It’s for the birds . . . roof repair works on Galway City Council apartments cannot yet proceed – because pigeons are nesting in the architrave!

Requests for repairs to be carried out at Whitehall Apartments have been deferred for at least seven months because pigeons are protected birds.

Residents of the Council-owned city centre housing for elderly people had asked, through their public representatives, for roof repairs to be carried out on their homes.

This was because pigeons had accessed an architrave at the gable end of the property to the rear of Dunnes Stores at the Eyre Square Shopping Centre.

“Pigeons like all birds are protected under the Wildlife Acts and so the nest site can’t be disturbed until September 1,” the Housing Maintenance section of Galway City Council said.

“We will review this issue after this date has elapsed,” it added.

This was in response to questions submitted by Galway West TD Catherine Connolly (Ind) whose office received representations about the issue.

Deputy Connolly supplied the Council with photos in March showing “pigeons have begun to nest in the exposed hole in the architrave”.

Councillor Frank Fahy (FG) previously raised this problem, as reported in the Galway City Tribune.

Former Labour Councillor Nuala Nolan, an advocate for elderly residents at Whitehall, said it was “a joke” that pigeons took priority over people.