The Galway City Council has nominated the communities of Doughiska, Roscam, and Ardaun for the Pride of Place competition 2014.
The communities have been entered in the population over 1,000 category and will be competing against a number of other communities from the island of Ireland.
The suburb of Doughiska on the eastern outskirts of Galway City developed rapidly during the Celtic Tiger period. The rate of house building far outpaced the development of infrastructure and services which left a vibrant, young, multi-cultural community without local services and places to meet.
With the backing of Galway City Council and NUI Galway a group of local people formed the Doughiska, Roscam, and Ardaun Community Development Company, and quickly set about compiling a ‘Community Profile, Needs Analysis and Action Plan,” through a household survey.
Since then local people have worked together, with ARD Family Resource Centre, to create a community based on the wishes identified by the people. Schools have now opened along with the family resource centre, a church, an improved bus service, adult education courses, pre-school, after schools, youth services, a primary care centre, employment supports, and a new park and woodland area which is maintained both by the Galway City Council and local volunteer group Friends of Merlin Woods.
A lot of intercultural work has taken place which has led to the formation of the Connect Intercultural group who hold an annual festival along with other events. Active residents associations and other groups such as Brownies, Ladybirds and Guides, Merlin Woods FC underage soccer team, and a women’s group have been formed and operated by volunteers, as have many ad hoc events such as summer camps, national play day, recreation week, and National Bike Week.
