Is Galway a City in Decline?

Outside the centre, in suburbs?

It may have been rejected for other more legitimate reasons - the article doesn't make it clear - but I couldn't despise an entity more than I do An Taisce. Arguably the greatest barriers to progress in this country. The irony of them objecting to the development of a hotel because it's not housing while also objecting to a 7 story block of apartments in the city centre because it would be 'out of character' is not lost on me either.

One solution to Air BnB parties going on until 5am is allowing some nightclubs and pubs to open until 5am. Went there on a stag recently and it's a joke the place jammed everyone having a good time and then kicked out at 2.30am. We only arrived at 11pm FFS.

Was back in Galway only recently and it has become a bit more rundown with more unsavoury characters hanging around then a few years ago but I wouldnt say its gone to shite. One thing I did notice is that the east of the city just past eyre square has come on leaps and bounds, Forster Street seems to be a much better/active street than it was a few years ago. Also, the wellpark retail centre seems to have improved & the eye cinema has opened again. I think Galway will always have a charm for people who've lived there but its certainly lost a bit of that charm mainly down to policies of govt and city council.

Traffic is worst now than its ever been which wont help the business community & there is only 1 or 2 nightclubs now aswell which is crazy considering it was always known as a party/going out/student/nightclub city. It hasnt changed for the better but there's still alot that can be done to improve it.

Only contributing as this topic fascinates me with my interest in how cities can decline, rejuvenate, become complacent etc and in my life Galway and Limerick cites are the two places that I am most familiar with and that provide me with most of my modest social, shopping and sporting needs. In my opinion Galway city is not in decline, though progress is relatively slow in recent years compared to the rapid transformation underway in Limerick City. I have always noticed that people in the west of Ireland continually compare the fortunes of both cities with the other. As Galway City emerged as the third city in Ireland and became a place associated with 'culture' and craic and progress, Limerick City became synonymous with dilapidation and gang feuding. As some posters wrote Galway was never as vibrant nor Limerick was never as bad as some people believed. The media etc were convinced that Galway was the future and Limerick was finished as a destination for business, shopping, social life etc. RTE and the Irish Times ran regular features on the vibrancy of Galway and the stagnation of Limerick. I remember RTE producing a programme on the Wildlife of Ireland's largest 3 cities, Dublin, Cork and Galway even though the population of Limerick city was significantly larger once Castletroy, Raheen, etc etc were included as they should have been. Then Limerick finally got its act together. The city boundaries were finally redrawn to finally and logically include UL, the hospital plus Monaleen, Castletroy, etc. the formation of Limerick 2030 development company was 'a game changer'. Derelict spacious urban sites, a relic of Limerick's proud industrial past were suddenly prime sites for office and residential projects, including the Opera Project. The government invested very substantially, about time, in the city. State money has poured in to new schools, primary and secondary, 2 universities and their projects, plus expansion of the prison, hospital, railway station etc. Housing developments in Caherdavin, Monaleen, Mungret and Caherdavin, though significant in size, can't meet the demand for housing. Increasing numbers of people, with no connection to the city are considering buying in Limerick's suburbs,some in renovated Georgian buildings, principally for reasons of convenience to Dublin, Kerry, West Clare, the west of Ireland. Many significant industries have opened in or outside the city, with the Eli Lily investment of one and a half billion euro in their new plant proving hugely significant. Shannon Airport is undoubtedly a real driver in the area also. One of the main reasons, in my relatively uninformed opinion, for the recent re-emergence of Limerick is the fact that the city has the tunnel which allows people to pass from north to south in minutes and brings the city so close to Dublin etc. Shoppers from places as far afield as Birr can access the Crescent Shopping Centre easily. In contrast when I travel in and out of Galway City especially from Oranmore to Connemara I find the experience dreadful and consequently have reduced my number of visits. If Galway doesn't get its ring road soon I think that development in the greater city area will be restricted. The one big advantage Galway still has is in the vibrancy of its city centre in comparison with Limerick City centre which has major difficulty in competing with the out of town shopping centres. However, I have read that there are plans to increase the attractiveness of Limerick City Centre, indeed many are currently being implemented. The confidence generated by Munster Rugby's success over the years and Limerick Hurler's recent amazing successes have also been great confidence boosters for Limerick.

[Apologies to the Grammarian, but here is my attempt at paragraphs. Hope that you are reasonably pleased now]

Only contributing as this topic fascinates me with my interest in how cities can decline, rejuvenate, become complacent etc and in my life Galway and Limerick cites are the two places that I am most familiar with and that provide me with most of my modest social, shopping and sporting needs. In my opinion Galway city is not in decline, though progress is relatively slow in recent years compared to the rapid transformation underway in Limerick City.

I have always noticed that people in the west of Ireland continually compare the fortunes of both cities with the other. As Galway City emerged as the third city in Ireland and became a place associated with 'culture' and craic and progress, Limerick City became synonymous with dilapidation and gang feuding. As some posters wrote Galway was never as vibrant nor Limerick was never as bad as some people believed. The media etc were convinced that Galway was the future and Limerick was finished as a destination for business, shopping, social life etc. RTE and the Irish Times ran regular features on the vibrancy of Galway and the stagnation of Limerick. I remember RTE producing a programme on the Wildlife of Ireland's largest 3 cities, Dublin, Cork and Galway even though the population of Limerick city was significantly larger once Castletroy, Raheen, etc etc were included as they should have been.

Then Limerick finally got its act together. The city boundaries were finally redrawn to finally and logically include UL, the hospital plus Monaleen, Castletroy, etc. the formation of Limerick 2030 development company was 'a game changer'. Derelict spacious urban sites, a relic of Limerick's proud industrial past were suddenly prime sites for office and residential projects, including the Opera Project. The government invested very substantially, about time, in the city. State money has poured in to new schools, primary and secondary, 2 universities and their projects, plus expansion of the prison, hospital, railway station etc. Housing developments in Caherdavin, Monaleen, Mungret and Caherdavin, though significant in size, can't meet the demand for housing. Increasing numbers of people, with no connection to the city are considering buying in Limerick's suburbs,some in renovated Georgian buildings, principally for reasons of convenience to Dublin, Kerry, West Clare, the west of Ireland.

Many significant industries have opened in or outside the city, with the Eli Lily investment of one and a half billion euro in their new plant proving hugely significant. Shannon Airport is undoubtedly a real driver in the area also. One of the main reasons, in my relatively uninformed opinion, for the recent re-emergence of Limerick is the fact that the city has the tunnel which allows people to pass from north to south in minutes and brings the city so close to Dublin etc. Shoppers from places as far afield as Birr can access the Crescent Shopping Centre easily. In contrast when I travel in and out of Galway City especially from Oranmore to Connemara I find the experience dreadful and consequently have reduced my number of visits. If Galway doesn't get its ring road soon I think that development in the greater city area will be restricted.

The one big advantage Galway still has is in the vibrancy of its city centre in comparison with Limerick City centre which has major difficulty in competing with the out of town shopping centres. However, I have read that there are plans to increase the attractiveness of Limerick City Centre, indeed many are currently being implemented. The confidence generated by Munster Rugby's success over the years and Limerick Hurler's recent amazing successes have also been great confidence boosters for Limerick.