Streets come alive with Macnas magic

Written by Marie Madden

Wednesday, 22 July 2009

Large crowds lined the streets of the city on Sunday night to witness one of the highlights of this year's Galway Arts Festival, the Macnas Parade.

Inspired by the Greek legend of Orpheus, the parade took to the streets slightly later than the advertised time of 10pm, making its way from Spanish Parade through town before turning on to Eglinton Street and finishing with a spectacular finale at the Cathedral.

'Orfeo' was the first parade by Macnas' new Artistic Director Noeline Kavanagh and featured an eccentric blend of music, dancers and the company's trademark floats. The 17ft 'Orfeo' character was the highlight of the parade, a robot-like blend of materials illuminated against the night sky.

Orfeo was joined by sinister reapers, ballet dancers, twenties flappers and a blend of fish and animals, including a large feathered horse, as he passed through the city. Due to cutbacks, Macnas made the most of low-budget materials for the parade but this was not reflected in the quality of the event.

Thousands of local residents and visitors gathered at Spanish Arch and lined the streets in anticipation of the parade.

Speaking earlier this week, Galway Arts Festival manager John Crumlish estimated that attendance numbers matched last year's audience of between 60,000 and 70,000.

However, the event did not pass off without controversy, with some suggesting that the parade had been too short and would have benefited from additional displays.

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