Galway councillors' week-long trip to Chicago cost taxpayer €52,000

Galway County Council sent four elected members and two officials as part of a joint delegation coinciding with an Irish festival in the twinned city of Milwaukee between August 10 and August 17.

The city council also sent four elected members whose names were drawn from a hat, along with at least four officials and one individual whose name the local authority refused to disclose.

The delegations were accommodated in three hotels during their stay in the US, including the Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile and the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Milwaukee.

Their accommodation in Chicago boasts a personal stylist and is located adjacent to one of the world’s finest shopping districts. The hotel is notable for its rich burgundy fabrics, black granite floors, polished African wood, and 42-foot mirrors, according to its website.

Galway City Council paid a total of €29,958 on flights and accommodation for its delegation, which included councillors Josie Forde, Peter Keane, Declan McDonnell, and Mayor Helen Ogbu.

They were accompanied by council officials Keith Finnegan, Sally-Ann O’Brien, Fergal Cushen, and Derek Pender. The local authority redacted the name of a ninth passenger on records released under the Freedom of Information Act.

It refused to disclose the identity of this individual on the basis that this constituted personal information – an exemption that does not apply to officials or elected members under freedom of information law.

The council paid €3,319 for this person’s flights and accommodation, according to the records.

The city council also paid $1,200 (€1,050) for a double booth at the Milwaukee Irish Fest, and had to pay a €350 cancellation fee in respect of Eoghan Lynch, an official who had been expected to travel as part of the delegation.

Galway County Council spent €7,200 on flights for councillors Andrew Reddington, Tomas Grealish, Michael ‘Mogie’ Maher, and Lorcan Harney, as well as officials Liam Hanrahan and John Neary.

Accommodation at the Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile, the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, and the TownePlace Suites West Bend cost the council a total of €10,871. It also paid transfer costs of €1,980.

The local authority paid €240 for an extra bag on the flight, and spent just over €650 on gifts, including a framed picture of Kylemore Abbey, a timber Galway hooker statuette, and a shell picture frame.

The total expenditure on the trip by the county council was €20,291.

In an internal email, Keith Finnegan, Galway City Council’s international relations officer, noted that Councillor Mike Cubbard was also in Chicago and Milwaukee, having travelled with Galway Bohemians youth team “with support from the International Relations Fund”.

A delegation from Galway has attended Milwaukee Irish Fest annually for more than 30 years. The trip included meetings with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, business development sessions, and cultural showcases.

A spokesperson for Galway County Council said a report on the trip would be provided to elected members at their meeting on Monday.

Galway City Council had not responded to queries by the time of publication.