The first little rock festival of the year proved to be an emphatic success over the past weekend, even if many of the hundreds who made the trip to Galway were bemused by new local laws. But at least the new guidelines have ensured that the fine art of conversation is being kept well and truly alive.
This is because the authorities have stipulated that nightclubs in the region will not be granted special exemptions unless music is turned off to allow punters to eat meals between 11.30 p.m. and 12.15 a.m. each night.
Visitors to crowded clubs in the city centre and Salthill were greeted by the strange sight of hundreds of clubbers sitting and chatting and drinking, with the house lights turned on. The new break was a huge topic of conversation throughout the fourth annual Galway Heineken Weekender, which came to an end with a set by the English DJ Jumpin' Jack Frost in the early hours of this morning.
The regulation, which the Garda was successful in introducing for all special exemptions at Galway District Court last week, seemed to have little impact on the revelry.
Indeed, the organisers were said to be delighted with the success of the Weekender, which introduced Galway clubbers to the delights of the Big Beat sounds which have proved so popular in Britain over the past year or so.
For once, the headlining acts turned up on time, with Spiritualised and Primal Scream both playing to 1,000-plus crowds at Leisure Land in Salthill.
As for the new rules, the club owners decided not to comment on them before the weekend in the hope that the punters would do the talking for them. But they organised petitions, which were signed by hundreds of people, and asked revellers to make their feelings known to the gardai.
The bottom line is that people go to a nightclub to dance and drink, one club owner said. If you stop them from dancing, then they are just going to go to the bar and drink. People don't go to a nightclub to eat, least of all at 11.30 at night.
Indeed, this reporter found that there was little or no demand for the regulatory meals during visits to two Salthill clubs on Thursday and Friday nights. Instead, revellers took to the dance floor with a more zestful passion than usual when the music resumed at 12.15 a.m.
The new regulation, to apply to all such late-night functions in Counties Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, and Clare, is aimed at reducing the incidents that occur when large groups of revellers descend on take-aways after the clubs close.
A grim reminder of the kind of incident that can occur was provided at an inquest in Galway on Thursday. The coroner was told that Colm Phelan (26), from Roscrea, Co Tipperary, was celebrating a friend's stag night when he and his friends were attacked in Eyre Square. Mr Phelan died after being struck by a blunt object to the neck.
The attack may also lead to the introduction of closed-circuit television cameras in Galway's streets.