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Artistic Director
Marty Browne info@thisisgalway.ie
Editor & Writer
Gráinne Thornton grainne@thisisgalway.ie
Content Creator & Writer
Chloe Richardson chloe@thisisgalway.ie
Marketing Director
Maxi Browne maxi@thisisgalway.ie
Social Media Manager & Content Creator Ado Lyons ado@thisisgalway.ie
Photographer Ciarán MacChoncarraige
Distribution info@thisisgalway.ie
This is Galway Lettermark logo by Shane Cluskey Cover photo of Russell Howard courtesy Galway Comedy Festival
what’s inside
GALWAY COMEDY FESTIVAL 2024
Ireland’s biggest comedy festival takes over Galway city and county
MICIL DISTILLERY
Legal whiskey distillation has returned to Galway
STITCH AND BITCH
Introducing one of Galway’s craftiest clubs
A celebration of culture, architecture and the islands of Ireland 04 12 16 20 22 26
HOWYA?
Meet one of Galway’s top comedians
PLANET RETRO
Galway’s coolest Halloween costume shop is back
ARCHITECTURE AT THE EDGE
Your guide to this year’s festival highlights 32
BABORÓ INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL FOR CHILDREN
Galway Comedy
Russell Howard, Dylan Moran, Deirdre O’Kane, Dara Ó Briain, and Des Bishop among the headliners
y Festival
The countdown to Galway Comedy Festival is on, and in 2024 it won’t just turn the city into Ireland’s comedy capital. In a bold new step, it will also spread its madness, mischief, and merriment into the county.
See galwaycomedyfestival.ie for all show dates and details.
Boasting Russell Howard, Deirdre O’Kane, Ruby Wax, Dylan Moran, Dara Ó Briain, Des Bishop, and Mario Rosenstock as headliners, Galway Comedy Festival can justifiably claim to be Ireland’s biggest comedy festival. Remarkably, the aforementioned are but part of a 70-strong line-up of top-tier household comedy names - both Irish and international stars - as well as a range of emerging talent, who will play 70 shows, across 18 venues, over 7 days and nights from Tuesday 22 October to Monday 28 October.
It has been more than a decade since Russell Howard last played Galway. He was big then. He’s even bigger now, and his comedy - topical, engaged, sometimes political, is both a call to action for progressive values, while also broad-based, utterly feel-good and optimistic for humanity. As the man himself said: “Laughter is the lubricant that makes life liveable,” and the tonic of Russell Howard is just what we need right now.
It’s also been a while since Des Bishop played Galway, and in that time a lot has changed - in Ireland, in the world, and especially in Des’ life! In February, he had a near-death experience when he fell more than 1,400 feet - the equivalent of five football fields - while skiing in Colorado. And he also got married. There will be no shortage of things to talk about and laugh about, in Des’s new show, Lately, which he brings to Leisureland on Sat 26 Oct.
Someone, however, who can hardly be kept away from Galway is Dylan Moran Following an array of shows here during the summer, he returns West to, not only play solo and mixed bill shows at GCF, but to take up the role of Festival Artist-in-Residence. Quite what that will entail is impossible to say as yet, but think free jazz from a Beat Poet with a paintbrush in one hand and a drumstick in the other, spur-of-the-moment brilliance, and wild flights of fancy, and we’ll probably be on the right track.
Deirdre O’Kane is arguably the First Lady of Irish Comedy. A pioneer for women in Irish stand-up, she has paved the way for the likes of Emma Doran, Enya Martin, Sinéad Quinlan, Aideen McQueen, and Sharon Mannion - all of whom play this year’s Festival. Since returning to stand-up, Deirdre has been delivering some of her finest material, and more recently that material has become darker, edgier, as in her latest show, the critically acclaimed O’Kaning It, which she brings to Leisureland on Sun 27 Oct.
Comedians tend to be a multi-talented lot, but can any boast so many hats as Dara Ó Briain? Stand-up, broadcaster, actor, author, columnist, science communicator, and Gaeilgeoir, he is arguably Irish Comedy’s Renaissance Man. A big name, not only in Ireland but in the UK as well - he rivals Graham Norton for the title of ‘Britain’s favourite Irishman’ - this is a rare chance to see this peerless comedy talent up close and personal at Róisín Dubh (23 and 24 Oct).
Getting one of Ireland’s leading satirists, Mario Rosenstock, and one of Ireland’s most beloved comedians and actors, Jon Kenny, together in The Black Box (Fri 25 Oct) is impressive. Tying it together with Tony Kelly, writer/director of the surprise hit film, The Hurler, and having Karl Spain - who appeared in the film - MC the event, will surely make it an essential night for both comedy fans and sports fans, and a highlight of GCF24.
It is not just solo shows at the Festival. The mixed bills at The Black Box offer a smorgasbord of comedic brilliance, with Colin Geddis, Andrew Maxwell, Al Porter, Danny O’Brien, and Jason Byrne, to name but a few who will be appearing at the venue across. The more intimate surrounds of the Róisín Dubh’s Tigh He He will see the likes of Terry Alderton, Fin Taylor, Jessica Collins, and Ross Browne, offering further opportunities to enjoy a plethora of comedians in one venue on one night.
Galway Comedy Festival is a comedy festival with a true difference. Recognising that stand-up is not the only form of comedy, it will present Stephen Frost’s Improv All Stars; the return of the much loved Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience; comedy as Gaeilge and in the Polish language; and The Dirty Circus, where humour and wit are as much a part of a burlesque performer’s arsenal as glamour and sexiness - comedy then in the fullest sense of the word and in all its glorious forms.
Ireland’s second largest county will, during the week of the Festival, become the largest county on the island by intensity and volume of laughter, as GCF takes a bold new step by bringing the fun outside of the city with shows in Connemara and North and East Galway.
The Festival’s annual Irish language show, Gáire as Gaeilge, will take a trip to Cois Cuain, An Spidéal, featuring Aideen McQueen and Eddie Mullarkey, hosted by Hector Ó hEochagáin (Tues 22 Oct). In Keane’s, Oranmore, there is a treat for Fr Ted fans as Irish legends Joe Rooney, Patrick McDonnell, and Kevin Gildea present The Stars of Father Ted, while The Mall in Tuam will host the grouchy singing cowboy, Rich Hall (both Tues 22 Oct).
The final county show will be two Irish comedy pioneers on one stage - Dylan Moran, supported by Barry Murphy, in Campbell’s Tavern, Cloughanover, near Headford (Wed 23 Oct). It is not every day you get a chance to see someone like Dylan Moran in such an intimate setting, so get close to comedy greatness and support comedy in the county by booking your tickets now at galwaycomedyfestival.ie.
Words by Kernan Andrews.
Photo courtesy Galway Comedy Festival.
Here is your guide to the amazing places mentioned in this magazine. Each business has a number with which you’ll be able to use to find them on the map. Additionally, you are very welcome to use this map as your guide to explore all of the wonderful sights around the streets of Galway city.
01. Róisín Dubh 8 Dominick Street Upper
02. Planet Retro Merchants Road
03. The Blue Note 3 William Street West
04. Seven Bar 5-7 Bridge Street
05. The Kings Head 15 High Street
06. Pálás Cinema 15 Merchants Road Lower
07. An Taibhdhearc 19 Middle Street
08. Town Hall Theatre 1 Courthouse Square
09. Black Box Theatre Dyke Road
10. Leisureland Upper Salthill Road
GALWAY’S WESTEND
NUN’S ISLAND
CLADDAGH
NEWCASTLE
Map illustration by Fuchsia MacAree
Micil Peated Single Malt
A very special expression of true Galway spirit!
After more than a century, legal whiskey distillation has returned to Galway with a limited First Release edition of Micil Peated Single Malt. During the 1700s and 1800s Galway had over 22 legal whiskey distilleries and Connemara was home to the most Irish of all distilling traditions, illicit ‘fuisce’ made in small copper pot stills. The launch of Micil Peated Single Malt celebrates this dual history, and is a significant moment in Irish whiskey history!
This whiskey takes learnings of the past, but reinventing them for the future, has created a bold, spicy single malt with hints of soft Connemara peat smoke. Produced in a small still and limited to 360 numbered bottles, with long distillation times and cuts made by taste and sense alone, this wonderful expression of Galway Whiskey uses 100% Irish barley, malted with turf from the Micil family land in Connemara. Maturation in Pedro Ximénez, Amontillado and Palo Cortado casks imparts intense sweetness and depth to this already exceptional spirit.
Headed up by co-founders Pádraic Ó Griallais and Ross Tobin, Micil Distillery is Galway’s first legal distillery since 1911. Production is led by Pádraic’s brother Jimín, sixth generation Connemara poitín distiller and direct descendant of Micil Mac Chearra, the family’s original distiller. The Micil family have been crafting exceptional Irish spirits in Galway for over 170 years, representing Ireland’s longest unbroken family distilling tradition.
Micil now offer a great “support local” option with corporate gifts and christmas parties in the distillery. Visit micildistillery.com or contact Tom@micil.ie to organise.
Photos by Ciarán MacChoncarraige
QUIZ QUIZ AT AT FREE
PINT
10% OFF ALL 10% OFF ALL THIS MONTH THIS MONTH FROM SUN-THURS FROM SUN-THURS
St itc
&
Bitch
A Crafty Place for Connection
If you find yourself wandering into The Blue Note on any given Monday evening, chances are you’ll come across the warm and welcoming crafting group, Stitch and Bitch. By the front bar people gather, working on various personal projects; knitting, needle work, crochet and everything in between. The energy is palpable - as everyone works on their respective projects, people are also laughing and sharing stories. While the pretence of the group is a stitching club, there has been an overwhelming number of young people joining in hopes of forging friendships.
Hunger and desire for connection within a community is more real today than ever, especially in Galway. For the co-founders, Emma Harrington and Izzy McMahoon, they noticed this and decided to create this space to foster friendship. “I felt like there were always these people in the street that I would see and think ‘those are cool people I would like to be their friend,” Emma notes. “But I had no idea how to connect with them. I felt I needed a space where we have a common thread, there’s a reason why we’re together. Then we could make that bridge into friendship.”
There’s no worries if you’re a new-comer… it’s always a nice mix of people, and also all skill levels.
For over a year now, Monday evenings in The Blue Note have become sacred. No matter if you’re an experienced stitcher or simply interested in starting a new hobby, there is a spot for you at the table. “There’s no worries if you’re a new-comer… it’s always a nice mix of people, and also all skill levels.” There really is such a feeling of inclusion within the group. Once anyone finishes a project, there is a round of applause. Emma shares, “as an adult that never happens you don’t get claps anymore and I need that, I need that dopamine!”
One of the greatest human equalisers is our desire for connection. To be able to share something with another person feeds the soul in a special way precisely because it is so rare. Groups like Stitch and Bitch and places like The Blue Note truly nurture a sense of community in Galway. “I think The Blue Note will do that.. It’s a little hub for the people of Galway, if something has to happen they’ll put it on… They’re so good for that.”
Attendance ranges from five or six people to sometimes over twenty. One of the wonderful things about Stitch and Bitch is that it is always there. “I like that people feel comfortable enough to dip in and out of it. There are some people that will come once and then come again months later. I like that because I feel like they needed it that day… It’s an open, easy group. It’s not a class, it’s not a workshop. We’re just a friendly face every Monday, if you need it we’re there.”
“It worked out much better than I expected. If it stays going every week, that is more than I could have asked for,” Emma notes. “I just want it to be the way it is… it’s a constant in my life. When there’s constantly moving parts in every other part, this is my one thing that’s always the same.”
Emma’s advice if you’re interested in going? “Bring along a project that you’d like to work on, whether that be knitting, crochet, or embroidery, cross stitch, any form of needle work… Everyone is always included. The most important thing is breaking that first barrier of nervousness… stepping over that and once you get through that there’s a nice group of people waiting for you.”
Stitch and Bitch is every Monday from 7pm to 9pm in The Blue Note, in Galway’s Westend.
Words by Chloe Richardson
Photos by Ciarán MacChoncarraige
Tell us about yourself?
My name is Hector Ó hEochagáin. I’ve been travelling the planet for TG4 for 23 years. The latest series just filmed in the Caribbean. That’s out on October 24th. I worked with Tommy Tiernan and Laurita Blewitt in a garden shed for three years making a podcast. I’ve seen Nirvana twice.
What do you love about what you do?
Anytime you get to Dublin Airport is a good time. I’m proud and honoured to travel to really far-flung places and bring a slice of it home to the TG4 audience.
What’s your connection to Galway?
My mum was born in Tuam, a proud Galway woman.
20 | Hector Ó hEochagáin
Describe Galway in 3 words?
Temperate, Damp, and Thirsty
Favourite piece of Galway slang?
“How ya keeping aul stock?”
What is your favourite word/ phrase in the Irish language you think everyone should know?
‘Loinnir’. It means the shine off the Atlantic waves and also the buzz of pints before lunchtime on a bright day.
Tell us a little bit about your new book The Irish Words You Should Know: and how to use them every day?
This is a book for anyone who has an inkling of liking or wanting to learn Irish. It’s a book to show how beautiful and deep and mystical the words are in the language.
With this book, and the success of bands like Kneecap, the Irish language is having a moment, it’s now cool among young people. What has it been like to see this happen?
Irish has always been cool, it’s always had an edge, it’s ours and no one else’s. And now it’s top of the bill, the headlining act, Oscar-nominated. It’s the language’s time now!
What needs to be done to sustain that interest?
Nothing much, just more of the same really It’s sustained itself for hundreds of years. Maybe.. thinking about where your child goes to school, watching TG4, buying my book! It all flows from the same source, in the same river, we are all part of the language, our culture, we just have to open up to it and it will walk in the door.
Words by Kernan Andrews. Photo courtesy Galway Comedy Festival.
Planet Retro Little shop o Planet Retro’s Little shop of
ro’s of Halloween
Retro’s of Halloween
All Hallows’ Eve draws ever-nearer and you know what that means - it’s time to get your costumes!! Are you going as a trickster or do you want to look a treat? Either way, make sure your outfit is out of this world by visiting Planet Retro’s Halloween pop-up costume shop.
Galway’s coolest Halloween pop-up shop is back and better than ever. Open from Monday October 14th right until the big day itself on the 31st, at Planet Retro on Merchants Road.
With costumes of all ages (that’s right, even for the youngest members of the family!) ranging from the classics and familyfriendly, to the eerie and unsettling. This Halloween, Planet Retro invites you to embrace your inner clown and look awesome while doing it. All for the bargain price of €25 per kilo or €15 for half a kilo.
For owner Maggie Concannon and her creative team their excitement around the Halloween shop is palpable. It offers shoppers the chance to embody the pageantry of dressing up and really “think outside the box.” Their costumes have come from Carnivals across Europe and many are handmade to an exceptionally high-quality. These costumes will last you years to come so you can recycle and reuse them again and again.
This year take Maggie’s sound advice and “don’t wait until the last minute” to get your Halloween outfit sorted. Shop at Planet Retro and you’ll be ready to hit the streets for a bit of trick-or-treating, or the dance floors to monster mash with pals.
Stay tuned for more updates by following their Instagram @planetretrovintage.
Words
by Gráinne Thornton
Photos by Ciarán MacChoncarraige
coming up at róisín dubh
BRAD HEIDI
Architecture at the Edge Festival set to examine the Islands of Ireland
Architecture at the Edge festival is known for its inspired cultural experiences and this year is no different. The festival once again is set to present a compelling programme, featuring installations, exhibitions, film screenings, workshops, talks, tours and much more to explore this autumn.
Running from Friday September 20th until Sunday October 6th, the 2024 edition of the Architecture at the Edge Festival will place a special focus on the islands of Ireland. The highlight in this year’s festival lineup is the presentation of ‘In Search of Hy-Brasil’ Ireland’s national pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023 at the Festival Printworks Gallery. The exhibition ‘Fantasy Islands’ which is a delightful look at fictional islands depicted across all media forms: film, TV, video games, written word and more. ‘An Bothán Cladach’, a site-specific, seaside installation, will be situated on the middle pier of Claddagh Quay with a launch performance by Shampain. ‘Once Upon A Sound’ with Dónal Dineen will be a music centred evening which invites attendees to choose a selection of audio recordings that they would take with them if they were to be cast away on a desert island as a jump-off point for a discussion about the role sound plays in their practice. The festival will also feature a keynote address by celebrated Architect Shane de Blacam who received the Royal Academy of Arts Architecture Prize in London in 2023, alongside a presentation by Cian Deegan and Alice Casey, TAKA Architects.
Architecture at the Edge celebrates the west of Ireland and its potential as a hub of architectural experimentation, practice and debate. It strives to be an accessible and enjoyable festival for everyone. Visit ArchitectureAtTheEdge.com for full festival details and to get your tickets and follow @ArchAtTheEdge for updates.
Photos courtesy of Architecture at the Edge
1. In Search of Hy-Brasil, Ireland’s national pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023, Photo by Ste Murray.
2. Architect Shane deBlacam. Photo by Amelia Stein
3. An Bothán Cladach, designed by Genevieve O’Sullivan, Luca Puzzoni , RAT Office, will be situated on the middle pier of Claddagh Quay for the duration of the festival.
Galway is getting County EVENTFUL
As the days start to get darker and colder, we need something to lift our spirits and thankfully local communities across Galway have made it their goal to do just that! In the month ahead, you can expect to see festivals pop up in locations across the county so check our top picks for Galway county’s events calendar right here;
Something in the Water
Headford’s community arts weekend ‘Something in the Water’ returns for its second year on October 4-6th. This will be a stunning celebration of creativity by local artists with a lineup which features events on topics ranging from architecture, film and literature to music, visual art and dance. Stand-out events so far include the exhibition ‘Lough Corrib 471’ with Helena McElmeel Architects, a discussion with The Irish Architecture Foundation, performances by four local choirs, as well as readings by acclaimed Irish poets and shows by Veronika Straberger (visual artist), Matthew Berrill and Eoin Wynne (musicians), Dr. Mindflip (musician) and Ester Kiely (textile artist).
Photo by Anita Murphy
Carna Walking Festival
From October 18-20th, Carna Walking Festival offers walkers of all ages the opportunity to explore the coastline of south Connemara. These organised guided walks usually include visits to the deserted Feenish Island, Lúibín Mhaírois/Moyrus Loop and a bog walk to Loch Scainimh and its historic crannóg.
Keep an eye on their Facebook page @carnawalkingfestival for more up-to-date information.
Photo by Pedro Souza Photography
Ballinasloe Fair & Festival
In East Galway, the annual Ballinasloe Fair & Festival will take place from Sep 29th to Oct 6th with a huge programme of activities for all ages. This year attendees can expect to see pony and horse shows, a fun fair, baking and craft competition, markets, dog shows, jaw-dropping stunt bike shows, a fireworks display, and much much more.
North East Galway Fit-Up Theatre Festival
Over the course of three weeks (Sep 24th to Oct 13th), six rural villages -Skehana, Newbridge, Kilbegnet, Fohenagh, Dunmore and Barnadearg - will host weekly high-quality theatrical productions of ‘Nettle Horse’ by Little John Nee, ‘Seven Ages of MAM’ by Pauline O’Driscoll and ‘Bumbled’ by Colin Hamell and Bernard McMullan. This will take place as part of this year’s North East Galway Fit-Up Theatre Festival, presented by Tuam’s performance art theatre Three Rings in collaboration with Galway County Arts Office and The Arts Council.
Photo of Ballinasloe courtesy of Galway County Council
by Ciarán MacChoncarraige
Macnas Halloween Parade 2024
For decades, the Macnas Halloween Parade has animated the streets of Galway in a night of living spectacle and this year will be one for the books. This Sunday October 27th from 5.30pm, magnificent puppets, hundreds of dancers, dynamic structures, will all drift through the streets in a grandiose performance. Macnas are world-renowned masters of storytelling and pioneers of imagination, and this year’s parade will spook and thrill all in attendance.
Photo
Baboró 2024 sparks joy across Galway
Baboró International Arts Festival for Children returns this October 11th to 20th, bringing with it 10 days of creativity and imagination for children of all ages. The festival promises to deliver a captivating lineup of performances and events, featuring both Irish and international artists, dedicated to young audiences and their families. Check out the full programme at www.baboro.ie and stay up-to-date with the latest announcements by following Baboró on social media @BaboroGalway. Festival highlights include;
Photo by Laura Angell
Free Public Exhibitions; Little Monsters | 11-20 Oct Galway Arts Centre / All Ages
Little Monsters is an installation of bright, bold, colourful textile tapestries and 3D shapes exploring success and failure, as well as the need for approval and love in an increasingly digital world.
Identity | 11-20 Oct
Outset Gallery / All Ages
An exhibition of multimedia work delves into the multifaceted identities of ten Galway artists with intellectual disabilities. This intimate, moving and thought-provoking thirty minute experience consists of digital art pieces entitled Portraits of our Lives and Projections of an Artist. Also included are ten digital art prints created by the artists with additional interactive tactile graphics art prints for any audience members with visual impairments.
Story of a Day/Scéal an Lae | 17-20 Oct
Town Hall Theatre / Ages: 5+ years
A music filled story of one child’s day that turns the ordinary into extraordinary with live music, vibrant storytelling and vivid animation. There will be both English and Irish presentations of this event. Commissioned by Galway based theatre makers Branar and performed by ConTempo Quartet, Galway Music Residency.
Photo by Gary Walshe
Illustration by Mary Murphy
Chotto Desh | 13-16 Oct / Town Hall Theatre / Ages: 7+ years
Chotto Desh, meaning ‘small homeland’, draws on Akram Khan’s unique quality of cross-cultural storytelling. Creating a compelling tale of a boy’s dreams and memories from Britain to Bangladesh and back again, it celebrates the resilience of the human spirit in the modern world. Blending Kathak and contemporary dance with an exquisite mix of spoken text, dreamlike animation, visuals and specially composed music, this is an enchanting and poignant dance theatre experience.
34 | Baboró
The Barceló Brothers | 13 Oct Galway Community College All Ages
The Barceló Brothers deliver an inspiring, soulful and energetic show full of socially-engaged musical poetry celebrating diversity. Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to immerse yourself in a feast of new sounds, languages and good vibes!
Photos courtesy of Baboró
Photo by Camilla Greenwell
Photo by John McMahon
THE CLAN COLLA
Celebrate meaningful moments and occasions with family and friends at The Clan Colla
