Every year the people of Galway and foreign visitors are wowed to the Galway Arts Festival. Each year Macnas produce a street performance for the festival But before any street performance or parade is even considered there is a long road from the parade design to the show in the middle of July.

The company that produces the show is called Macnas ( translation meaning "The Madness of a Young Cow when it is set free in a field"). It is made up of a group of administrative and technical professional all experts in their own fields. The remainder of the company is made up of volunteers from Ireland, Spain, France, Germany, Holland, America and many other parts of the world.

Macnas has a fantastic technical team comprising of designers, prop makers, stage managers, sound and lighting engineers. All the departments come together to produce a fantastic, wonderful, mind opening and awe inspiring experience for both the audience and volunteers.
When Macnas volunteered in the paper I joined because I wanted to do something different, to meet people and gain the benefit of new experiences.

On the first volunteer night all the volunteers met up in the ‘Black Box’ on the Dyke Road. It is the hardest night because you are thrown in with a group of strangers and you feel lost and extremely self-conscious. I think everyone feels the same way the first night and for the next couple of nights.

For about the first month everyone gets a chance to experience all the different aspects of the show both on and off the stage. Then you make up your mind which part you want to be involved in. I chose the performance group because I enjoyed that aspect the best. There are constant rehearsals that take place in venues all over the city. The rehearsals are tiring but it’s a wonderful feeling to know that you are part of something bigger than yourself.

If you are bored and looking for something different to do maybe Macnas is for you. I would recommend Macnas to anyone. This is just a humble article, it does not do Macnas justice. It is only a brief summary of what Macnas is like and my own personal experience. Words cannot express the fantastic feeling I experienced with Macnas.

Paul Ryan