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The Galway Oyster Festival (11 09 2014)
“Why oysters were so popular from the earliest times has never been satisfactorily explained. Most commentators attribute to them great virtues in restoring and maintaining health. They “nourish your heart, cherish your blood” according to one Dublin ditty and an English writer once stated that they can “make the sick well, render the healthy stouter, prolong the shortening days of senility and impart an additional charm to youth and beauty”. These are truly great virtues that must be balanced against any vice they are thought to bring in their train. I refer naturally to their reputed aphrodisiacal qualities which are said to exceed all other elixirs, potions and concoctions”.
This quotation is from Noel Wilkins’ excellent book “Alive Alive O”. We are fortunate that one of the few natural habitats for the wild European Flat Oyster is Galway Bay so why should we not celebrate it? Why not indeed?
The idea for the first celebration came from Brian Collins, the manager of the Great Southern Hotel. He approached Paddy Burke, a fifth generation publican in Clarinbridge, with the idea of a festival in order to help promote and market the Galway Oyster and in so doing, to hopefully extend the short tourist season. The first announcement of the Festival was in the Evening Herald of August 27th, 1954. Arthur Guinness agreed to become sponsors. Oysters were selling for about 10/- a dozen at the time.
34 people attended the first festival including a number of journalists, which meant a lot of publicity. Pathé News filmed the event. A pattern was set. The following year 75 people attended, in 1962 the number was 328 and in 1963 it had grown to 438. Traditions were being established, in 1956 Owen Cunningham of London was the first Guest of Honour and Peggy Carty became the first Oyster Pearl. The festival would get underway with a dinner in the Great Southern on Friday night, then move to a marquee in Clarinbridge on Saturday, return to the GSH for a ball on Saturday night, where revellers regularly ended up dancing on the tables as you can see from our photograph. For those who could still stand, there was an Irish coffee farewell on Sunday. This was held in various locations such as O’Connor’s Pub in Salthill, Teach Furbo, Galway Bay Sailing Club, Galway Golf Club. It now takes place in the marquee. The entertainment was top class and invariably organised by Paschal Spelman. The style was jaw dropping. Oyster opening championships were introduced.
The festival was now generating international publicity. In 1984, during the Quincentennial, it moved into a marquee at the Spanish Arch and a few years later the people of Clarinbridge decided to set up their own festival called the Irish Oyster Festival. The two festivals happily run side by side and between them generate top quality worldwide publicity for Galway, and for the unique taste of the Galway Oyster. “It was a bold man that first ate an oyster” wrote Jonathan Swift. Whoever it was, we should be grateful to him and to those who set up the first festival.
Everything you ever wanted to know about Galway Oysters is contained in another book by Noel Wilkins entitled Squires, Spats and Spailpeens, Oysters and Oystering in Galway Bay.
The 60th International Galway Oyster Festival takes place this year on September 26-28th. Details are found on their website.
