Ballinasloe protest rally called over Portiuncula downgrade fears
A protest rally in Ballinasloe, to highlight local concerns over the downgrading of maternity services at Portiuncula hospital, has been arranged for Saturday, August 16.
The public protest rally is due to assemble at 12 noon at Society Street carpark, beside the Town Hall in Ballinasloe, before marching to Portiuncula hospital.
The rally was announced in the aftermath of a public meeting organised by the Portiuncula Maternity Alliance group, which attracted a standing-room-only crowd of over 300 people in Gullane’s Hotel on Tuesday night, August 5.
The meeting discussed the rising level of concern about the "quiet downgrading" of Portiuncula's maternity services. The HSE recently announced that, on foot of external reviews into the care provided to five women and their babies at the hospital, it would be transferring high-risk pregnancies elsewhere.
Local Independent councillor Evelyn Parsons founded the Portiuncula Maternity Alliance (PMA) alongside a concerned mother, following the HSE announcement on high-risk pregnancy care in mid-July.
At the meeting, Cllr Parsons outlined "the essential role of Portiuncula's maternity unit, ongoing governance failings within the regional structure, and serious safety risks posed by unconsulted centralisation—particularly for rural women now facing longer journeys and reduced access".
The evening was chaired by Dr Kevin Connolly, retired paediatrician and former PUH consultant, and featured cross-party political attendance, moving community testimony, and contributions from the floor.
A powerful moment came with the reading of a letter from a mother whose care had recently been reviewed at Portiuncula.
Shared with permission, the letter praised the staff for their exceptional care and compassion, while condemning the misuse of the review process as a pretext for cutting services.
Speakers and attendees voiced strong support for Portiuncula hospital staff, many of whom continue to provide safe care in very challenging circumstances.
"The public deserves to know what is happening," said Cllr Parsons. "The HSE has introduced changes with no consultation, no clinical justification, and no public transparency—representing a real downgrade for women across our region. Our staff have been left without answers to support worried patients. They deserve communication and support, not blame."
The timing of the announcement coincided with the summer recess of the Dáil, Seanad, Galway County Council and the Regional Health Forum West (RHFW), which Cllr Parsons said had "effectively blocked" formal scrutiny.
A request from Cllr Parsons for an urgent meeting with the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, has been acknowledged, via Minister Seán Canney. The Minister for Health has agreed to a meeting, but no date has yet been given.
"We've used every democratic channel available," said Cllr Parsons. "But when the system goes quiet, the people must speak louder.”
In response to the growing concern, a paper petition was launched at the meeting, alongside an online petition now signed by more than 3,500 people. Both petitions call for an immediate halt to further downgrading, full reinstatement of services at Portiuncula, and an independent external review of maternity governance across the maternity network and governance failures within Galway University Hospital.
Announcing the public protest rally on Saturday week, August 16, Cllr Parsons said: "It's about the right of rural mothers and babies to access safe care, close to home. This meeting was the first step—now we march."