DESPITE THE late 1980s being among the economically gloomiest years in the history of the State, with emigration at alarmingly high levels, Galway managed to retain a vibrancy.
Much of that was due to the people involved in Macnas and the Galway Arts Festival who brought colour, vibrancy, and fun to the city’s streets, and gave an substantial artistic outlet to creative people in the city, leading first to the Gulliver spectacle in 1988, and going on to creating the reputation Galway enjoys today.
One of the figures involved in that movement was Little John Nee and his new theatre show, Stories From The Galway Years, to be staged in the Town Hall studio on Thursday October 23 and Friday 24 at 8pm, explores that time and the early days of Macnas, through anecdotes, song, and story.
In 1986, Little John Nee was a fixture in Grafton Street, Dublin, busking as Charlie Chaplin. During a weekend trip to Galway, he met Macnas’ Paraic Breathnach on Quay Street and ended up as a performer with Macnas, starring in The Game at the 1987 Connacht Football Final and Gulliver the following year.
The two performances will be recorded for a radio documentary to be broadcast on Galway Bay Fm on November 27.
Tickets are available from the Town Hall on 091 - 569777 or www.tht.ie
