More than a dozen people living in tents in Eyre Square

Galway City Tribune – More than a dozen homeless people are living in tents and in sleeping bags under trees in Kennedy Park in Eyre Square.

The group have been sleeping in the southern end of the park (opposite the Hotel Meyrick and AIB) for the past fortnight and are believed to be Roma.

During the day, they congregate under the canopy of a tree just yards from one of the city’s most-photographed landmarks, the Pádraic Ó Conaire statue.

The Galway City Tribune understands that members of the group have not engaged when approaches were made by homeless services offering assistance.

They arrived in Eyre Square just weeks after City Council Chief Executive Brendan McGrath issued a warning that the number of people sleeping rough would increase due to an influx of Roma organised beggars, which has become an annual occurrence during the peak tourist season.

A spokesperson for Galway City Council said the local authority’s Housing Department and Environmental Department are liaising with homeless services and the Gardaí and are in the process of having the group moved on. Council bylaws have banned camping in public spaces.

A giant screen will be stationed in that end of the park on Sunday to show the All-Ireland hurling finals.

Jacquie Horan, CEO of COPE Galway, appealed to the public not to give money to people begging on the streets.

“It’s not helpful. If a person is homeless, they will engage with us and we will help them. We may not be able to get them a bed immediately, but we have day services, food, hygiene services and can offer a sleeping bag for the night,” said Ms Horan.

Meanwhile, the City Council has purchased a guesthouse in Newcastle for just over €1m, which will be refurbished to house up to 12 homeless families.
This is a preview only. To read more on homelessness in the city, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. Buy a digital edition of this week’s paper here.

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