Galway City Council has agreed to meet with watersports bodies over a sign at Silverstrand Beach banning them — but has ruled out taking it down in the interest of public safety.

Wind surfers, paddleboarders and kayakers have mounted a campaign against the ban, with councillors receiving hundreds of emails calling for them to pressure the local authority to remove it. They point to the tidal inlet of Lough Rusheen, located behind Silverstrand, which has been a long-established centre for watersports.

Galway City West Councillor Clodagh Higgins tabled a motion at the area meeting this week calling for the large sign to be removed immediately and for a meeting to be organised between the Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) and the watersports groups to “begin meaningful consultation and work toward a Beach Management and Zoning Plan that allows for dedicated launch zones, improved access routes to the water, and safe, inclusive use of our coastal spaces”.

Director of Services for Operational Development at Galway City Council, Patrick Greene, dismissed the idea of taking down the sign on the beach between Salthill and Barna.

“If we don’t have the signs, our Blue Flags [on beaches] are at risk. I have no problem meeting groups, but the signs I need to keep,” he said.

The meeting was told that the signs contain a lot of information about the location of the lifeguards and lifesaving lifebuoys and the Council had erected them on the advice of national body Water Safety Ireland and a risk assessor accredited from the International Lifesaving Federation of Europe.

Their advice was that the bathing area was not suitable for windsurfing, powered craft, personal watercraft, towed water activity, surf craft or kite surfing.

“The risk assessor is accredited, it’s their advice we’re going on – advice from a European body.”

Cllr Higgins (FG) said she was delighted to hear Mr Greene would meet with the groups but refuted any claim that removing the signage would compromise the Blue Flag award from An Taisce.

“That’s absolute bullology [sic]. Absolutely false. If you look at other Blue Flag beaches, beaches in Clare – they’re all Blue Flag. This effectively bans kayaking, paddleboarding, if you have a child with a boogie board, they wouldn’t be able to use it.

“Ye turn around and put up signs overnight without consulting with the people who use the water. The amount of emails from the public I’ve got — it’s affecting a huge amount of people … water sports are part of the DNA on that beach. We’re really good at own goals in Galway City Council.”

She recalled that a Beach Management Plan was submitted by the Galway City Watersports Group in 2021, which was never acknowledged or brought forward for consideration.

Cllr Peter Keane (FF) said there needed to be a balance of competing interests now that sea swimming had become so popular.

“It’s always been an emotive thing – we passed bylaws on jet skiing … nobody wants to see an end to kite surfing, paddleboarding … it needs to be fleshed out … can windsurfers launch from Palmer’s Beach?”

Cllr Donal Lyons (Ind) said he was sitting on the Council when jet skis were banned.

“It’s a lot of the same passion. A designated area was allowed for the launch of jet skis at Palmer’s Rock. Where the signs are erected, they’ve taken away seating.”

Cllr Alan Curran (SocDems) asked if the section of the signs indicating watersports were not allowed could be covered while they reached a consensus.

Labour’s Niall McNelis said his son was in the sea scouts with 250 other members and they had been told their activities would be out of bounds.

Mr Greene repeated his offer to meet with watersports group “fairly promptly”, but he had no intention of covering a sign for the safety of swimmers all summer.

“The signs were up there before. It’s not new to the beach,” he stated.

It was agreed the notice of motion would be left on the agenda until the next meeting in September.

Cllr Higgins later told the Galway City Tribune that this was not just about a sign.

“It’s about transparency, fairness, and good governance. This situation was entirely avoidable. Had Galway City Council paid attention to how this was handled in the County, we wouldn’t be here. Clare has nine Blue Flag beaches and they continue to support water-based activity without banning access.

“Other coastal counties have clearly shown that it is possible to balance safety and access. Galway City must follow that lead, not shut people out of the sea.

“I have now formally requested sight of the reports and correspondence cited by the Executive as justification for the signage. Without that clarity, any meeting with the Galway City Watersports Group would be tokenistic and ultimately pointless.”

Pictured: Kite surfers at Silverstrand: new rules ban watersports there. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.