Indeed, what sets up as a potential annual event at 14 Phila Street beginning around noon this Saturday, October 12, has its spiritual roots in a 58-year-old tradition in Galway, Ireland.
In September, 1954, the Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival was launched by Brian Collins, the manager of the Great Southern Hotel, which is now called Hotel Meyrick.
That first year, just 34 guests attended the first Oyster Festival banquet, the centerpiece of that event. Today however, the event is one of the biggest on Ireland’s social calendar, drawing more than 22,000 visitors in 2012 who gleefully downed tons of the famous native Galway oysters. It has been described by the London Sunday Times as “…one of the 12 greatest shows on earth” and was listed in Europe’s AAA Travel Guide as “…one of the seven best festivals in Europe.”
The idea of coupling Guinness with the brackish bivalves seems to be an ideal pairing.
“Each makes the other taste better.” Niall asserted.
He seemed pretty authoritative on this point, so let’s assume he speaks from broad research and experience.
Think of it as an adult version of Reese’s peanut butter cups, whose slogan once was “two great tastes that taste great together.” To be sure, the raw version on the half-shell is for some, shall we say, an acquired taste. Yet the purists in the audience would not have them any other way. For those who prefer their mollusks prepared, the chefs at Irish Times will have it for you in several forms: oyster stew, deep fried and in po’ boys.
It wouldn’t be a festival without a spectrum of appropriate entertainment and here is where Irish Times has outdone themselves. Starting with the lovely Kate Lockhart bringing the festivities to order on bagpipes at noon, the music is highlighted by appearances by the Brothers Flynn from 1 to 4 p.m., and then the Black Abbey band from 5 to 9 p.m. Both bands are fresh off their recent sessions at the Irish2000 festival.
During and in between, you can count on a few step dance troupes, both professional and doubtless drawn from the audience. And of course, expect the Guinness promo team to stir the pot with some fun games and prizes throughout the day.
The music shifts gears in the evening, with DJ’s “Vinyl Tap” spinning tunes from the 80s and 90s on forward starting at 9 p.m.
Yet I have confirmed that the Guinness will continue to flow throughout this time, for continuity of the theme and other considerations.
