A fáilte from far-off days: Walking tour in old Galway

A “THEATRICAL” walking tour through Galway’s medieval heartland involves Macnas street theatre founders who have been recruited by Fáilte Ireland.

The Tribes Alive! project written by Páraic Breathnach and directed by Rod Goodall is described as a “70-minute dramatic walk” through the city’s “Latin Quarter”.

It is one of two such projects, with a similar tour under way in Waterford city’s “Viking triangle”.

Tribes Alive! will run twice a day, Monday to Friday (starting tomorrow), during Heritage Week and finishing on Culture Night in Galway on September 21st. It is supported by Galway’s Latin Quarter business group as part of Fáilte Ireland’s interpretation and animation project, known as “Sharing our stories”.

Minister of State for Tourism Michael Ring has welcomed the project as a blend of “local historical fact and humorous observation”.

Fáilte Ireland noted that nine out of 10 international visitors last year rated “meeting friendly, hospitable people” – as distinct from scary medieval characters – as a “very important” factor in their decision to visit Ireland.