The people of Galway are “sick to their teeth” of the increase in violence on the city’s streets, according to local councillors.

On Sunday, four people were hospitalised after a car drove into a crowd of people during a mass brawl in the city.

A large number of people were involved in the brawl, with videos shared widely across social media.

On The Pat Kenny Show this morning, Galway Cllr Michael J Crowe said violence in the city just seems to have gotten out of hand in recent weeks.

“There seems to be various factions, at war effectively, on the public streets of Galway,” he said.

“In shopping centres, main thoroughfares and then on top of that, allied to that, there's also what you might call random acts of violence - sporadic acts - happening as well on the streets.

“In the last four or five weeks, it just seems to have gotten out of hand and this weekend, culminated in something that, I suppose, I never thought we'd see in the middle of Galway City on a bright end of summer's day.”

Brawl

He said there were up to 70 people involved in the brawl.

“It just took off and many people have seen the events on social media,” he said.

“I mean, these were seriously armed people with slash hooks, knives and a car that was driven into a crowd not just once, but twice.”

He said the violence has to stop.

“The people of Galway city and county are sick to their teeth of this kind of carry-on, going on in the streets,” he said.

“The perception among the public, whether it's right or wrong and perception sometimes is enough, is that the consequences of such actions just aren't severe enough and I think that's what has to change in society.”

Gardaí

Also on the show, former Galway Mayor Cllr Colette Connolly said Garda management was ‘surprised’ when she warned them that the public perception in Galway is that there are no Gardaí on the streets.

“We have young people taking over the beaches, drinking on beaches, something I've never seen in my lifetime,” she said.

“We have rallies coming to Galway, holding the city up to ransom.

“We have fights on a regular basis in Shop Street, one of which I witnessed myself and phoned the Garda Síochána.”

COVID

She said the city has never recovered from the measures introduced during COVID.

“I think the Government gave no leadership during COVID,” she said.

“It was, go out and party, the COVID scare is now gone and people have lost the plot.

“They're not taking responsibility for their behaviour and there is huge tolerance now for antisocial behaviour that wasn't there previously.”

Cllr Connolly said she loves her city but the feedback she is getting from locals is that it is “out of control”.

“We have to get Galway back to an inclusive city that is mindful of everybody - the elderly, the disabled, young and old,” she said.

“It is not just the craic because the craic is not without inevitable serious consequences for everybody in the city.”

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