A County Galway house worth almost €400,000 that was fire-damaged during a suspected arson attack remains derelict four years on.

August 31 marked the fourth anniversary of the 5am fire that gutted the Galway City Council-owned property in the townland of Kiltulla near Galway Airport at Carnmore.

The City Council had purchased the property, with an investment of almost €400,000 – this week it has been urged to ‘cut its losses’ and sell it as the Garda investigation into the fire appears to have hit a dead end.

The local authority had earmarked the house for Traveller accommodation for a Traveller family. But purchasing property outside of its jurisdiction had caused controversy in 2020.

As Galway Gardaí confirmed its investigation into the incident hasn’t yet resulted in any arrests or prosecutions, the City Council this week refused to be drawn on what it plans to do with the property.

Galway City Councillor Shane Forde (FG) told The Connacht Tribune that the City Council should now sell the property on the open market.

“It’s four years since the incident. Hopefully, the Garda investigation will end shortly. The City Council paid over €389,000 for it. They haven’t the funding now to do anything with it or build a new unit. The site should be sold, and the money reinvested into Council homes that need investment around Galway City East and Galway City generally,” said Cllr Forde.

“The house won’t be redeveloped. It will have to be knocked. It’s too long going on. Four years is a long time. People have forgotten about it, but this was a City Council home purchased in the county, and they need to recoup some of that €400,000.

“It’s a half-acre site and it would get roughly €200,000 on the open market. Cut their losses and move on and sell this property which they are not going to develop. There are homes in Mervue, lying idle for two and a half years, and if they had investment they could be brought back into stock,” said Cllr Forde.

A spokesperson for Galway City Council declined to say what it planned to do with the property.

“This property is subject to ongoing Garda investigations, and we have no further comment to make,” the Council statement read.

The Garda Press Office confirmed its investigation has so far not led to any arrests.

“An Garda Síochána investigated an incident of criminal damage by fire at a house in the Kiltulla area of County Galway on August 31, 2020, at approximately 5am. No arrests have been made at this time.

“An Garda Síochána continue to appeal with any person who may have any information on this arson to contact Gardaí at Galway Garda Station 091-538000,” a Garda spokesperson said.

Pictured: The unoccupied house following the fire in 2020. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.