Galway City marked National ‘Make Way Day 2025’ (Friday 26 September) with a City Hall showcasing of the Access for All film 'The Long Way Round’. Funded by the Local Economic and Community Plan (LECP) fund and overseen by Galway City Partnership and Galway City Community Network, ‘The Long Way Round’ documents the journeys of three Galwegians with lived experience of disability as they navigate their way around the city.
Accompanying them on their journey and getting a practical taste of their daily reality were three city councillors, Mayor of the City of Galway, Cllr Mike Cubbard; Cllr Frank Fahy; and Cllr Helen Ogbu, for whom the experience offered a rich insight.
The resulting film offers a fresh and powerful perspective on life by the Corrib, demonstrating that public spaces are not always shared equally.
Mayor of the City of Galway, Cllr Mike Cubbard said; “I was delighted to support the making of this film. As one of the councillors in the film, it really opened my eyes to the way public spaces can be experienced differently by different people. Inclusion and diversity in our infrastructure is vital and I am committed to supporting Access For All in their mission to make Galway a disability-friendly city”.
Chief Executive of Galway City Council, Leonard Cleary, joined the large number of councillors and staff who attended this week’s premiere of the film and he commended Access For All Galway on the impactful production.
He commented, “This has been a powerful insight into our city and the lives of many of our residents. I want to thank everybody involved in its production but especially those who shared their daily challenges with us. I am delighted that our councillors took up the challenge to experience their city in a new way and I hope that this can be a springboard to more improvements and more inclusion for all.”
Chairperson of Access For All and Galway City Partnership board member, Marian Maloney lives with a visual impairment and she welcomed the interest in the film and the issues it raises, saying, “The positivity in Galway City Council at the premiere was uplifting for me personally after giving 25 years of my life to Access For All. We would like to thank Leonard Cleary and Galway City Council staff and councillors for all their work. There is a lot to be done but working together, I believe we can make Galway a disability-friendly city and a universally accessible city for all our residents and visitors alike.”
As Marian mentioned, there is much to be done, and she reiterated the request for a dedicated full-time Disability Access Officer as well as a Disability Inclusion Steering Group in Galway City Council.
GCCN Co-Coordinator, Jacinta Fay welcomed the engagement from councillors and staff at the screening, saying, “We believe there is an opportunity for real progress through the development of an Access Strategy. Creating a universally accessible city will benefit not just disabled residents but also older people and families."
Galway City Partnership will continue to support the showcasing of the film among community and voluntary organisations, schools and businesses across the city in the coming months.
