Community spirit at the heart of getting things done in Galway’s Westend

A short stroll from the heart of the city, nestled on the West side of the River Corrib, is the vibrant hub of Galway’s Westend. Dotted with colourful pubs, restaurants and cafes, the Westend is oozing with diverse culture, artistic aesthetic and community spirit.

And it’s that community spirit that led to the installation of a life-saving defibrillator along the canal walk at the back of the Róisín Dubh pub. 

“The community is a crossover of people that live here and work here and are involved in the committee”. That’s according to Lisa Regan, one of the committee members of the Westend Traders Association. “Because obviously if you have a better serviced area, it’s better for everyone.”

Frustration

The fact that there wasn’t a publicly available defibrillator in the Westend was a frustration for the community. The closest one was too far away in a critical moment.

The first task was to obtain funding for the project. “We looked at loads of different options and then the accessibility grant from Galway City Council was deemed appropriate,” Lisa explained.

Finding a site was also a challenge. “It has to be electrically wired and there’s a bit of work in the installation too,” said Lisa. But it was also important that it was easily accessible, without being located on the main thoroughfare. 

“Our fear was that someone would vandalise it,” Lisa said. “But where it is now at the back of the Róisín is very central but a lot of people wouldn’t go down there to go out of their way to vandalise it.”

Local cooperation

Karen Healy, another member of the Westend Traders Association, also volunteers with Claddagh Watch Patrols. Claddagh Watch creates a safer environment around Galway city’s waterways through volunteer patrols and awareness.

“When we decided we were going to install a defibrillator in the Westend, I obviously went to Arthur [Carr] at Claddagh Watch because I knew they were going to get a few defibrillators themselves for the area”, said Karen. 

It made sense to Karen and Arthur to have the same machines installed around the city, so that anyone trained to use one machine would be able to use them all. 

 “We are going to organise a short training session for our Westenders, just to show them how easy it is to use it, how effective it is and what an asset it’s going to be in the area.” 

The last hurdle

With the funding, location and machine in place, there was only one last hurdle – the installation. And once again, community members in the Westend stepped up.

Jim Falkner, an electrician who works in the area with a lot of different businesses, was the obvious choice to manage the installation, according to Lisa.

“What’s great is Jim knows the electrical wiring of the Róisín Dubh because he’s their electrician,” said Lisa. “We got sign-off from the Róisín and then Jim set to work”.

Since its installation, the feedback from locals has been really positive. For example, when a local girl shared her number with Lisa because she’s trained in using a defibrillator. 

“It’s a publicly-used defibrillator; the code is on the door,” said Lisa. “You just have to put your trust in [people]. 

“And it’s so necessary”, she said, explaining that all of the Westend door staff are connected through a WhatsApp group and can contact each other if there’s an issue. 

“It’s just another addition to help people if they need it in the area,” she added.

The installation of the defibrillator is by no means the only project the Westend Traders have worked on to improve their community. 

Car-free zone

Improving accessibility in the area is a current priority for the Association, but the pedestrianisation project is ongoing.

Those familiar with the area will know that from May to October, between the hours of 6pm and 11pm, the Westend comes alive with locals and tourists spilling out onto the car-free streets, creating a festival-like atmosphere. 

The pilot to pedestrianise the Westend began in 2017 and it’s been a win for all involved. “We have buy-in from everyone,” Lisa explained.

“Residents are happy. Businesses are happy. People who come to Galway are happy. People that live in Galway are happy. Everyone has a wonderful experience down here,” she said.

And according to Lisa, the Gardaí are happy too. “We’ve had no public order offences or anything like that. It’s like civic policing. When more people are on the streets, there’s less problems. There’s great energy and it brings people down to another part of town.

“It’s great for Galway to have that ‘carnival outdoor festival’ atmosphere,” she said “and it’s more conducive for families to be out a little bit later too”. 

According to Lisa, it’s not all about drinking. It’s about eating outside, listening to music or just grabbing a coffee.

No guarantees

But the work isn’t over for the committee. While the summer pedestrianisation project has been in place for many years, it’s not a guaranteed fixture. 

Every year, the Association has to go through the approval process with the Council and according to Lisa, “It’s fatiguing”. 

“Consistency is key,” she said. “When we change things constantly, open one day and closed the next, the message gets diluted. So we just want that structure.” 

Locals have also been lobbying for permanent pedestrianisation of the Small Crane and Raven’s Terrace area for 20 years now. “We’re hopeful that maybe there’ll be a decision made on that soon,” said Lisa.

There’s no doubt that the community spirit, hard work and determination of the Westend Traders Association members has done wonders to transform this part of Galway city. Their energy mirrors that of the Westend’s streets on a summer’s evening. 

And with the defibrillator now in place along the canal, there’s nothing that can stop the heart of this community from beating, for a long time to come.