too, making the bar a safe, comfortable venue.
In 1999, Pat enjoyed the Galway Races on a Tuesday evening with his great friend, Bartley Nolan whose horse, Way Dante, won a chase ridden by Norman Williamson.
Pat was also proud of his son, John’s victories as a Galway minor hurler and he was really joyous when his beloved Mellows won the county cup in 2017.
As George said in his tribute, the world has lost a gentleman.
Pat is survived by his wife Madeline; his son John; daughter Karen; daughter-in-law Natalie and son-in-law Aaron; his grandson Charlie; his sisters Bríd and Bernie; and brothers Michael, Ray, Dave, Brian and John.
May he rest in peace.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
The new Salmon Weir pedestrian and cycle bridge will be officially opened to the public next Friday, May 26.
Work on the €10 million bridge got underway in April 2022, before the main structure was hoisted into place in early December.
A lunchtime tape-cutting ceremony will take place on Friday, as the first pedestrians and cyclists traverse the as-yet-unnamed bridge.
The Chief Executive of Galway City Council, Brendan McGrath, previously said the bridge, once opened, would remove existing conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists and traffic “as well as facilitating the Cross-City Link public transport corridor over the existing 200-year-old bridge”.
The naming of the new bridge has been under discussion by the Council’s Civic Commemorations Committee since late last year.
One name that has been in the mix for some time is that of the first woman in Europe to graduate with an engineering degree – Alice Perry.
Ms Perry, who was from Wellpark, graduated from Queen’s College Galway (now University of Galway) in 1906. The university’s engineering building is named in her honour.
The bridge was built by Jons Civil Engineering firm in County Meath and was assembled off-site before being transported to Galway. Funding for the project was provided in full by the National Transport Authority and the European Regional Development Fund.
(Photo: Sheila Gallagher captured the city’s new pedestrian footbridge being raised on the south side of the Salmon Weir Bridge in December. It will officially open next Friday, May 26).
From the Galway City Tribune – Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Kieran O’Donnell was labelled a “disgrace” for overturning councillors’ decisions to rezone land in the new City Development Plan.
Minister O’Donnell (pictured) confirmed in a letter to Council Chief Executive Brendan McGrath last week that he was reversing 25 material alternations made by councillors to the CDP 2023-29. He made the decision on the advice of Office of Planning Regulator (OPR).
Minister O’Donnell directed that 14 land parcels that were subject to land-use zoning changes by councillors as part of the Material Alterations to the Draft CDP should be reversed.
He directed that a further 11 land parcels in the city should become “unzoned”.
The Minister found that the CDP had not been made in a manner consistent with recommendations of the OPR, which required specific changes to the plan to ensure consistency with the national planning laws and guidelines.
At last week’s Council meeting Cllr Eddie Hoare (FG) asked for clarity on the process by which councillors could rezone the lands that had been changed by the Minister’s direction.
Cllr Declan McDonnell said, “What he [Minister O’Donnell] has done is an absolute disgrace”.
And he asked: “Do we have to have another development plan meeting to deal with it?”
Both Cllrs Hoare and McDonnell wondered what would become of the lands that were rezoned or unzoned by the ministerial direction.
Mr McGrath said the Council had put forward an argument in favour of retaining the material alterations in the plan, but ultimately the Minister sided with OPR.
He said if councillors want to make alterations to the new plan, they could go through the process of making a material alteration but this was lengthy.
The Save Roscam Peninsula campaign welcomed the Minister’s decision.
In a statement to the Galway City Tribune, it said the direction would mean the Roscam village area on the Roscam Peninsula will be unzoned and a number of land parcels would revert back to agriculture/high amenity.
A spokesperson for the campaign said: “the material alterations made by city councillors following lobbying by developers continued the long-standing practice of councillors facilitating a developer-led plan rather than an evidence- and policy-based plan that meets the needs of the city.
“The Minister’s direction is an important step in restoring confidence in the planning system. It is clear from the City Council’s own evidence on future housing projections that there was no requirement to zone these lands for residential purposes in order to meet the needs of the targeted population increase up to 2029,” the spokesperson added.
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