Shop Street, Quay Street and more: Who owns Galway’s main thoroughfares?
An investigation into the ownership of Galway's main streets reveals the complex landscape of property holdings in the city. The article features local artists and vendors who operate within these historic commercial spaces.
Why it matters
Provides transparency regarding urban property ownership and the economic ecosystem of a major Irish tourist destination.
F or five years, artist Patrick Loewen has used the vacant facade of 47 William Street in Galway as a shop window to sell his small paintings.
“I paint them on the street,” Loewen says. “This is my mercenary work to finance my exhibition coming up in Dawson Street [Dublin] at the end of October.
“I’ve sold to 50 US states from this wall. I’ve got art in Iran, Bahrain, Kuwait as well. None from internet sales, all from the street, and I let everyone pay whatever they can afford so no one’s out of budget.”
The artist from Vancouver , whose studio, People Loves Diamond, is nearby on Dominick Street, has also sold his art on the streets of many cities in North America. He says Galway’s main thoroughfare “is the healthiest street I’ve ever been on”.
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