Galway National Park City
Páirc Náisiúnta Chathair na Gaillimhe
Nurturing Nature into the fabric of our city
Our Mission
To have Galway city recognised as a National Park City, by achieving a more Greener, Bluer, Healthier, Safer, Beautiful, Sustainable, Equitable, Harmonious and Wilder environment where people value, benefit from, and are strongly connected to the rest of Nature.
The National Park City is a place, a vision and a city-wide community that is working together to make life better for people and biodiversity.
Third Galway Youth Climate Assembly
The third Galway Youth Climate Assembly too place on Wednesday November 16th in University of Galway. Its aim is to increase youth awareness of and participation in decision-making in relation to climate action policies. All secondary schools in Galway City are participating.
Last year’s event, held as part of the Galway Science and Technology Festival, was the first assembly of its kind to be organised at a local level in Ireland. Its success encouraged other parts of the country to follow suit.
The Youth Assembly provides a space for young people from our city’s secondary schools to gather together on the issue that is increasingly impacting on the lives of all lifeforms on the planet where they will be introduced to policies, processes and products being undertaken in Galway-in line with the United Nation’s Sustainability Goals to tackle the Climate and the Biodiversity Crises- by local stakeholders ranging from world class scientific research centres to grassroots projects;
to give them opportunities to be involved in initiating positive change through their own school and/or youth/community group; and to help them in having their voices heard in the expectation that it will influence local and national government policies.
At the Assembly there will be a panel of experts that will be available to answer questions from the young participants.
There will also be an exhibition space where students from both universities, as well as Galway environmental education/business/community projects, will showcase research projects in the areas of Climate, Biodiversity and Sustainability.
The decisions, which are made at national and local level now, are going to greatly impact on young people’s future. Therefore it is important that their ideas and suggestions are taken into consideration when climate strategies are being adopted and implemented.
The Assembly is being co-organized by Galway National Park City initiative, SAUTI-Youth project, the University of Galway, the Atlantic Technology University, the Students’ Union of the University of Galway and the Galway Science and Technology Festival.
In parallel with the youth assembly Duncan Stewart, the renowned environmentalist and founder of Eco-Eye, and Dr. Anne Dolan, coordinator of the M.Ed in Education for Sustainability and Global Citizenship at the Mary Immaculate College in Limerick as well as author of a number of educational books including ‘Teaching Climate Change for Primary Schools’, will host a separate morning event for secondary school teachers.
GALWAY’S OUTDOOR CLASSROOM
Galway’s First Outdoor Classroom
Lovely informative piece on RTE’s News2Day programme by reporter Pat McGrath on the Outdoor Classroom. It contains some lovely interviews with secondary school students and members of Ability West. Through exciting, innovative and pioneering projects such as the Outdoor Classroom science kits project, the Galway National Park City initiative is making a valuable contribution to helping people in tackling the Climate and Biodiversity Crises.
NATURE IN THE CITY
Galway city offers a diverse range of river, seashore, woods and park trails, many suitable for walking (with varying levels of accessibility) and some more suitable for cycling.
There are walking routes within the main public urban parks (Barna Woods, Cappagh Park, Merlin Woods and Terryland Forest), along the Galway Bay seashore and on the banks of the city’s canals and River Corrib.
PARKS
Approximately 20% of the land area of Galway city is designated as protected habitats, recreational amenity open space and agricultural land. This includes public parks that vary in size from the 120 zoned lands of Terryland Forest Park to little neighbourhood parks located within housing estates. These parks offer a fantastic mix of wildflower meadows, woods, nature trails, rock outcrops, riverwalks, sporting facilities, outdoor gym equipment, children playgrounds and features of historical importance.
TRAILS
Galway city offers a diverse range of river, seashore, woods and park trails, many suitable for walking (with varying levels of accessibility) and some more suitable for cycling.
There are walking routes within the main public urban parks (Barna Woods, Cappagh Park, Merlin Woods and Terryland Forest), along the Galway Bay seashore and on the banks of the city’s canals and River Corrib.
WATERWAYS
As Phil James has pointed out many times, Galway is a city that has always been shaped by water. Up until the early 19th century it was a city of streams and islands. In fact, its original Gaelic name was Baile na Sruthán, City of Streams.
No other geographical feature has influenced the history and development of Galway more than its waterways. The original Stone Age and Celtic peoples settled in Galway because of the abundance of salmon, eels, and trout in the rivers. Read more
Check out our Community Projects
Sustainability in the Workplace
A culture shift is taking place in Galway workplaces as sustainability becomes the byword for implementing new changes to improve the health of personnel and of the planet.
Eco Neighbourhoods
Local communities are at the forefront in preserving, enriching and increasing awareness of our city’s beautiful diverse natural heritage from karst limestone hills to country lanes.
Youth Activism
Enthusiastic visionary young people are taking a leading role in coming up with new ideas and ways to make the city and world a better place for humans and biodiversity.
From COP1 to COP26: Galway city has responded positively to the challenges of the Climate and Biodiversity Crises
Would you like to get involved in the Galway National Park City Project? It could be Community, School or Workplace. We would love to hear from you.
Include a bit about yourself and your area(s) of interest. Please refer to our Aims and Principles.
Visit our YouTube channel here.
Statement by President Michael D. Higgins National Park City for Galway.
Thursday, 29th October 2020
Is onóir bheith páirteach I lánsáil an tógra samhlaíoch seo.
I am delighted to take part in today’s launch of the National Park City for Galway initiative, having accepted recently the kind invitation, as President of Ireland, to become the sole Patron of the initiative. May I thank Brendan Smith, the Convenor of the National Park City for Galway, for the invitation to officially launch this wonderful scheme which will be so enriching to the people of Galway and beyond.
Read full statement here
