Eyre square redevelopment

Gadgetman496

bobbyss wrote: »

Does anybody know if there is an actual fountain under the sail and has anybody ever seen it work?

Yes there is and it is functional but the powers that be decided to turn it off due to the amount of washing powder & washing up liquid that was being thrown into it and causing mass suds to fill the square and surrounding areas.

This was it before the abuse started.


http://www.barnacles.ie/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/galway-map-tab1.jpg

bobbyss

Gadgetman496 wrote: »

Yes there is and it is functional but the powers that be decided to turn it off due to the amount of washing powder & washing up liquid that was being thrown into it and causing mass suds to fill the square and surrounding areas.

This was it before the abuse started.


http://www.barnacles.ie/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/galway-map-tab1.jpg

I see. And before it was turned off, do you know how often it it was on for? The whole year? Tourist season? 9-5 sort of thing?

Gadgetman496

bobbyss wrote: »

I see. And before it was turned off, do you know how often it it was on for? The whole year? Tourist season? 9-5 sort of thing?

It used to be on pretty regularly at the beginning but I have no idea of the actual time schedule.

gordongekko

bobbyss wrote: »

I see. And before it was turned off, do you know how often it it was on for? The whole year? Tourist season? 9-5 sort of thing?

So you'll just ignore the fact that your previous points were disproved and now want a water schedule? I blame Irish water....

bobbyss

Gadgetman496 wrote: »

It used to be on pretty regularly at the beginning but I have no idea of the actual time schedule.

The photo looks quite nice so it's a real pity some mindless, uncivil idiots compromised its use. I do recall a higher wall around it where people could sit around and enjoy it. Now it looks awful and tacky and just looks like an extension of yet more ugly concrete.

Gadgetman496

This is the result of the suds pranks and it was a lot more disruptive at times than this particular photo shows.








I can't say I remember the wall around it being higher that in this Pic though.




As for the "mindless idiots?"

Didn't they have to remove the wonderful statue of Pádraic Ó Conaire from the Square because vandals stole its head and were caught on the Galway Dublin train with it in a bag!!!








People used to be intrigued by him too and were always sitting on his knee for photos. Such a shame he had to go ...

Mrs OBumble

The only time there is a wall around the fountain is for the Christmas Market - and possibly there was one put in place by the Occupy Galway people when they were there,

biko

Gadgetman496 wrote: »

Didn't they have to remove the wonderful statue of Pádraic Ó Conaire from the Square because vandals stole its head and were caught on the Galway Dublin train with it in a bag!!!

Four idiots from Armagh ruined the statue and were arrested as they attempted to board a bus for Belfast

TerrorFirmer

At least, there's a replica of the statue coming back to the Square....sometime soon. Not sure when.

KlausFlouride

From memory the initial construction company went bust half way through the project, & getting in a second company to tidy up the mess and complete the job was what sent the budget through the roof.

Stealthfins

Mrs OBumble wrote:

Are botanical gardens trainees good at designing drains, and safe public spaces?

Yeah most qualified garden and Park designer's can design drainage.

J.pilkington

KlausFlouride wrote: »

From memory the initial construction company went bust half way through the project, & getting in a second company to tidy up the mess and complete the job was what sent the budget through the roof.

The bust company also sued the council and won(due to council making an unprofessional mess of it), that's what really caused the costs to spiral

snubbleste

The fountain was 'higher' before compared to now


Also the square has so much potential which has been squandered

KlausFlouride

J.pilkington wrote: »

The bust company also sued the council and won(due to council making an unprofessional mess of it), that's what really caused the costs to spiral

Really, makes you wonder what kind of oversight there is in the CC's, Sligo CC got themselves in a awful (legal) mess over Lissadell.

snubbleste

KlausFlouride wrote: »

Really, makes you wonder what kind of oversight there is in the CC's

There is none.
Council executives are not accountable to anyone - not to citizens, councillors, TD's, parliament committees etc.

Baggy Trousers

KlausFlouride wrote: »

Really, makes you wonder what kind of oversight there is in the CC's, Sligo CC got themselves in a awful (legal) mess over Lissadell.

Sligo CC was a basket case and their previous council manager was a disgrace.

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/sligochampion/news/80m-debt-not-the-end-of-the-world-says-outgoing-county-manager-29547227.html

FortySeven

I wonder how every other city in the world manages to have fountains and statues and not have to switch them off and remove them due to silly pranks?

Gadgetman496

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

At least, there's a replica of the statue coming back to the Square....sometime soon. Not sure when.

That's true, but a replica is just that, a replica and not the real deal. It's just unfortunate that a minority in society can ruin so much for the majority through nothing more than blatant blaggardism (if that's even a word?)

Somehow I don't think the replica will receive anything like the attention the original did.

Gadgetman496

FortySeven wrote: »

I wonder how every other city in the world manages to have fountains and statues and not have to switch them off and remove them due to silly pranks?

We're not alone it would seem!

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/S9s-_QQ6G6g/maxresdefault.jpg

biko

They don't.
It's quite common to pour detergent etc into fountains and destroy statues.

The Little Mermaid in Denmark, very famous in the region, has been damaged and defaced many times since the mid-1960s for various reasons, but has been restored each time. Dickheads and vandals do be prevalent throughout the world.

Gadgetman496

I suppose the outcome of that statue brought a whole new meaning to "Moving Statue"

Mrs OBumble

snubbleste wrote: »

Also the square has so much potential which has been squandered

Those are fascinating photos: I would say that the Square we know today is a lot more useable than that - except perhaps for people camping when the came up to the races.

FortySeven

biko wrote: »

They don't.
It's quite common to pour detergent etc into fountains and destroy statues.

The Little Mermaid in Denmark, very famous in the region, has been damaged and defaced many times since the mid-1960s for various reasons, but has been restored each time. Dickheads and vandals do be prevalent throughout the world.

I know. Seen bubbles before in other cities.

Only Galway cc seems to be so pointlessly proactive about hindering the scoundrels. Other cities just clean up the mess if required. Too simple a solution for Galway. We just remove the feature altogether.

biko

There could have been another reason for the fountain to be turned off, costs or similar.

Mrs OBumble

biko wrote: »

There could have been another reason for the fountain to be turned off, costs or similar.

Or a water shortage in 2013, coupled with yet more idiotic behaviour?

http://connachttribune.ie/hundreds-ignore-council-as-they-take-part-in-water-fight/

FortySeven

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Or a water shortage in 2013, coupled with yet more idiotic behaviour?

http://connachttribune.ie/hundreds-ignore-council-as-they-take-part-in-water-fight/

Idiotic behavior?

From the garda and the council maybe. We said you can't so you better not. Goes ahead, nothing bad happens.

Bunch of busybodies. Imagine folks having fun on a sunny day . Well I never.

biko

FortySeven wrote: »

Imagine folks having fun on a sunny day . Well I never.

There was a drought at the time

The timing of the water fight to coincide with water shortages which are affecting homes across the county attracted criticism from local representatives, who also reported that elderly users of the park had been intimidated by the proceedings.

FortySeven

biko wrote: »

There was a drought at the time

Please, this is Galway. There was less water than usual but it's not like we all didn't know it would rain soon enough. Drought me hole.

bobbyss

Apologies, not a wall around the fountain as such but as a photo above indicates the surround was higher and one had to be careful if you had a child running around it who could fall into the water. You could sit on it and take in the fountain.

Are there any national awards, along the lines of Tidy Towns, for Parks or
Green areas in cities that the likes of Bord Failte oversees (is that their name?) and I wonder has Eyre Square ever participated and, dare I say it, won?

FortySeven

FortySeven wrote: »

I know. Seen bubbles before in other cities.

Only Galway cc seems to be so pointlessly proactive about hindering the scoundrels. Other cities just clean up the mess if required. Too simple a solution for Galway. We just remove the feature altogether.

B-B-But then you would complain about the money being spent on the cleaning is a waste and why they didn't do the much simple option of turning it off