The Galway City Council will apply for funding from Fáilte Ireland of up to €6 million for a new three storey museum building incorporating the refurbishment and restoration of Comerford House.
The works will include a general upgrade and flood protection works, remodelling of hard and soft landscaping within ‘Museum Square’ between the Spanish Arch and the existing Galway City Museum, together with minor elements of hard landscaping in front of Comerford House and the Spanish Arch within the Fish Market and alterations to the existing Galway City Muesum.
News of the funding application comes after the council granted a Part VIII planning application at Monday evening’s council meeting at City Hall.
Members of the chamber welcomed the news.
Fine Gael councillor Pádraig Conneely said the news of the project was long overdue but welcome.
Cllr Conneely said; “I welcome this report. I have been looking for this for 12 years. It is a very welcome project. This is the most scenic area and visited part of the city.”
Sinn Féin councillor Cathal O’Conchúir said it was a “fantastic piece of architecture” and “a fantastic piece of news at a time when we are dumbing down history and geography in our Junior level and Leaving Cert”.
Galway city west counillor Colette Connolly described the project as “a wonderful extension to a wonderful part of the city” but did admit she had concerns of the area’s history of flooding.
Cllr Connolly said; “My concern is in relation to flooding. CFRAM have low to medium concerns. Will the flood mitigation measures be enough? Surely flooding risk [in this area] is high. Why are we building a flat roof? Surely that causes a problem with the amount of rain we get in Galway?”
However Galway chief executive Brendan McGrath warned that unless the funding application was successful, then the project would not go ahead.
