Galway Funk - Get the Funk Out is a free event organised by two local residents, Ciarán Folan and James Silke, who hope to fill the “huge gap” in dance venues across the city following the closure of multiple nightclubs during the pandemic.
The idea for Get the Funk Out blossomed when two lovers of reggae, funk, soul, disco and reggae, Folan and Silke met in the Galway Rowing Club during a post pandemic party. Folan said that what had intended to be, a “very quiet pint” for him coincided with Silke’s party and the duo ended up talking and bonding about their love for dancing and that “there was nowhere for people to go and dance in the city.”
Their meeting and shared love for cutting shapes on the dancefloor, lit a fire in Folan and Silke who drew from previous dancing experiences in Galway like Nile Rogers & Chic who performed at the Galway Arts Festival in 2012. Folan said, “Chic was brilliant, with people of all ages up and dancing and we would love to have another event like that in Galway.”
Initially, Folan and Silke were planning to charge an entry fee for Get the Funk Out, but have recently decided to make it a free event, in the hopes that it can become a regular night.
Promising a night full of funk, soul, disco and reggae, with a “few surprises thrown in,” Get the Funk Out will take place in the Galway Rowing Club on Saturday, December 3 at 9pm. Entry is free and the full bar in the Rowing Club will be open to make sure people can get a cold drink after working up a sweat on the dance floor.
Regarding who Get the Funk Out is aimed at, Folan said, “If you are into dancing in the kitchen, then come down to the Galway Rowing Club and join us on the dance floor.”
