HIGH-SPEED trains between the Atlantic corridor and other parts of the country and plenty of ideas about the arts, education, science and technology were included in the vision for Galway 2040, as articulated by students in the city yesterday.
The student “soap box” was hosted by organisers of the Galway 2040 initiative which continues in the western capital today.
The speakers from four selected schools were invited by town crier Liam Silke to outline their vision for the city and county three decades hence.
The importance of investment in education and the risks attached to re-introducing third-level fees were highlighted by Sophie Browne, a sixth-year pupil from Presentation Secondary School. Her fifth-year Presentation colleague Niamh Mildrew said there needs to be far more recreational spaces for younger people in the 15 to 17 year age bracket.
“You’ll be 50 and over,” the soap box host, Galway Chamber of Commerce president Paul Shelly had reminded the students.
Winning participant Andrew Forde of Coláiste Iognaid spoke of the need for increased funding for both youth cafes and for organisations like Age Action and the homeless charity, Cope.
Runner-up Eoin Shimizu, a third-year student at Coláiste na Coiribe, spoke in Irish about how he had had “a thousand thoughts” when he tried to think of one change. His priority was a multi-sports centre, but he also believed a rail link between Cork and Belfast, linking Limerick, Galway and Sligo, would have a transformative effect.
Blathnaid Ní hEadhra, a second-year pupil in the same school, spoke of the emphasis on culture and pride in the Irish language and the opportunities offered by tourism, while Robert Fitzgerald Balone of Coláiste Iognaid had a different take on Galway’s reputation as a centre for medical research and technology.
Individuals may be much healthier in the future, due to increased awareness about lifestyles, and may not be so dependent on medicine, he suggested. This “respect for self” could also extend to the city, with respect for the built environment having a positive impact, he said.
Primary school pupils also made their input through art with a number of images of Galway 2040 submitted by students in five schools for display in the Eyre Square shopping centre.
Sean Green of Briarhill National School depicted an underground bus service, while Maciek Wtodarczyk of St Michael’s National School opened Eyre Square out to the docks.
The future plans for Galway’s port, and views on the arts, transport and on the city and county’s relationship, will be debated at an open forum today in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT).
Galway 2040 is supported by Galway Chamber of Commerce, NUI Galway, GMIT and the two local authorities.