Council to honour epic rower
Published:
-
-
Author: Stephen Corrigan
~ 2 minutes read
From this week's Galway City Tribune
A civic reception is to be held in honour of trans-Atlantic rower Damian Browne.
At a meeting of Galway City Council last week, councillors gave their backing to hosting the ceremony in honour of the Renmore man who rowed from New York to Galway as part of a mammoth 122-day endurance challenge.
Mr Browne, a former Connacht Rugby star, returned to a hero’s welcome in the city in October and shortly afterwards, Mayor Clodagh Higgins said it was her intention to give one of the city’s highest honours to the 42-year-old extreme adventurer.
There was controversy at the time when, as revealed by the Galway City Tribune, the Mayor was asked to stay away from celebrations at the Docks following disappointment over funding from the local authority.
Project Empower, the organisation behind Browne’s expedition, applied for €30,000 in funding from the City Council’s Marketing Fund in September 2021 and was refused.
A spokesperson for the Council confirmed to the Tribune in October that the organisation did not meet the fund’s criteria.
“As project Empower could not demonstrate a major impact in relation to attracting significant bed nights, it was deemed ineligible for the fund,” stated the spokesperson at the time.
As a result, it’s understood that Mayor Higgins was told she should not attend the celebrations, and there was no official involvement in the event from any local councillors.
More like this:
Just 110 affordable homes for Co. Galway between 2025 and 2026
This article first appeared on Galway Bay FMGalway County Council plans to deliver just 110 affor...
Equipment donated to Roscommon hospital in memory of Glenamaddy’s Seán Donelon
This article first appeared on Galway Bay FMEquipment has been donated to the Department of Psych...
University of Galway seeks Gaeltacht families for multilingual study
This article first appeared on Galway Bay FMUniversity of Galway is seeking families living in Ga...
Problematic watermains saga in North Galway described as "fiasco"
This article first appeared on Galway Bay FMA long-running saga over problematic watermains in No...
More than 400 people on waiting list for Home Care in Galway
This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM410 people are on a waiting list for Home Care in Gal...
Tuam man appeals against sentence for money laundering
This article first appeared on Galway Bay FMA Tuam man who sought the help of a crime boss to col...
Disability employment event in Oranmore tomorrow
This article first appeared on Galway Bay FMAn event, focusing on employment supports for people ...
Local TD says West needs 'AI Hub' to remain competitive
This article first appeared on Galway Bay FMThe West of Ireland needs an 'AI Hub' to ensure we re...
Local Senator demands extra exam time for dyslexia students
This article first appeared on Galway Bay FMA local Senator says there's an urgent need to look a...