The planned demolition of the disused Lantern Bar in Ballybane has sparked renewed calls to celebrate and protect an overlooked and hidden jewel of Galway’s ancient past, a 1,500-year-old Ballybane Ringfort, situated just behind the site.
While the proposed four-storey development, comprising student accommodation and a ground-floor retail unit, aims to address growing demand for housing near the ATU Galway campus, local voices are urging city planners and politicians to seize the opportunity to highlight the fort. They want the redevelopment to not only serve students, but to shine a long-overdue light on what some are calling “Galway’s Newgrange.”
Dating back to the Early Christian period (circa 400–1200 AD ), the Ballybane Ringfort is one of the oldest intact human-made structures in Galway City. Located between residential estates and the Ballybane Shopping Centre, it features a rare souterrain, a man-made underground tunnel used historically for storage or refuge. Despite decades of urban development, the ringfort has remarkably survived, thanks to sustained efforts by local campaigners who fought to prevent its destruction.
A jewel of Galway’s ancient past
Eoghan Ó Finn, a Galway native and heritage advocate, wrote passionately in a recent letter about the potential for the Lantern redevelopment to go beyond bricks and mortar and embrace the area’s deep historical roots.
“Now that the City Council is set to consider plans to redevelop the adjacent site on the main Ballybane road, there is a unique opportunity to harness the potential of this jewel as a focal point for the local community, for tourists and the nation, as Galway’s answer to Newgrange, the finest evidence of our ancient past,” he wrote.
Ó Finn proposes the development of a cultural and interpretive centre on or adjacent to the Lantern site, overlooking the ringfort, to act as both a museum and community space. By day, Ó Finn says, it could host school groups, heritage tours, and visitors keen to explore Celtic Ireland’s legacy. By night, it could become a venue for local theatre, music, and art.
The idea is not without precedent. Heritage-led regeneration has proven successful in other parts of Galway, including the city’s vibrant West End, which has seen cultural and economic revival in recent years.
“Galway’s tourism economy brings in over €800 million annually. Imagine if just a tiny portion of that was directed towards Ballybane and Mervue,” mused Ó Finn.
Act with ambition
While the current planning application by Glen Ward and Maureen McDonagh focuses on a relatively modest student housing block with 31 beds, Ó Finn believes a more ambitious, integrated vision could deliver far greater long-term value, economically, socially, and culturally.
“I can think of few, if any, neighbourhoods in Ireland, Europe, or indeed the wider world which can boast a 1,500-year-old Celtic ringfort oozing in mystery and superstition, not to mention the heroic recent history of the local people saving it from demolition.
As Galway City Council prepares to decide on the development by September 10, heritage advocates like Ó Finn have championed the potential development of the site, describing it as an opportunity to act with ambition.
“Now, with plans for redevelopment on this site, there is a chance for councillors and council management to act with ambition for Galway’s eastside.”
