Galway City Council halts rebrand project as decision-makers ‘take a breath’

Galway City Council’s €28,000 identity rebranding has been paused to allow decision-makers “more time to listen”.

Correspondence seen by the Irish Independent from Galway City Council officials shows the local authority’s efforts to establish a rebrand under a Communications Strategy have stalled following stakeholder feedback.

The note said the Council is halting the rebrand process to “take a breath” and “listen further” after it observed discussion around the project had focused more on the Galway logo than on changes to the city’s broader brand identity.

The correspondence also stated that use of the Galway crest is a priority and would continue to be used under any future brand implementation.

Galway City councillors have been told the rebranding project was brought to public consultation. However, questions have since arisen over the extent of that consultation.

Galway City Council confirmed members of the Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) received an invitation on July 15, 2026, to take part in “The Brand Strategy” stakeholder survey. The SPC is a closed-door committee made up of some elected members and relevant external stakeholders.

The survey was subsequently included in an e-newsletter circulated by the Galway City Community Network to its members.

The survey remained open until July 21.

“The invite to share feedback was sent by direct email to Elected Members, Oireachtas Members, Staff, SPC members, and business/community representatives,” Galway City Council told the Irish Independent. “These surveys received 37 responses.”

The Irish Independent has requested a comment from Galway City Council.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting scheme.