Galway County Council has been urged to properly plan for an influx of visitors to Conamara during hot weather spells.

At the latest County Council meeting, Councillor Eileen Mannion (FG) quipped that when ‘summer arrived in Conamara for one day last week’, there was “chaos at beaches”.

On sunny days, she said people flock to the area’s main beaches, which cannot cope in terms of parking.

Online reports on social media have suggested illegal parking and blocking of driveways was rife during the recent hot weather in Conamara.

Councillor Mannion said it may be too late for this year, but the County Council needed to put in place a proper plan for next Summer – and to start planning for summer 2026 this coming September.

“When the sun comes out everyone flocks to Conamara. They are all very welcome. We need a plan for next year,” she said.

At the previous meeting, Councillor Mannion criticised the Council for launching its ‘Summer Ready’ strategy two days after the longest day of the year had passed.

“On the 23rd of June, to be getting our Summer Ready programme . . . I think for a lot of us, the summer is nearly over,” she said.

Pictured: Cllr Eileen Mannion.