“You Wouldn’t Leave Your Front Door Unlocked, So Why Should We Leave Our West Coast Unguarded?” - Deputy John Connolly

“You Wouldn’t Leave Your Front Door Unlocked, So Why Should We Leave Our West Coast Unguarded?”

Deputy John Connolly Urges  Government to Consider a Naval Facility in Galway to Strengthen Ireland’s Maritime Security

Fianna Fáil TD for Galway West, John Connolly, has urged the Government to give serious consideration to establishing a naval presence in Galway as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s maritime security.

Speaking in the Dáil Deputy Connolly raised the issue directly with the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, citing the recommendations of the 2022 Commission on the Defence Forces report.

“It is now more important than ever that Ireland has the ability to defend its back door and protect the critical infrastructure on which our country depends. The world is facing rising geopolitical tensions, growing instability, and we must ensure we have the capacity to safeguard what keeps our economy and society functioning.”

Deputy Connolly highlighted the strategic vulnerabilities along Ireland’s west coast, where there is currently very limited Naval Service coverage between Limerick and Donegal.

“We are an island nation with one of the largest sea areas in Europe. Around 90% of our trade moves by sea, 78% of our energy needs are imported by ship or pipeline, and 95% of our international data flows through undersea cables, many of which come ashore at or near Galway. We cannot afford to leave this vital infrastructure unprotected.”

“Ireland stands for principles that may not be popular in every part of the world. We are seen as the weak link in Europe when it comes to defence, and that is a vulnerability we can no longer ignore.”

“I am proud of Ireland’s neutrality, and I want to be absolutely clear: this is not about involving Ireland in foreign wars or sending our children into conflict. This is about having a grown-up conversation about how we protect our infrastructure, our economy, and our people. It’s about taking our security seriously in a changing world.”

He noted that developing a naval facility on the west coast would be a prudent step, aligned with the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces and the work underway on Ireland’s first national maritime security strategy.

“You wouldn’t leave your front door unlocked, so why should we leave our west coast unguarded? We need to take responsibility for protecting our own waters and the infrastructure that sustains our country.”

Concluding, Deputy Connolly pointed to Galway’s proud Defence Forces tradition and the existing presence at Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa Barracks as a strong foundation for contributing to national maritime security efforts.

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