24 hours at Galway Arts Festival: Thrilling theatre, striking sculptures, and marvellous music
Eoin O Dubhghaill and Gerard Headley in Eyre Square during a performance of Pádraicín, at Galway International Arts Festival.
Land in Galway, and take off in Eyre Square. As we enter the converted shipping container where is set, we’re given a seat number and told to store our bag in the overhead locker. Inside, a convincing replica of an Airbus A320 cabin awaits, and some punters even play along with it all, joking about where they’re off to on their holidays.
As we buckle up and put on the headphones, however, the hint of genuine nervousness in our voices suggests Australian company Darkfield have created the ideal environment in which to mess with an audience. A glitchy video has a slightly-menacing air hostess suggesting: “In the unlikely event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, alternative scenarios will be provided.”
The cabin goes completely dark, with a combination of headphone sounds and a vibrating set making it all feel rather real. Add in the high afternoon temperatures of the summer heatwave, and this already feels like the scariest flight you’ve never taken.
A few bumps and bangs later, and it seems that every passenger’s worst nightmare is unfolding. Or is it? The ‘alternative scenarios’ from the intro is inspired by the Many Worlds theory from quantum mechanics, and there’s also a mention of Mr Schrödinger.
Perhaps some audience members will indeed contemplate if more than one version of reality can exist simultaneously. Most, however, will probably just enjoy the visceral fun of what really is an immersive experience. And all will be relieved when the captain switches on the cabin lights to signal that we're safe again.
A more down-to-earth experience is to be had at the latest installation from writer Enda Walsh and designer Paul Fahy for their long-running Rooms series at the festival. We are ushered into a GAA dressing room, with tell-tale detritus such as football boots, Lynx shower gel, and a bag of cut oranges strewn about the benches.
An elderly man’s voice plays over the speaker. He utters a 15-minute monologue about the effect this room has had on him. We hear how his involvement in the team has become a major part of his life, but he’s left things slip at home and grown apart from the wife he still loves.
He’s been “saving any life I might have for the dressing room and the two hours each Saturday.” Regrets, he’s had a few. Despite his realisation, there’s a sense that it’s all a little bit too late and there’s no way back now. Poignant and deceivingly simple.
The Galway festival has long been adept at selecting an eye-catching visual art project that combines quality with popular appeal.
Sean Henry’s sculptures are the latest to tick those boxes. The biggest piece is the three-metre tall Seated Figure, located in a prominent position near the Spanish Arch. Another figure stands in Eyre Square, while several more are presented at the Presence exhibition at the Festival Gallery.
The English artist has spoken of how his figures are more interesting to the eye by being either larger or smaller than life-size. Most are of white middle-aged men (Henry himself is 61), and while he says the figures are sometimes based on more than one person, up close they feel like portrayals of real people with very real issues in their lives. It would be easy for work like this to be impressive in scale and detail but not really connect with a viewer - here, however, the encounter feels almost personal.
If you were to draw a line and dot it with happening Irish bands at the moment, at one side you’d have the straight-up stadium-folk of Kingfishr and Amble; and at the far far opposite end would be Bricknasty. Neo-soul, jazz, and hip-hop are the obvious genres that have been through the blender on their recorded output over the past three years. Studio wizard Cillian McCauley has a large hand in a sound that can’t be easy to produce in a live setting.
They’re off to a good start at the impressive Monroe’s venue with an open-eared, female-majority crowd. The fans here are more than willing to go with the flow on tunes that rarely take the easy route. One moment they’re nodding along to a D’Angelo-like sweet groove; before a tangential turn produces something far more challenging.
Balaclava-clad frontman Fatboy keeps the crowd onside, while drummer Korey Thomas was as busy as Galway County Board’s ticket officer last weekend. Those Dublin core members have been joined in recent times by a talented Cork duo, multi-instrumentalist Sam Healy and bass player Chris LaMotte.
gets the best reaction of the night, complete with an audience singalong Kingfishr would’ve been proud of. After the main set finishes, Fatboy returns to the stage alone and launches into a blast of An ideal encore? Probably not. But it’s a reminder that when it comes to Bricknasty, you just have to expect the unexpected.
The outdoor parade through the city streets helped put Galway Arts Festival on the map, and while Macnas are no longer involved, the tradition continues. This year, French company Cie CPPP have created a Moby Dick-themed spectacle. As dusk descends, thousands spill out of the city’s pubs, homes, and eateries to watch it.
Basically, it’s two large floats, one portraying the whale, complete with live musicians in his mouth and on his back; and the other being Ahab’s ship, with acrobatic antics taking place in the rigging as it winds its way through the streets.
In truth, the floats are only part of the spectacle here. They also provide a fine excuse for the new tribes of the city – young and old; local and blow-in – to come out and enjoy an experience together.
Our final experience in Galway turned out to be the highlight. is a take on the life and work of writer Pádraic Ó Conaire (1882-1928), and all the city really does become a stage for this superb piece from Brú Theatre’s Rodrigo Pardo and James Riordan.
The audience wears headphones as the action unfolds on a 50-minute walk through the crowded streets. It’s like being part of a select club, as only you and the rest of your group can hear what the man at the café table is saying about the local author, or what the women at the window on the second storey are gossiping about, or why that couple are dancing by the doorway.
Engaging and inventive, it makes brilliant use of modern technology to create a moving tribute to one of the city’s beloved sons.
- Galway International Arts Festival runs until July 26. See giaf.ie
