‘Further blow’ for Galway town as safety review closes pier for six months
Another historical landmark in the town of Kinvara, Co Galway, will see a temporary closure to carry out a six-month assessment for safety and preservation purposes.
The Kinvara pier will have restricted access for cars and heavy machinery as Loughrea councillors were notified of a 5m restricted set back.
Gort-Kinvara Councillor Paul Killilea told the Irish Independent the assessment has not yet commenced but that he has sought a timeline from assessors.
Additionally, he is urging the assessors to take careful consideration of the already existing parking deficit as the pier serves as one of the primary parking outlets for the village.
Though “not Roosaveel,” Cllr Killilea joked at the February Loughrea district meeting, it is a functioning pier.
“Our fishing activities would be minimal, but there are fishing activities in the village historically.”
Business owners in the area who rely on passersby have expressed worry for what this undefined period might mean for business.
“It’s just a further blow to their viability going forward,” Cllr Killilea added. “The next worry is how long the proposed works might take, and these things tend to be long-term.”
After the closure, the remaining available parking locations, Cllr Killilea said, would be the Dunguaire Castle car park, used by tourist buses, and street parking.
In 2022, another key landmark of the area, Dunguire Castle, closed its doors to visitors for reasons of safety as well. Since then, an unbudgeted €5 million price tag has been placed on the lock for repairs.
Later estimates revealed it would take €300,000 to bring the castle up to spec for tourist visits but funding remains unavailable to the council for it.
Senior executive engineer for Galway County Council Tom Prendergast, told councillors that the county is prepared to appoint a consultant to the pier project where they would work on this information “immediately”.
Hopeful to provide an end date for the works, Mr Prendergast said: “It is possible that significant works may not be required and it won’t need a significant amount of time.”