Update to previous post: It appears that the Macnas Parade has been saved. Galway City Council have pledged an emergency fund for the Galway Arts Festival, who had a major sponsor pull out earlier this year. Part of this fund is going into a budget for the Parade, so it looks like the single biggest free gig of the Festival. I think the Council are to be applauded for this, but there is a caveat: this money is a crutch, and if Macnas’ funding is not increased by the Arts Council, and supplemented by Dept. of Tourism, regional development bodies and local businesses the parade will lurch towards extinction in the next 2-3 years. This isn’t a prediction I’d like to see come about.
As for this year, I can’t wait to see the spectacular work of Aine, Peter, the rest of the team and the hundreds of volunteers that give the parade life every year!