Galway Advertiser 1991/1991_07_25/GA_25071991_E1_012.pdf 

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M C A M G C PU E T E AN S A I AT RS H C
PHOTOS MIKE SHAUGHNESSY

The Macnas magic was there in plenty for this with the parents, before returning to the sea for the year's Arts Festival summer. Parade, 1 it Faoi Thoinn 2 As usual the streets were - the Visit, which took lined with expectant place on Sunday.
For once, it didn't rain Sea God, Mananan Mac Lir. must have been smiling on Macnas and their show, fcuturinc his creatiiri-s nf onlookers, waiting to see a spectacle, and for the most part, Macnas did not disappoint. Padraic Breathnach Mananan. was a sight to behold. Painted in blue, wearing the briefest of costumes, he sported a fri-

above his subjects. He was surrounded by many creatures, some big, some small. The parade began with women selling fish, and then the blue and white waves came down the streets, preceded by Little John and a deck chair The tide kept coming in, so he could not sit down. There were mackerels playing music, there were mermaids, male and female, gyrating, and attacking o n l o o k e r s , there were vicious fish, colourful sea

horses, and the huge whale, w h i c h trundled along spouting water, followed by a new addition, the Baby Whale. Some of the creatures had appeared before in the 1989 Tir Faoi Thoinn. when Mananan married Kathleen from the Claddagh. But there were plenty new faces, including the baby Mac Lirs, who were a sight to behold. The submarine was also new. and was a masterpiece. Its sailors were being entic

ed to their deaths by mer maids clinging to the sides, and the wailing was most ef fective. So too were the lobsters on stilts. There was plenty of noise and colour, and lots of ter rified children who could not believe such horrible looking creatures as the Vicious Fish were not real. It was a great parade, but the end was an anti climax. Mananan and his wife met her parents at the Claddagh Basin, and jumped into the

children with their grandparents. Those who could see said it was highly dramatic. However, most people were watching from the Spanish A r c h , and missed thishighpoint. A pity too that the blue and white bunting used ir the original Tir Faoi Thoinr to give the impression of be ing underwater, was miss ing. It added grea atmosphere. But Macnas gave almost

tainment, and showed they are getting more imaginative and efficent all the time.

Judy Murphy