Galway to Kinvara – 1906

Tuam Herald 25th August, 1906 p.4  

We agree with all our County contemporaries that there is a general, and to our mind, a justifiable complaint made of the want of a regular service between Galway and Kinvara across the bay. The present inland mode of communication cannot be regarded as calculated to foster or improve commercial relations between the two towns concerned. too much time would be occupied for transit purposes and no railway line touches nearer than seven miles to Kinvara. This adversely affects both Kinvara and Galway, for at the present time transit facilities very largely govern the volume of trade between any two centres of population. It is held by shrewd business men that if there was a regular three-day or two-day service between Galway and Kinvara the trade between the two ports would be very considerable, for Kinvara Harbour would be made the outlet for a very large tract of country that presently lies in a most undeveloped condition for want of such facilities as a regular service with Galway would offer.

There are now two boards to hand with practically plenary powers to deal with such matters, the Congested Districts Board and the Board of Agriculture, and if these were approached by a committee representing the interests of Galway and Kinvara respectively, there need hardly be a doubt that the project outlined would come off. Both these Boards undertook to contribute three-fifths of the cost of the ferry at Kilbeg, and it is but reasonable to expect that they would favourably entertain any feasible representation made to them in respect of the project under consideration. It would, at any rate, be an experiment well worth the while of the places that would be affected by such a transit service to take combined action and see what can be done.