Big battle brewing over beach in Ballyloughane

In the Galway City Council electoral area of Galway City East, Renmore is a key battleground.

And in Renmore, issues with Ballyloughane Beach – the area’s crown jewel – has always been a vote-getter.

Be it seaweed on the beach; horses and sulkies; parking and facilities – or the lack of them; weeds at and width of the road leading to it; and the quality of the bathing water, Ballyloughane has long been a source of frustration for voters.

For politicians, it can work both ways. If you’re seen to be improving the beach, then you might get a stroke.

But if the electorate is particularly peed off, city councillors in the area, no matter how hard-working and well-intentioned, face a backlash. And that’s even if the problem at Ballyloughane is the fault of Council officials, Government or State agencies and not local elected members.

No other city councillor has been more associated with Ballyloughane Beach in recent years than Terry O’Flaherty (Ind). For better or worse, Ballyloughane Beach is Terry’s baby.

In a long and distinguished career, she’s mentioned Ballyloughane Beach in the Chamber as many times as her late mother, Bridie, who was also a great champion of Ballyloughane, did.

It’s O’Flaherty’s fiefdom; other politicians go there at their peril. That explains why she nearly took the snout off relative newcomer to the Council, Alan Cheevers, a Fianna Fáiler, at the final meeting before the summer recess.

She was having none of it when New Kid On The Block, Cheesy Cheevers said that Ballyloughane had been neglected and needed the same investment as City West beaches, Salthill and Silverstrand.

Terry hit back. The ruling pact – of which she is a member – had voted to allocate money in this year’s budget for new toilets and changing facilities at the beach, she said.

Fianna Fáil – including Cheesy Cheevers – voted against that budget, and, by extension, according to the former Polltopper, voted against the planned investment in Ballyloughane.

The works have been delayed slightly, due to issues with where they will be located, but “don’t you worry about Ballyloughane”, she told her area rival, it will be done.

Afterwards, Cheesy Cheevers bit back. “The bottom line is, she’s over 20 years the self-proclaimed Queen of Ballyloughane, and it’s a sad indictment on the area when we still have a coal bunker as toilets down there,” he fumed.

Terry’s supporters, though, say they are pleased Cheevers is finally supporting her efforts, which she’s been lobbying for in the background, not on local radio.

“She secured €40,000 in the budget for the works, a budget he voted against. Terry has been quietly doing the work on the ground for Ballyloughane, and her record of delivery speaks for itself,” said a source.

This one could run and run . . .

(Photo: Cllr Terry O'Flaherty: Ballyloughane Beach has been her baby for many years and she intends it to remain that way). This is a shortened preview version of Bradley Bytes. To read more, see this week's Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.