FORMER PRESIDENT Éamon de Valera was fiercely proud of it, though it was once dismissed by cynical socialists as a “kitsch-Irish annual event for tourists”.
The festival called “An Tóstal”, last held over half a century ago, is due to be revived in Galway this weekend.
The two-day “showcase” of the island’s finest coastal traditions and culture opens in Salthill tomorrow, with currach and Galway hooker racing , traditional music and a fundraiser for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
The event, which formerly had a strong religious element with an opening parade and blessing, was first held in 1953 in a number of venues, and was last held in Salthill in 1959.
Up to 80,000 people travelled then from all corners of the island to the viewing “platform” on the Salthill promenade. The festival also attracted visitors from France, Britain, Nigeria, the then United Arab Republic, Trinidad and Holland, according to this newspaper.
Tomorrow, the winning currach team from An Tóstal 1955 will officiate at the opening ceremony at noon at the Galway Bay Hotel.
Currach teams from Donegal, Mayo, the Aran Islands, Connemara, Clare, Limerick, Kerry and Cork will compete in a new addition to the existing All-Ireland currach racing league.
Galway hookers and other traditional vessels will also race in the bay, while shore events will include tug-of-war, horse-shoe throwing and sandcastle building at Ladies Beach.
The full programme is available on website www.antostalsalthill.com.
Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim, is also marking An Tóstal on June 25th and 26th with its 45th annual feis or music festival.
More information is available on antostalfestival.ie