Blinking giants and detachable vagrants draw thousands for Macnas parade

An estimated 65,000 spectators lined Galway streets in near perfect October conditions to witness a succession of blinking giants, detachable vagrants and ‘cruelty men’ who terrorised in this year’s Macnas Halloween Parade.

It was a baptism of fire for Dan Colley in his first turn as artistic director – but he was certainly blessed with a fine, dry evening and one of the biggest crowds to turn out in years along a slightly extended route as far as Father Griffin Road.

“It was a real relief with the weather after a relentless few weeks of rain. The skies opened up and made way for us and you could just feel this sense of relief on the streets,” exclaimed Dan, who took over the reins this year from Noeline Kavanagh as she prepares a mammoth spectacle for the 2020 celebrations.

The main character of ‘Danse Macabre’ was Conor, a twelve-foot vagrant, featuring a style of puppetry new to Macnas aficionados.

“Conor was a really lightweight puppet who was able to go up and integrate with the drummers. It’s the first time we’ve the main character without a chassis and is a style of puppetry the company has been working on for a few years and now it’s progressed,” reflected Dan.

See full story and pix in this week’s Connacht Tribune – and view Joe O’Shaughnessy’s video on our Facebook page.

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