City centre street closures planned to facilitate a climate festival have been criticised as inconsiderate to elderly residents, businesses, and massgoers.

Galway City Council said it was planning to close Middle Street to facilitate its new Climate Inspirations Festival, which runs on the weekend of September 13-15.

The programme of events includes Playful Streets, described as a “dynamic weekend transforming Middle Street into a vibrant car-free zone of creativity and community”.

The street will close from Friday to Sunday for face painting, live music, drumming workshops, and street games.

Former Labour Party City Councillor, Nuala Nolan, said the Council was not taking into consideration elderly residents and massgoers at the Augustinian Church.

“Older residents of the city are regularly dropped on Middle Street to attend the 11am daily Mass at St Augustine’s Church.

“Also, Augi choir members have 10am practice on Sundays, and they either park their cars in the area or are dropped off. It is important that this is taken into consideration,” she said, in a submission to City Hall.

Ms Nolan, a city centre resident, claimed that during a previous event on Middle Street, Council promises of ‘local access at all times’ were not adhered to by personnel on the ground.

Middle Street is a one-way street, and she suggested that allowing people to cycle there during the festival was “reckless”, as it would “encourage children and adults to cycling down the wrong way on adjoining streets”.

She said most people who live on Middle Street and surrounding areas, such as Whitehall Apartments, were not families – whom this festival is geared towards – but elderly people, who would be inconvenienced by it.

Pictured: Nuala Nolan: street closure inconsiderate to elderly residents as well as businesses.