The revelation comes in official correspondence seen by the Advertiser, as senior military and local authority officials race to solve a three-year impasse regarding public access to a walkway next to Renmore Barracks before an upcoming visit by the new Minister for Defence, Tánaiste Simon Harris, in the coming weeks.
Harris is expected to cut the ribbon on the Defence Forces’ new €10m University Students Accommodation Complement (USAC ) building in Renmore, slated for imminent completion after several months of construction delays. The 69-bed facility replaces a demolished, 1970s-era cadet residence on Lakeshore Drive in Renmore.
Long-running negotiations between Galway City Council, the Department of Defence and military officers on linking the new walkway surrounding Liam Mellows GAA club with Renmore Road outside the army base’s main entrance via local authority land, broke down last summer.
Mechanised gates appeared at the Renmore Road-end of the service road around Dun Mhaoliosa, forcing pedestrians and drivers wishing to visit the nearby Mellows Pitch and Putt Club to ask army sentries permission to enter. Meanwhile, a gate from this Service Road onto land purchased by Galway City Council from the Department of Defence in 2009 was barricaded with steel security fencing.
When Council staff attempted to remove this fencing to access their land, which contains ruins of three nineteenth-century houses previously reserved for married soldiers, they were approached by Defence Forces’ personnel in red berets – Póiliní an Airm – and threatened with arrest for interfering with military property. The Council’s ground staff were later allowed access for one day only after a request to senior army officers was submitted by the City Council via the Department of Defence.
In a statement, the Defence Forces said it is responsible for security and safe operation of Department of Defence property. “Inherent in this is a duty to respond to instances of unauthorised access or damage to military property. The Defence Forces will continue to act with the intent of preserving the security of our personnel, particularly in light of the recent serious attack on one of our members at the gate to Renmore Barracks,” said a spokesman. “Equally, the safety of the public is a paramount consideration. The Defence Forces, in conjunction with the Department of Defence, is engaged with stakeholders with these imperatives in mind.”
With the final leg of the Dublin to Galway cycleway planned to terminate at Ballyloughane Beach, in 2022 Galway City Council transport officials began looking at permeability options to link Ballyloughane with the city centre via ‘The Line’, or Military Path, which runs from outside Renmore Barracks to Ceannt Station on Eyre Square. In 2023 the new pedestrian walkway around Mellows GAA Club with stunning sea views was taken-in-charge by the Council, which then proposed to build a 150m path between the hurling club and the Renmore Barracks Service Road through linked land it owns.
This new route would provide a 2.5km, largely vehicle-free path for walkers from Eyre Square to the beach at Ballyloughane, and onward to the start of the planned Galway-Athlone cycleway via Gort and Portumna.
Although the Mexican stand-off between the Army and City Council has continued since last summer, local councillor Shane Forde (FG ) says he hopes an agreement can be found this spring.
“I hope both parties – Galway City Council and the Defence Forces – come to agreement soon. All the people of Galway deserve to use this fantastic amenity in the east of the city,” he said.
