Galway Advertiser 1999/1999_07_01/GA_01071999_E1_014.pdf 

Extracted text

the w e s t essential guide to

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DITCH T H E KITSCH the complete shopping guide

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BACK IN GALWAY

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s the summer gets into its stride, July in the West of Ireland means only one thing for many people - its festivaltime,includ ing the Galway Arts festival and the Galway Him Fleadh. This year Holfywood star Gabriel Byrne will be in town for a special tribute and takes time out to appear on the cover of magpie. The maga zine follows his path from teacher and Bracken star to internatkxval celebrity, magpie has also all the previews of the Arts Festival and the Rim Fleadh - the most unmiss able shows, interviews with performers, an inter view with the faces behind Nortel, the biggest sponsor of the Arts Festival, to discover whether big business and the arts mix. Former oil rig worker Padrak Campbell unearths a huge scandal surrounding the discovery of oil off the coast of Mayo. In magpie's opinion page, Votcebox, Padratc damns that Ireland will gain

nothing from this potential off-shore goldmine and lose billions of pounds. Any benefits will go straight into the pockets of large multinational corpwatjons Ditch the kitsch...tourists visit this part of the world and return home full of Guinness, fresh of face, wearing tacky green t-shirts and dutching models of leprechauns, magpie chooses a selec tion of more tasteful and appropriate mementoes - from hand crafted jewellery and pottery to the best of Irish culinary delights, clothes and the ubiquitous Claddagh ring. July is also the month of the Galway Races. Mayo man Willie The Shoe' McNeefy takes a look at the largest racing festival in Europe and speaks to those who have a great affiliation with the week, inducting presenter Tracy Pkjgot and train ers Charlie Swan and Dermot Weid magpie's regular columnrsts are their usual opin

ionated selves. Julian Gough looks at the Kosovan crisis, stating that the globally prevalent feeling is that although Jesus said we should love one's neighbour he actually meant we should bomb them from three miles up. Gerry MaKon learns at a table quiz in France there is not much harmony in Europe but discovers they all have something in common - a suspicion of the British. Music writer Dedan Weir tackles that "celebration of banality" - the Eurovrson song contest. Spend 24 hours on Inishbofin - the ultimate destress zone, listen to The Frames, read Charlie Mcfiride on Russian Theatre in the west and welcome the return of David Gray. Also Aran McMahon on dubs, Ita Kelly on trad, and Des Kenny on books. magpie - the lifestyle and listings magazine for the West of Ireland...out now.