Proposals to revitalise Salthill with new festival
A festival to celebrate the humble mackerel, a fish close to the hearts of Galwegians, is among the ideas advanced at a meeting organised this week to rejuvenate Salthill.
The Mackerel Festival would take place along the Promenade, probably in September when ‘the mackerel are in’.
It could involve barbeques, music and fishing demonstrations to celebrate mackerel, a healthy, tasty, plentiful and local food that is a natural source of Omega 3.
Another idea put forward at the meeting in Galway Bay Hotel, which was organised by Galway Chamber, is to host a ‘mini-Bloom’ festival in Salthill for the last weekend of August.
Bloom takes place in Dublin annually and is described as the largest gardening family and food event in the country.
Mini-Bloom could take place in Salthill Park, and could include food stalls, music and some gardening features.
Another suggestion advanced at the meeting was the creation of a ‘Walk for Diaspora’ along the Salthill Promenade. This would be modelled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame where stars of famous actors line the boulevard.
The Salthill version would involve the crest of all Irish surnames of the Diaspora imprinted onto the Prom.
Other ideas touted include the revival of the show-jumping competition that used to be held in Salthill Park in the 1980s, which was a four day event and televised live on RTÉ television.
“Not all of the ideas will come to fruition. Not all of them can be done in three or four weeks, but over the next three or four years if we work together these ideas are achievable and they can rejuvenate Salthill,” said Labour Party Galway City Councillor Niall McNelis, who is chairing a strategic committee of the Galway Chamber tasked with reviving the seaside resort.
Other areas of interest include providing hanging baskets and flowerbeds throughout Salthill; and reopening the tourist office.
At Tuesday’s meeting, which was attended by around 50 businesspeople and residents, it was agreed to form a committee to advance the plans.
Some 18 people on the night agreed to join the committee and a further six people who weren’t there have emailed Cllr McNelis to express an interest in helping the committee.
The new committee will meet again next week, and he hopes they will meet weekly from there on.
“Like the Latin Quarter, West End Traders, and the Galway City Business Association, Salthill needs people to come together with one common cause to improve the area. To meet quarterly with the chief executive of Galway City Council and the directors of services, to set out what the area needs and how it can be achieved,” said Cllr McNelis.