More than 40 homes in Castlegar, on the north-eastern edge of Galway city, are set to be demolished to make way for the long-delayed N6 Galway City Ring Road, and some of the people who live in them say the process is tearing a close-knit community apart. With voluntary purchase talks under way and only one legal challenge left standing, the road is closer to construction than at any point in its quarter-century history.
Homes in the path of the route
According to a report in The Irish Times on 30 October, the scheme requires the acquisition of 54 houses, 44 of which are to be knocked down. The remaining ten are being bought because they sit so close to the new road. Many of the affected homes are along School Road in Castlegar, which the newspaper describes as one of the city’s few remaining rural and Gaeltacht districts.
Galway County Council, working with Galway City Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, began voluntary acquisition negotiations with homeowners in September. Residents were first told around 13 years ago that the State would need their homes, and have lived with uncertainty through repeated planning and legal delays since.
One resident, Marie O’Donovan, whose late father built the family home in 1976, told the paper: “They’re not just taking our homes, they are killing our community.” She said she wants a like-for-like house and garden in Galway, and argued the process favours the State. Neighbours in their 70s and 80s have reportedly suffered sleeplessness and anxiety.
Minister of State and Galway West TD Noel Grealish welcomed the acquisition process, pointing out that elderly owners can choose to sell now or take most of the money up front while remaining in their homes until works approach. Galway County Council’s director of services, Uinsinn Finn, said the council was continuing what he called constructive engagement with residents and meeting owners to address their concerns.
A long road through the planners and the courts
A Galway outer bypass was first proposed in 1999 and collapsed in the mid-2000s over environmental concerns. A redesigned ring road was put forward in 2015 and approved in 2021, but that permission was quashed after a court challenge found up-to-date environmental guidance had not been taken into account. An Coimisiún Pleanála granted fresh permission in April this year for the 18km route, which runs between the west of Bearna and the M6 at Coolagh.
Four judicial reviews followed. Three, brought by affected homeowners in the Dangan area, were settled after mediation, the High Court heard on 7 October. The terms have not been made public, and Galway County Council said only that the proceedings had concluded to its satisfaction. The fourth challenge, brought by Shane Foran, a cycling campaigner from Rahoon who is representing himself, is due to be heard in November. He argues the planning body breached its obligations under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2021 and has also questioned how the road’s traffic impacts were assessed.
Divided opinion
Supporters argue that the road is essential for a city whose traffic congestion is notorious. Galway West TD John Connolly told Galway Bay FM earlier this month that it was a crucial project for the city, and said he expected detailed design to be completed and construction to begin within 12 to 18 months. In Connemara, where all road traffic to the east has to pass through the city, the scheme has strong backers: Clifden businessman Declan Mannion told The Irish Times the road would be transformative for the region.
Opponents, including campaigners for the proposed Gluas light rail system, argue that public transport should be prioritised. The planning commission has closed its pre-application file on the Trampower light rail proposal, though its backers say interest has not gone away. Mr Foran has also raised questions about whether the extra heavy goods traffic from the expanded Galway harbour, which received planning permission on the same day as the road, was properly considered.
What happens next
The outcome of the November High Court hearing is the main remaining hurdle. If permission survives the challenge, the councils will press on with acquisitions and detailed design, and construction could begin as early as next year. For the families of Castlegar, the coming months will decide when, not whether, they have to leave. The cost of the scheme and the value of compensation offered to homeowners have not been published in the reports reviewed for this article.
Sources
- The Irish Times: ‘They are killing our community’: Over 40 homes face demolition for Galway ring road (30 October 2026)
- The Irish Times: Three challenges to Galway City Ring Road permission settled (7 October 2026)
- Galway Bay FM: Several challenges against Ring Road permission settled at High Court (7 October 2026)
- The Irish Times: Galway Ring Road facing several High Court challenges to planners’ approval (17 June 2026)
Featured image: Castles of Connacht, Castlegar, Galway (1) – geograph.org.uk – 4068882.jpg by Mike Searle, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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