Galway City Council
Local authority for Galway City, Ireland
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Galway City Council (Irish: Comhairle Cathrach na Gaillimhe) is the local authority of the city of Galway, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The council has 18 elected members. Elections are held every five years and are by single transferable vote. The head of the council has the title of mayor. The city administration is headed by a chief executive, Leonard Cleary. The council meets at City Hall, College Road, Galway.
- Fianna Fáil (4)
- Fine Gael (4)
- Labour (3)
- Social Democrats (1)
- Sinn Féin (1)
- Independent (5)
Galway City Council Comhairle Cathrach na Gaillimhe | |
|---|---|
| |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 18 |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| Single transferable vote | |
Last election | 7 June 2024 |
| Motto | |
| Laudatio Ejus Manet In Secula Seculorum "His Praise Remains unto Ages of Ages" | |
| Meeting place | |
| City Hall, Galway | |
| Website | |
Official website  | |
History
The earliest known charter dates from a grant of Richard II of England in 1395.[1] The first Mayor of Galway was Peirce Lynch. A board of town commissioners was established by local act in 1836.[2] The corporation was dissolved under the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840, with the town commissioners as its successor.
| Galway Town Improvement Act 1853 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| Long title | An Act for better paving, draining, cleansing, lighting, watching, supplying with Water, regulating in regard to Markets and other Purposes, for making new Streets, and otherwise improving the Town of Galway. |
| Citation | 16 & 17 Vict. c. cc |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 15 August 1853 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
In 1853, 24 town commissioners were appointed under the Galway Town Improvement Act 1853 (16 & 17 Vict. c. cc).[3] In 1899, under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 (61 & 62 Vict. c. 37), the county of the town became an urban district of County Galway, with an urban district council succeeding the town commissioners.[4] In 1937, the Urban District of Galway became the Borough of Galway, remaining part of County Galway.[5] The borough council had 12 members.[6] It increased to 15 members at the 1985 election, in anticipation of its conversion to a city council.[7]
In 1986, the Borough of Galway became the County Borough of Galway and ceased to part of County Galway.[8][9] The council was known as "The Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the (County) Borough of Galway" from 1937 until the enactment of the Local Government Act 2001, under which it was renamed Galway City Council.[10][11] In 2013, a Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee reviewed the allocation of seats and the local electoral areas across local authorities. In the case of Galway Council, it recommended an increase from 15 to 18 seats.[12] This was implemented by the Local Government Reform Act 2014.[13]
On 6 June 2018, the government announced that Galway City Council and Galway County Council were to be merged into a single local authority by 2021.[14] As of late 2021, this proposal was reportedly "off the agenda".[15]
Regional assembly
Galway City Council has two representatives on the Northern and Western Regional Assembly where they are part of the West Strategic Planning Area Committee.[16]
Elections
Members of Galway City Council are elected for a five-year term of office on the electoral system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV) from multi-member local electoral areas (LEAs).
Local electoral areas
Galway is divided into three LEAs, defined by electoral divisions.[17] The electoral divisions were formerly known as wards and were defined in 1986.[18]
| LEA | Definition | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Galway City Central | Claddagh, Dangan, Eyre Square, Mionlach, Newcastle, Nuns Island, Rahoon, Shantalla, and Toghroinn San Niocláis. | 6 |
| Galway City East | An Caisleán Gearr, Baile an Bhriotaigh, Ballybaan, Lough Atalia, Mervue, Murroogh, Renmore and Wellpark. | 6 |
| Galway City West | Bearna, Cnoc na Cathrach, Rockbarton, Salthill and Taylors Hill. | 6 |
Councillors
The following were elected at the 2024 Galway City Council election.
2024 seats summary
| Party | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| Fianna Fáil | 4 | |
| Fine Gael | 4 | |
| Labour | 3 | |
| Social Democrats | 2 | |
| Sinn Féin | 1 | |
| Independent | 4 | |
Councillors by electoral area
This list reflects the order in which councillors were elected on 7 June 2024.[19]
| Council members from 2024 election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Local electoral area | Name | Party | |
| Galway City Central | Mike Cubbard | Independent | |
| Eddie Hoare | Fine Gael | ||
| Frank Fahy | Fine Gael | ||
| Josie Forde | Fianna Fáil | ||
| John McDonagh | Labour | ||
| Eibhlín Seoighthe[a] | Social Democrats | ||
| Galway City East | Alan Cheevers | Fianna Fáil | |
| Declan McDonnell | Independent | ||
| Terry O'Flaherty | Independent | ||
| Shane Forde | Fine Gael | ||
| Aisling Burke | Sinn Féin | ||
| Helen Ogbu | Labour | ||
| Galway City West | Donal Lyons | Independent | |
| Clodagh Higgins | Fine Gael | ||
| Alan Curran | Social Democrats | ||
| John Connolly[b] | Fianna Fáil | ||
| Peter Keane | Fianna Fáil | ||
| Níall McNelis | Labour | ||
- Notes
Co-options
| Party | Outgoing | LEA | Reason | Date | Co-optee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fianna Fáil | John Connolly | Galway City West | Elected to 34th Dáil at the 2024 general election | 16 December 2024 | Mike Crowe[20] | |
Changes in affiliation
| Name | LEA | Elected as | New affiliation | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eibhlín Seoighthe | Galway City Central | Social Democrats | Independent | 31 July 2025[21] | ||