Galway Bay fm newsroom - The Transport Minister is being urged to back the campaign to bring the Naomh Eanna back to Galway.
The ship once carried passengers between the city and the Aran Islands, before being withdrawn from service in 1989.
It has been lying derelict in Ringsend, Dublin for over two decades.
However, the engine room of the ship is still operational, and campaigners say if enough funds are raised, it will be possible to sail the vessel back to Galway.
Previous attempts to bring the Naomh Eanna home to Galway suggested that the ship could be a major tourist attraction for the city – by changing it into a floating museum.
The proposed project would cost in the region of half a million euro – but a recent application to Fáilte Ireland has been rejected, and campaigners feel the rejection was unfair.
The campaign group has now written to Minister Shane Ross asking him to intervene.
Campaigner Sam Corbett says grant support is crucial if the Naomh Eanna is to return home to Galway.
