Something For All Lovers Of Oysters And Fun

The People Of Galway Know How To Put The "Fest" In Festival

By Mike Quane

A case in point is the annual Galway International Oyster Festival, the 52nd installment of which was held recently. The "City of the Tribes" already has a reputation as a great place to party, with its history as a trading port for Mediterranean wines, and its current status as a university town with students from all over the world. Galway's famous pubs, such as the King's Head, the Quays and the Skeff, have turned the term "pub crawl" into an art form, and the well known song about "watching the sun go down on Galway Bay," was probably written in anticipation of a night of mirth and music in one of these emporiums.

The Galway International Oyster Festival has taken its cue from this jovial atmosphere. Its annual program features a series of events that are enjoyable on many levels, even if you're not particularly a fan of oysters.

The initial event at this past outing was the Irish Oyster Opening Championship, held the evening of Thursday September 28 at the Quays. Sponsored by Guinness, the free-admission event featured local chefs vying for a place in the international contest held later in the festival.

The entrants competed in speed and dexterity, cheered on by a crowd that was enjoying the fruits of their labor, washed down with pints of that famous Irish brew, Guinness stout.

The next night, having recovered from the previous evening's cheering and celebrating, the attendees enjoyed a "Mardi Gras" Ball in a huge tent alongside the bay. A reception of champagne, Guinness, and oysters was followed by a delicious dinner of Irish salmon, another of Galway's fruits of the sea, along with superior wines and liqueurs. The feast was followed by dancing into the wee hours.

Following a lunch of oysters, clam chowder and salmon, the attendees cheered on their favorites in the Guinness World Oyster Opening Championship.

The crowning experience was the gala ball at the Radisson Hotel where 1,000 tuxedo and gown-clad revelers from all over the globe "lost it," standing on their chairs and waving their napkins to the strains of "Tiger Rag."

Oh, they did enjoy a gourmet meal and dancing, but the napkin waving was definitely a unique highlight.