Galway City Council has been urged to celebrate the Irish language and Gaelic cultural life – 900 years after the foundation of ‘Gaelic Gaillimh’.

Sinn Féin has called on the Council to develop a plan of festivities and projects to commemorate the foundation of Gaelic Gaillimh in 1124.

The year 2024 will mark 900 years since Toirdelbach Ó Conchúbhair, then both King of Connacht and High King of Ireland, ordered the building of Dún Bun na Gaillimhe, the fort at the mouth of the river Gaillimh, now known as the Corrib.

Mark Lohan, Cathaoirleach of Sinn Féin’s Galway Comhairle Ceantair and representative for Galway City Central, said the local authority and other institutions should celebrate the city’s role as an Irish language hub.

“No other city can boast being able to trace its foundations to the orders of a High King of Ireland. From the perfectly intact ancient ringforts at Dangan and Ballybane to the round tower of Roscam Monastery, sacked by the Vikings, Galway is blessed with a rich archaeological heritage that goes back well before the Norman era, and this momentous anniversary offers us an opportunity to revisit that side of Galway, tap into our Gaelic roots in terms of language, music and culture, and expand upon the tourist offering of our city,” said the SIPTU trade union representative.

The former city councillor said this celebration had the potential to connect communities across the city and could include institutions like An Taibhdhearc, Áras na nGael, the new Áras Mhic Amhlaigh and Ollscoil na Gaillimhe.
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