clubs & pubs for the weekend

Here’s the selection for the week. 4 different places to enjoy from traditional music and swing to Lady Gaga.

Let’s start in the heart of Galway. When was the last time you saw some Irish dancing? Every Wednesday we can enjoy it at The King’s Head:

And from traditional music to Disco Divas. In Halo, this Friday, from midnight you can dance your trouble away with the music of Kylie, Katy and Gaga:

On Saturday we have the Barnardos Fun Draiser, a party first on board of the Corrib Princess and then, from 22h in the Commercial Boat Club. Barnardos is an organization helping children and families in need. You can check their website here

And, of course, on Saturday, you can go to see the final of the Champions League, for example in Massimo’s big screens.

On Sunday (like every Sunday) The Blue Note will bring us The Rye (enjoy the banjo sound from 7 pm in the Beer Garden):

If you think something else should be in this post, please leave a comment or go to our Facebook page to comment about it.

Bits and Bobs

There’s so much going on in Spring and Summer in Galway that we can’t either focus our reviews in one thing only and miss the rest or write a huge review about every event.

So sometimes you’ll find a little melting pot which gathers all that we find interesting and worth to see or visit. That’s not an easy job to do, as nothing is lacking any interest from our point of view.

This week, some of the cultural events we found around the city…choose the one you like most!

Georges Bizet Carmen, in the Town Hall,

Saturday 11th at 8 pm. Tickets: € 20/ €25

Galway Percy French Society, celebrating Irish songwriters

Musical Evening

11 May at An Taibhdhearc      

The Sapphires at the Town Hall

Sunday 12th, 8.15 pm

Remember me (when I forget), exhibition

Galway Arts Centre

 

Fang Island play Strange Brew

Roisin Dubh

Thursday 9th, 9 pm

Not enough for you…maybe?

In the Square

In Eyre Square, we mean (if there are more squares in Galway they go unnoticed)

We all have to move across it, walk along to get the bus or the train, go by it to reach the shopping centre, run to it in the middle of the night for fast food, so why not stop in there and have a drink in its pubs.

Our selection starts with O’Connells, maybe our favourite, thanks to the beer garden and the atmosphere of  “I’ve been here all my life”, look at the floor, the wooden bar, it has the beauty of the ancient, like a symbol of certainty, constancy, the eternal place to meet friends.

If O’Connells were in Madrid, the floor would be full of wooden sticks, paper napkins and peanut shells, but because it is in Galway, it is full of the regular crew reading the paper, enjoying one of the tastiest Guinness in the city and watching the sports in the tv at any time of the day.

It is a pub for sports, it always amazes me how many people pay attention to the tv when showing golf  (Golf!!), why don’t you go next saturday 18 for the Heinken Cup, rugby is always on in O’Connells. And there’s always music on Fridays and Saturdays, in the beer garden, just in case there’s more golf in the screen.

Next in the list is just in the corner: Garvey’s.

With friendly staff, good price and a great atmosphere Garvey’s a good place to catch up with friends or enjoy the food, served from 8 am to 9 pm everyday.

I have to say that here I tried one of the worst inventions Smithwicks did this year, a beer with peach flavor or something worse. The good thing was that, when the barman saw our face, a lovely Guinness was inmediately poured.

Recommended in Trip Advisor, many tourists (like us) go to Garvey’s, also due to its location.

The third and last one, also in this sidewalk, is Fibber Magees, famous after it hit national headlines in 2004 due to its refusal to impose the newly-introduced smoking ban.

It’s a small pub, especially if we compare it to the other two, but hey do excellent drinks promotions. It is a good place to start when heading out on a good night out,  with a crowd generally in their mid twenties. This pub is very popular with college students for its cheap drinks and they also have music during the week-

There’s a famous pub across the square, The Skeff, but in WhatwhereGalway we have a secret agreement… never go in there, no, no, no… it’s not for us.

Early Music Festival, back to ancient Galway

Have you ever rambled around the old Medieval part of Galway and wondered how it would be like in those distant times? No cars, no phones, not so many things which we couldn’t imagine to live without in the times we live in.

But we still keep having wonderful things from the past. Like now, there was music, there was dance, and poetry, and songs, and street performances…If you add to all this the Irish imagery and magic, and beautiful costumes…you’ll find yourself inmerse in some kind of mystical haze that will cover the city of Galway  from  9 to 12 of May.

The populatity of the  Galway Early Music Festival of Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music keeps increasing since the festival was first held in 1996, with plenty of musicians an other artists from around the world.

If you haven’t heard before about the Irish Harp, the Lirone or Bardic poetry, get lost between the medieval streets of Galway and enjoy a trip to the past…the old times will be new for you!

Galway Early Music Festival

From the 9th to 12th May

Different prices and venues, check their website

Angels and demons

It doesn’t matter what kind of music you’re into. There’s always something in Galway that may fill your musical interests. This week we have two completely different options: Classical and Rock, also in two opposite venues.

The first one it’s going to be on Tuesday 23, today, at the Meyrick Hotel and the event is called Schubertiade ‘Softly Shall You Sleep…and the organisers are Music for Galway. It’s not their first time as since they started in 1981 promoting talented musicians around Ireland they come over every year with new artists around the world.

Their 32^nd  season is running since last September and has seen many different classical talents from Europe and South America. This Tuesday the show will present musicians from Ireland/ Belgium (Conor Biggs ans Michel Stas) and Romania/ Ireland (ConTempo Quartet).

They will play:

Shubert Selection of Lieder for voice and piano

Shubert String Quartet No. 14, D. 810 “Death ans the Maiden”.

Music for Galway, Schubertiade ‘Softly Shall You Sleep…

The Meyrick Hotel

Tuesday 23 April, 20.00

Tickets € 20 / €16/ €6

Tickets: at Opus 2, 4 High Street, Galway/ by phone from Music for Galway – tel: 091-705962 or email: info@musicforgalway.ie.

On-line:www.tht.ie

  …You be better off booking a seat before the show it’s over!

If Classical is not your cup of tea (although it’s not the first person I know that likes both sides of the coin) then take your steps to the tough-biker-guys-pub Sally Longs, that pub in the corner with musical icons graffitis on their walls. If you spot its outside wall you know what i’m talking about. Never been there? What are you waiting for? It’s worth it, maybe you’re not really into the rock vibe, then you can still pop in on an early evening and is still quiet enough to enjoy a pint beside the fire (yes! a biker bar with an open fire! Cozy…isn’t it?)

Every week there’s something going on, from industrial techno nights dj’s to metal rock gigs, just try what suit you best.

 If you feel like doing something to wipe away the stressof work, Baby Godzilla can help you. The 4 from Nottingham have a reputation for being as dedicated as unpredictable in their gigs. Noisy, intense, brutal…Otherwise difficult to tag their shouty music. Metal rock, psycho-blues, hardcore metal…It’s up to you to describe what you feel after listening to their music, specially live. We assure you they won’t let you impassive.

Baby Godzilla play at Sally Longs

Thursday 25^th  April, 19.30

John Smith, songs from a fisherman

Have you heard of Lisa Hannigan, Richard Hawley, David Gray? If your answer is yes, well you have a good taste in music and you don’t follow the top 40 or similar radio formula…good for your soul then.
If you answered no then you have the opportunity of widen your musical knowledge and pay attention to one of the most productive-but –no-so-recognised English guitarrist John Smith.

Apart from having played with the above mentioned and many more, he has his own solo career with 4 albums and have also appeared on a tribute album alongside Snow Patrol, Beth Orton and Paolo Nutini among others.

He’s been compared with contemporaries artists like Jose Gonzalez and Bonnie “Prince” Billy as well as classics such as Tim Buckley or Nick Drake.

Those references should be enough to get you off your comfy sofa and jump in to see John Smith live playing his 4th album Great Lakes. Otherwise you’ll regret it. The said of him “he’s brilliant, spellbinding and a guitar genius”. You need anything else?

John Smith will play Strange Brew at the Róisín Dubh, http://www.roisindubh.net

Thursday April 11 at 9pm

Tickets are €10 from the Ticket Desk at OMG, Shop Street (formerly Zhivago), and The Róisín Dubh

http://johnsmithjohnsmith.com/
http://www.myspace.com/johnacousticsmith

It’s the Dirty Circus April Fools Party!!!

Ladies wear your finest, Gentlemen dress like…gentlemen.

Feathers, hats, corsets, fishnets stockings,  dramatic make up…

So it’s time for cabaret renaissence in Galway, this occassion for April Fools Party. The Dirty Circus is a group of people in Galway that tours around the city recruiting its best cabaret and burlesque performers.

It seems it has always been a success since they performed in The Cellar, De Burgos and  like this time, Kelly’s. There’s dancing, singing, music, poetry, comedy and lots more always with a 1920’s feather touch and decadence…and loads of fun!

Wether it’s your first time or you’re one of the regulars dress yourself up with a smart suit and tie (that’s for you guys) or put on your best night outfit (here’s for you girls)…there might be a chance to win a prize for the best well dressed lady of the night.

Don’t think twice, dress you up and have a fun night!

The Dirty Circus April Fools Party at Kelly’s
Starts at 9pm on Friday 5th , entry € 10
Kelly’s Bar, Bridge Street, Galway

2manyDJs

This friday 15, in The Electric Garden (Abbeygate St.) 2manyDJs will be playing to celebrate St. Patrick’s weekend.
Good luck with the tickets, hundreds of free tickets were sold out in a few minutes last week. You can always enjoy the club, Electric Garden is always good fun.

From midnight.