Today, Karen Healy Massimo Bar Galway and Lisa Regan were speaking at the Talk shop on Collaborative Governance and the implementation of Galway City’s Night-Time Economy Action Plan.
What was interesting to me wasn’t the policies or the frameworks, it was the power of speaking from experience. No PowerPoints. No LinkedIn phrases. Just honest stories, lived experience, and a genuine perspective on what it’s like to work in tourism, hospitality, and community-building in Galway and Galway’s Westend
People respond to feeling and passion. They respond to voice and perspective. That’s what moves conversations forward, that’s what builds understanding. Today was about giving our voice to the national conversation, alongside government departments, international city visitors, and local stakeholders, all focused on making Galway’s night-time economy (led out by Kate Howard) safe, diverse, and thriving.
Every person in the room wants the best for Galway, but this needs to be backed by government investment to succeed.