Culture Night kicks off tomorrow night, Friday September 22.
It is that brief, national moment once a year when doors are flung open, and we get to enjoy – or just nose around – the best artistic offerings on our doorsteps.
This is not just for Galway’s luvvies or loveens, this is for everyone, and it is right in a nation that proudly struts its cultural credence on the world’s stage, that our local authorities facilitate Culture Night for their constituents, appropriately funded by the Arts Council. We suspect the officials in city and county halls enjoy it too; it’s a different day’s work than fixing drains…
Beginning tomorrow, there is just too much going on across Galway city and county to do it justice on this short page.
Over 50 unique events will be happening in Galway city across multiple venues and spaces. These include entire street transformations, innovative theatre, candlelit concerts, visual arts, and more. All daytime and night events are free, and this year’s schedule is flavoured by Galway’s Spanish, African and nomadic influences.
Even if you’ve nothing specific in mind, just throw on an auld gansaí for the weather and walk our streets – they’ll be alive with music and spectacle. Hopefully the gutters stay dry.
Meanwhile, outside the city limits, County Galway’s Culture Night includes over 40 events across a dozen towns and villages, and islands.
Multiple events including music, theatre, spectacle, visual arts, poetry, printmaking, photography, crafts and storytelling for all ages are happening throughout the day, and late into evening at locations including Abbeyknockmoy, Athenry, Ballinasloe, Ballinderreen, Barna, Ceann Áras Fibín, Clarinbridge, Clifden, Gort, Headford, Inishbofin, Inverin, Loughrea, Newbridge, Oranmore, Roundstone and Tuam.
Galway Advertiser Culture Night picks
Middle Street will be transformed into a multicultural Gaeltopian metropolis of the future, while the Cornstore hosts DJs and visual art. The Crane Bar presents an outdoor céilí, and The Hidden Valley in Woodquay is location for an open-air cinema. Also in Woodquay, ‘Ah Sure Look It’ showcases 30 plays in just 60 minutes!
For the first time in almost twenty years, Macnas takes to the streets of Athenry where its delusional giant, Crom, will stagger the medieval town’s winding ways. And ancient drains...
Galway City Chamber Choir and University of Galway Choral Society perform ‘Symphony of Flames’ at St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church while Galwegian opera singer Aimee Banks appears at The Town Hall Theatre. The organ of The Augustinian will support strings playing Vivaldi, Bach and our own Carolan.
Galway City Museum and UCD Library unite for a special evening of history and poetry inspired by 1916 and our decade of commemoration, including a poetry jukebox sound installation, and interactive workshop.
Catch acapella group The Baytones at University Hospital Galway, or in the Latin Quarter. Over at the Ol’ 55 pub, a celebration of Iberian heritage features Flamenco music and song from Spanish dance troupe, Flamenway.
Celebrate the vibrant heritage of our Traveller community with a cultural showcase at Ballinasloe Town Hall Theatre, and ‘Lucht Siuil,’ a poignant Traveller tale to be savoured in Athenry.
Teenage orchestra Sonic Strings will be guiding listeners along the scenic Gort River Walk, while Gort Library will be displaying local traditional crafts.
At Tuam Family Centre, experience cross-cultural celebration as musicians from North Africa weave their melodies with enchanting verses of Farsi Poetry, while Professor Lillis Ó Laoire will lead a bilingual night of sean-nós singing in Loughrea at Leabharlann Bhaile Locha Riach.
There you go. More culture than you could throw a stick at. And in this era of rising costs, you won’t even need to put your hand in your pocket.
The damned drains can wait ‘till next week.
