Inside the vote: The debate, the divisions and Shantalla Park's future

From heated exchanges over public consultation to a last-minute amendment, members of the Shantalla Park Action Group could only watch as Galway City Council voted to sell 3.6 acres of the park they had fought to protect.

Published 21st Jul 2026, 08:02 BST Connacht Tribune From heated exchanges over public consultation to a last-minute amendment, members of the Shantalla Park Action Group could only watch as Galway City Council voted to sell 3.6 acres of the park they had fought to protect. Sign up to our Connacht Tribune Today daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Connacht Tribune within your account.

The land will now be transferred to the HSE for a permanent heliport. The meeting took place in the boardroom at the Atlantic Technological University during a July heatwave.

Ironically, the vote took place on a day when almost everyone would rather have been out enjoying Galway's beaches and parks.

As the debate unfolded, there was a sense the decision was already a done deal.

For months, councillors had repeatedly called for meaningful engagement between Galway City Council, the HSE and the residents of Shantalla.

Since July 2025, Labour Cllr John McDonagh asked for public consultation before any decision was made – his motion appearing on the agenda every month.

"That this Council affirms its commitment to transparency and public engagement and resolves that no decision will be made to dispose of, sell, or otherwise transfer any part of Shantalla Park — including lands associated with the proposed helipad — without prior public consultation.”

Councillors expressed frustration at their inability to secure a face-to-face meeting with the HSE.

In the end, a two-day consultation took place at St Joseph's Community Centre in Shantalla just days before the vote.

Held during office hours, members of the Shantalla Park Action Group argued it prevented many local residents from attending.

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The community staged a peaceful protest outside in a final bid to save the park. It wasn't enough.

Speaking after the decision, campaigner Dr Conan Reilly said he agreed with councillors who criticised the consultation process.

"My view is that a consultation without an agenda, 96 hours before the vote, is not a real consultation,” he said “but an invasive force-feeding that, unfaithfully, requires legal consultation to occur as the fulcrum to open sale of recreational and amenity-zoned parkland in Galway city."

At the meeting, much of the debate centred on the consultation process.

Cllr Alan Curran (Soc Dem) described it as "shambolic" and questioned why councillors had not received a report before the vote.

"Any public consultation has resulted in a detailed report," he said. "We are not giving the community the transparency it deserves. It is contradictions after contradictions."

READ MORE: 'Temporary' helipad becomes permanent as Galway Council backs Shantalla Park sale to HSE

Independent Cllr Mike Cubbard, a volunteer coach with Galway Bohemians, described the process as "Killinaskully stuff".

"In November 2025, I set out that we needed open and honest debate and it never happened," he said.

"The residents have been treated with contempt. This local authority has failed to engage. We are there to provide a public service and we didn't do it. This is the first time anyone saw fit to engage with the 300 members of the club. It's 11th-hour stuff."

Fine Gael Cllr Frank Fahy said the process had been "botched".

"The HSE made a dog's dinner of it," he said. "It is a horrible way for a state body to do business."

A late-night 'flurry' of emails between councillors and council officials also drew criticism, prompting Director of Services Derek Pender to defend the council's actions.

"I want to address comments in relation to emails last night," he said. "They were exclusively about the HSE masterplan and the narrative around that. Everything we sought for the Development Control Plan has been given to us by the HSE."

Others echoed concerns over consultation, transparency and the long-running mistrust between residents and the HSE before the debate turned to whether the sale should proceed.

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Fine Gael Cllr Shane Forde said some sides were "entrenched with their views" and that there was "complete mistrust".

He said that while councillors had met with local residents, "there was no talk of a portable helipad" and that it had "only came to light over the last few weeks".

After an impassioned plea from Cllr John McDonagh to defer the vote until September to allow more time to examine alternative options, Independent Cllr Eibhlín Seoighthe seconded the proposal.

"What happens today represents and symbolises us as a local authority," she said. "This is about more than a park."

She also argued more time was needed to examine the BusConnects proposals before any decision was made.

Meanwhile, Cllr Níall McNeilis queried why a lease option could not be put on the table for consideration.

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The debate shifted when Fianna Fáil Cllr Peter Keane outlined a series of conditions attached to the sale.

Under his proposal, the land could only ever be used as a heliport.

If that changed, ownership would revert to Galway City Council for the original purchase price of €691,875 (excluding VAT).

A further €1.108 million, ringfenced for the Shantalla community, would not have to be paid back.

"This gives us the cast-iron guarantees that we need and want in respect to BusConnects and that the €1.1 million is ringfenced for the community in Shantalla," he said.

"In framing the motion, I am seeking to allay the rightly founded fears and mistrust for decades of the HSE. It will never be a car park."

The proposal persuaded several councillors who had expressed reservations earlier in the debate. Fianna Fáil Cllr Michael Crowe acknowledged residents' long-running concerns with the HSE but argued councillors also had a responsibility to the wider city.

"At the end of the day, we have an obligation to act in the greater good of Galway City as a whole," he said.

"If it passes today, it will have succeeded because of the politicians that we managed to pull and drag and get an agreement that the majority can live with."

Fine Gael Cllr Eddie Hoare said the debate ultimately centred on uncertainty over a future car park and paid tribute to Cllr John McDonagh, who he said had "worn his heart on his sleeve".

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One by one, councillors declared their votes. It quickly became apparent the motion would pass. There was a noticeable pause before Mayor Helen Ogbu (Lab) cast her vote in favour of the sale.

"At this point I don't know why we need to hurriedly take a decision," she said. "A lot of people need answers. Cllr Keane's motion lays down everything and holds the HSE to account, but at the same time, we need more time and we need clarifications."

The land will now be transferred to the HSE for a permanent heliport.

Chief Executive Leonard Cleary also committed to exploring the purchase of additional land as part of a greenspace initiative, but more details were not provided.

"It will have to be good value for money and in the public good," he said.

For campaigner Dr Conan Reilly, however, the vote marked the end of a battle that had stretched for months.

"The law will jail the man or woman who steals the goose from the common," he said.

"But the greater thief will remain loose. He who steals the common from the goose."