Hollywood actor Gabriel Byrne has again hit out at development in the city, saying buildings are springing up without any sympathy for the surrounding environment. Mr Byrne was in town to accept an honorary doctorate at NUI, Galway.

INTO THE WEST: Breda O'Loughlin, Gabriel Byrne's sister pictured having a laugh with Gabriel and NUIG President Dr Iogn?id ? Muircheartaigh in NUIG on Tuesday evening where Mr Byrne was conferred with an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts (honoris causa). Photo: Reg Gordon

Speaking to the Galway Independent, Mr Byrne said that receiving the doctorate was a sentimental occasion as it resembled a "seal of approval" and also reminded him of his mother, who lived in the county.

A regular visitor to the city, Mr Byrne said that Galway was "a beautiful town, which had grown into a city" and named its vitality, history and the people as the reasons he loved it so much. As well as visiting relations in the area, he lived in Craughwell for a number of months.

Reminiscing on his time in the city, he said that Galway had a great creative pulse but confessed that he did have some concerns about the growth of the city.

"It is inevitable that when a city expands, it is going to change a lot but I have always had a problem with the planning of the city. It seems like a lot of buildings are just springing up without any sympathy for the environment around them. There are also a lot of landmarks in the city that I am going to miss, especially Kenny's Bookshop. That was always one of my first stops, it seemed like it belonged to another time."

Mr Byrne was also critical of the Eyre Square development, including the new-look Hotel Meyrick. Gabriel was awarded a Doctorate of Arts in yesterday's ceremony and joked that from now on he would demand that everybody call him by his new title.

"I am going to go around like Ben Kingsley now and make everybody call me doctor. Would you like another pint, doctor? That has a good ring to it! Ah no, but at least now if someone shouts 'Is there a doctor in the house?' I'll be able to say yes!" he joked.

Comments (0) »

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Title

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment