It can be a tightrope at times. Operating a commercial Port in the City Centre, looking after the needs of ships and all that it brings and on the flip side, opening the city quays to the public to enjoy what is truly a wonderful harbour. The addition of the marina greatly enhanced the amenity value of the harbour and provides a lovely stroll just to “look at the boats”.
The Harbour is a natural amphitheatre and lends itself to hosting maritime festivals. So much so, that SeaFest 2017 was a resounding success, attracting over 100,000 visitors and raising our awareness of all that surrounds us, water. We do live on an island, however, we don’t think like islanders. We don’t really engage with the ocean and we certainly had our back to the sea for long enough. That is changing. There has been a sea-change. Finally, we have realised that our greatest natural resource is the water that surround us, a body of water 10 times greater than our land mass.
SeaFest 2017 was simply great. It showed how cross government departments can pull together for a single multi-faceted event and be the best in class. Ships open to the public, jet boarding, come try kayaking, sailing, seafood and an array of food stalls populating the harbour.
Gotta love Galway!
