6 Must-See Events at This Year's Galway International Arts Festival

What are some of the most anticipated GIAF events taking place between the 28th of August and the end of September?

Experience the Arts in Person

Mirror Pavillion (Leaf Work)

If you were blown away by the digital art piece displayed in the Claddagh last year, you'll be happy to know that the artist (John Gerrard) has created a second piece for this year's festival.

Mirror Pavillion (Leaf Work) will be on display in Derrigimlagh Bog, Connemara, from the 28th of August to the 18th of September. 

It's about a one and a half-hour drive from Galway City and is accessible via a walking trail that loops around the bog. 

Blindness

The Donmar Warehouse’s Blindness comes to Galway after hugely successful runs in New York, Hong Kong, Mexico City, New Zealand, and the UK.

Blindness is a unique installation that combines storytelling with an immersive, theatrical experience. Listen on headphones to the story of a 'world gripped by a pandemic of infectious blindness', while seated in a room where light comes and goes...

It lasts for about 1hr 10 mins and will run from the 11th to the 18th of September.

3 First Thought Talks

A handful of expert-led discussions will shine a light on some of the topics that have been on everyone's minds this year.

Mother and Baby Homes - Sept. 11th, 11:30 a.m.

This talk aims to refocus the spotlight on Mother & Baby Homes victims, 'who discovered that their testimony had been woefully treated and disregarded in the (January 2021) report’s conclusions.'

In attendance are: Noelle Brown, survivor and activist, Maeve O’Rourke, lawyer and co-founder of the Clann Project, Conall O’Fatharta, journalist with the Irish Examiner, and Caelainn Hogan, author of Republic of Shame. 

Will Remote Working Change Rural Ireland? - Sept. 11th, 6 p.m.

Is remote working here to stay, and can it revitalise our rural towns?

Four experts in the subject will discuss: Tomás O’Siocháin, CEO of the Western Development Commission, John Evoy, General Manager at Grow Remote, Professor Alma McCarthy, Head of the J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics at NUI Galway, and renowned architect Valerie Mulvin, author of Approximate Formality – Morphology of Irish Towns.

You can attend this talk in person by purchasing tickets on the GIAF website.  

Where is Ireland with Renewable Energy? - Sept. 12th, 11:30 a.m.

Brian O’Gallchoir, Director of MaREI and Professor of Energy Engineering at UCC, will bring us right up to date on Ireland’s renewable energy capacity, both now and into the future. (He) will be in conversation with Rory Monaghan of NUI Galway.

All of the above events will be made available to watch on GIAF's website and Youtube channel.

Time to Boogie

e-Motions - Thursday, Sept. 2nd (Livestream)

Allow yourself to get carried away at Galway Cathedral by 'this live multimedia performance' described as a 'wonderful fusion of sound, dance and image.'

Performing are: renowned choir Resurgam, Luminosa Orchestra, cellist Adrian Mantu, accordionist Dermot Dunne, pan–flutist Iulian Puşcă, organist Raymond O’Donnell, dancer & choreographer Jérémie Cyr–Cooke, and visual artist Mihai Cucu.

Unfortunately, almost all of the major music concerts set to take place this year have been rescheduled for 2022.

However, you can still buy tickets for some of next year's unmissable music events, including:

• The Flaming Lips 
• The Kaiser Chiefs
• Sinéad O'Connor
• The Stunning

Both The Flaming Lips' and The Stunning's shows played sold-out shows at the Big Top in 2018. Tickets for 2022 can be snapped up now on the GIAF website.