ARTHUR’S DAY has become Arthur’s weekend in Galway, with the opening of the city’s oyster festival. Although the oyster-extracting championship is all of 195 years younger than the St James’s Gate brewery in Dublin, it has become an integral part of the Guinness 250th celebrations this year.
Almost 50 Galway pubs will serve free oysters to customers over the weekend. Guests of honour are Ian Walker, skipper of the Irish Green Dragonentry for the Volvo Ocean Race, and celebrity television chef Richard Corrigan.
Walker and yacht designer Killian Bushe paid a visit to the Volvo 70 yacht at Galway Atlantaquaria yesterday, where it has been on display – and also for sale. Galway is bidding to host the successful world yacht race again in three years, and is reported to be through the second round of selection.
Further west, pints of Guinness have to be force-fed to participants in a wheelbarrow race, while a “fearsome” giant is due to be dragged out of Greatman’s Bay and burned at the stake. The centre of this particular activity is the south Connemara village of An Cheathrú Rua, which is marking part two of its annual Féile an Dóilin or maritime festival this weekend.
In Clifden, the annual community arts festival continues with the music of Turlough O’Carolan, played by harpist, uilleann piper and violinist Lynn Saoirse, Fiachra O’Regan and Sophie Lavoie today and poet Mary O’Malley will give a reading.
Guitarist John Feeley plays in Clifden tomorrow and the grand parade takes place tomorrow night, along with a live concert by Rob Strong and band, at 8.30pm in Clifden’s square.