The Minister for Justice Helen McEntee T.D. and the Minister of State for the Office of Public Works (OPW) Kieran O’Donnell T.D. yesterday attended the official opening of Spiddal Garda station in Co. Galway.

Welcoming the opening of the new Garda station, Minister McEntee said, “I am delighted to be here on what is a great day for this community. The provision of this new Garda Station is such an important development for policing and will continue to serve the community of Spiddal now and into the future. As the first station to greet you when entering the Gaeltacht, on the Wild Atlantic Way, it will remain an important cornerstone of this community.

“As well as providing a modern fit-for-purpose facility for Garda members and the visiting public, the station meets a very high environmental standard. I am also delighted to see that the station is now wheelchair accessible.”

Minister McEntee continued, “As Minister for Justice, supporting the work of An Garda Síochána is a priority for my Department and this year’s unprecedented budget of over €2.35 billion reflects the commitment to increase the Garda workforce to enable the organisation to keep our communities safe”.

Minister O’Donnell added, “I am delighted to be here today to officially open Spiddal Garda Station. This new permanent structure replaces the old temporary building, which is more in line with the government’s Climate Action and Sustainability policies and reflects our commitment to working towards meeting our climate action targets.

“The OPW has worked very closely with An Garda Síochána to bring the project to this important milestone. This purpose-built station will provide staff with a modern work environment that enables them to continue delivering this invaluable service to the local community along the West Coast.”

Since the establishment of the new Galway Division Operating Model, Spiddal Garda station became part of the Galway County West Community Engagement Area, with Oranmore Garda Station as the new Community Engagement Area Headquarters.

The previous Garda Station at An Spidéal was a prefabricated building, erected circa 1984. At that time it was deemed to be a temporary building pending the construction of a new Garda Station. The building was erected on a site acquired by the Office of Public Works (in 1979) at River Road, An Spidéal, Co. na Gaillimhe.

Prior to 1984, the old Garda Station at An Spidéal was located at a different location in An Spidéal on the main street of the village. This premises was initially a Royal Irish Constabulary Barracks until the formation of An Garda Síochána.

The new building has been constructed to ensure environmental considerations are to the fore, it is of block construction, insulated to a very high standard with the building designed to achieve an A rating from a BER perspective. It has low-energy LED lighting throughout, Air to Water heating and ventilation ensuring it meets very high environmental standards.

(Source: Office of Public Works)