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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Galway festival shows Ireland at its best

Posted on Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 04:01 AM

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I spent two hours or so last evening being interviewed at the Galway Arts Festival about my recent book 'An Irish Voice'

The interviewer Dave O'Connell, editor of the Galway Tribune, took me down memory lane as expertly as any guide to memories past could ever do.

About 200 or so showed up to hear my take on the Irish emigrant experience and the Irish American role in the peace process.

What struck me most was the number of young Americans who showed.

I can see why Galway in summer has become a favored destination for them.

This is a truly wonderful arts festival which showcases the best of Irish theater, music, authors, culture and tradition.

The fame of the festival has begun to spread far and wide.

Many of the Americans who came to my event had planned their trips to Ireland to coincide with the Arts Festival.

You could not pick a better two weeks.

It is easy to see why. The streets of this ancient city are a jamboree of flame eaters, musicians, comedians, film makers, performance artists and craic.

The theaters are packed, the performance venues echo to the sound of music and song.

On Sunday comes a huge highlight, the street theater group Macnas, annually leads a Mardi Gras type parade through the streets of Galway.

This year, its called 'The Hunt' and 'bankers,priests and politicians', all the bete noires of the day will be hounded from pillar to post during the pageantry.

It is a non-stop party in Galway.

Next week the Galway Races starts, another week of bacchanalia centered around the Ballybrit racecourse where the ghost of Damon Runyon surely stroll.

The dreams and drama of the Galway Hurdle and Galway Plate the two big races, occupy the entire island.

If you want an antidote for what is ailing Ireland come to Galway.

For all the talk of multinational investment and Silicon Valley ventures, the Irish cure themselves best by playing to their strengths.

The cultural lollapalooza that is the Galway Arts Festival emphasizes that, the sporting bonanza of the Galway races follows close on its heels.

A man might move to Galway for the high summer and be highly entertained methinks.

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16 comments

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McNamara31 | Jul 19, 2010, 11:51 AM EDT

George: "Many of the "early families, who emigrated from this area, survived the worst of famine conditions" ****************************************************Meaning earlier generations than she

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McNamara31 | Jul 19, 2010, 11:42 AM EDT

George : Many of the "early families," who emigrated from this area, survived the worst of famine conditions ***************************************************TTalking about those before her......And George how did I end up in your view?

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GeorgeDillon | Jul 19, 2010, 11:18 AM EDT

McNamara tells us his grandmother came over during the Famine. How old are, you, Mac--120?

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GeorgeDillon | Jul 19, 2010, 11:17 AM EDT

McNamara: If your grandmother was like that how come you ended up like you did?

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McNamara31 | Jul 19, 2010, 10:56 AM EDT

Galway's a great place that draws people for its extreme beauty, the friendliness of its people, and also the young to its university. Galway’s people know exactly what's going on in the world and the states. It's an educated environment and they are "full aware" of what the Bush presidency did to the economic conditions in America, and how that economic collapse rippled around the globe effecting Europe. Many of the early families, who emigrated from this area, survived the worst of famine conditions, by their faith, and when they came to America, instead of being narrow minded amadons and racist, they were kind and empathetic as was my grandmother from Galway.

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killowen | Jul 19, 2010, 10:27 AM EDT

they have good reason being given the gestapo type chaps that try being inconspicious at shannon ..... masters of our universe servers .. ya'll know whom we mean.

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IrishAndProud | Jul 18, 2010, 10:27 PM EDT

You got that right, WoundedKnee. While not every Irish person in Ireland is anti-American, there is undeniably a lot of leftist, anti-American sentiment, there. I've had people there tell me quite seriously and to my face that America is racist (when was the last time IRELAND elected a black taoiseach, btw?), and that certain government people (re: Bush) wanted to get rid of blacks so that was the reason for the New Orleans debacle after Katrina...and another openly wondered if George Bush had gotten his hands on Alaska's oil yet (never mind that Alaska is part of the USA and has had a pipeline there for thirty-three years, now). Jeepers Xmas...talk about stupid and ignorant.

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MaryM232 | Jul 18, 2010, 09:03 PM EDT

Spoke w/some friends out in Boston about my idea to leaflet 2 encourage Mexican illegals 2 travel to Ireland for the bonanza of welfare subsidies and job opportunities, and got a real laugh. Apparently Irish illegals in roofing construction trade who'd been deported, have their friends here, putting up notices offering 2 get visas for Mexican, Brazillian and other illegals 2 come 2 Ireland. I guess they figure they can undercut their fellow Irish competition back in the old country. I applaud their putting their corruption into practice where it belongs, and not in the US. Can't wait to read the angst and gnashing of teeth by the Irish complaining about having to subsidize cheap illegal labor, lol!

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WoundedKnee | Jul 18, 2010, 02:30 PM EDT

Searlit: Surely you can't deny that there is a lot of anti-Americanism in Ireland? Especially from the younger people and the what are called the chattering classes. I wouldn't mind if it were political, but it's not. It's just ignorance.

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Searlit | Jul 18, 2010, 12:05 PM EDT

Contemptuously anti-American, you say Ireland is? That sounds contemptuously anti-Ireland MaryM232. You don't speak for many Americans.

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WoundedKnee | Jul 18, 2010, 10:40 AM EDT

What's Irish or Gaelic about Macnas? You'll see acts like that--and better--at the Notting Hill carnival in London or --much better--in Rio at the Mardi Gras. There's nothing Irish about Macnas except the name.

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jakeleg | Jul 18, 2010, 10:33 AM EDT

I bet it's great. Like to be there for the whole two weeks.

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MaryM232 | Jul 18, 2010, 10:01 AM EDT

I believe that given how contemptuously anti-American Ireland has shown itself to be, it's going to see a lot less Americans and their money from now on.

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Bushothehill | Jul 18, 2010, 09:35 AM EDT

While Galwegians are beautiful people, they run second to the Donegallers!!!!!

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rhondoodle | Jul 18, 2010, 09:08 AM EDT

I went to Ireland 3 years ago. I was in Galway, but not during this festival. Regardless, Galway ROCKS!!!!! We loved it there, moe than any of the number of places we went to. We totally loved all of Ireland, though, too! It was my trip of a lifetime. I'm hoping I have a lot more life left, then I can make my trip of a lifetime a second time:)

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