Fire at Galway restaurant day after Sacre Coeur hotel blaze

Fire brigades attend to incidents at Quay Street restaurant and Salthill hotel

Fire fighters from Galway Fire Brigade tackle a blaze at the Sacre Coeur Hotel, which has been closed down for a number of years, in Salthill. Video: Joe O'Shaughnessy

The second fire in Galway city in two days has been brought under control by fire brigades.

Several buildings had to be evacuated after a blaze broke out in a Quay Street restaurant on Tuesday.

No one was injured in the incident which was reported at about 11am.

Three units of Galway fire brigade brought it under control. It is believed at this stage that it may have been caused by an electrical fault.

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This comes the day after a fire at the landmark Sacre Coeur hotel in Salthill on Monday evening was brought under control by four units of Galway city and county fire brigades.

The blaze was reported at 6.45pm on Monday, and units from Galway city, Athenry, Tuam and a water tanker from Gort were despatched to the scene.

No one was injured in the fire in the building, which has been unoccupied since it was sold in 2005.

The Sacre Coeur was owned and run for decades by the Dunleavy family, and was a popular location for GAA gatherings, with victorious Galway hurling and football teams celebrating successes there.

It was also a venue for events – most memorably when former taoiseach Bertie Ahern accepted a report from party members which was critical of the Galway race tent at Ballybrit.

The hotel was sold to Bernard Duffy of TBD developments for a reputed €6 million in 2005, and has been lying idle for some years.

Firefighters in Dublin tackled a major fire at a disused warehouse in Kilcoole, Co Dublin, on Monday night. Four tenders were onsite to fight the blaze.

No injuries are reported.

Lorna Siggins

Lorna Siggins

Lorna Siggins is the former western and marine correspondent of The Irish Times