After two decades of campaigning, missed deadlines and broken promises, Connemara’s long-awaited ambulance base at Recess could finally open its doors in January. But the Health Minister is refusing to put her name to a date – and locals who have heard it all before won’t believe it until they see an ambulance parked in the bay.
Galway West TD Mairéad Farrell told the Dáil that officials expect the building to be finished in December and the base to be operational from January 2027. Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill agreed that timeline was correct – but stopped short of a firm commitment, Galway Bay FM reported.
What the Minister said about the Recess ambulance base
Deputy Farrell put it bluntly: “The people of Connemara have waited years for an ambulance base.” She asked the Minister for a guarantee there would be no more delays.
Minister Carroll MacNeill said the building was “in a process of completion” and that the service plan prioritises “the ambulance service for more rural areas”. But she added: “I will always be careful about a commitment,” saying she would rather announce the day the base opens than give notice two months out.
Why Connemara needs it: response times of over an hour
Connemara is one of the most remote parts of Ireland, and that distance can be deadly. Campaigners say ambulance response times in the region often stretch to more than an hour, even in genuine emergencies.
An emergency ambulance and a rapid response vehicle were allocated to Recess back in September 2021. But with no base to put them in, the HSE has kept them stationed in Clifden as a stop-gap until the new station is ready, according to a National Ambulance Service reply to a parliamentary question.
A timeline of broken promises
- 2021: The HSE announces plans for a base at Recess. The National Ambulance Service says it will be operational by spring 2022.
- 2024: Then-Health Minister Stephen Donnelly says the base should be built by autumn 2025.
- Late 2025: Shovels finally go in the ground. The existing single-storey health centre in Recess is being converted, with two bays for ambulances.
- December 2026: Building due to be completed, according to officials.
- January 2027: Base expected to be operational – if there are no more hold-ups.
‘Just how much more of this should we take?’
The Connemara Ambulance Crisis Group has been fighting for a base in north Connemara for well over a decade. Its spokesman PJ Leavy has been scathing about the repeated setbacks. “Just how much more of this total incompetence should we take before the powers that be intervene?” he asked after one hold-up in 2025, The Mayo News reported.
When work finally started at Recess, he told Galway Bay FM it meant a lot to the local community. The group has also argued in the past that a more central spot such as Maam Cross, with access to both north and south Connemara, would serve the region better.
What happens next?
If the timeline holds, the ambulance and rapid response vehicle now based in Clifden should move to Recess early in the new year, putting crews closer to the heart of Connemara. The Minister has linked the opening to the roll-out of extra ambulance resources secured for next year.
For a community that was promised a base by spring 2022, January can’t come soon enough. Connemara Journal will be keeping a close eye on whether this deadline is finally met.
For more local news, see our Connemara & Galway section.
Sources: Galway Bay FM, HSE National Ambulance Service, The Mayo News.
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