There's an ad on the radio at the moment for the Galway Races. It talks about people there "acting above their station". I think it misses the point of the race meeting and, more particularly, the city, too.Galway's a place for being yourself; where you can relax, do practically anything you want, and not be worried that anyone will be judgmental about you.As a nation we are known for our calm, unruffled approach. Galway is the heart and soul of laid-back. Dublin has become one of Europe's trendiest towns, but with that trendiness comes a certain competition, particularly among the pretty young things.There's a need to run a constant image-check. "Are my combats sloppy enough?" "How many extra useless functions are built into my mobile?" And, eternally: "Are my shades bang up to the second or has some other manufacturer taken over the mantle of most groovy this week?"The practised cool and carefully studied "effortless" shape-throwing of the Temple Bar and off-Grafton Street coffee shops are entertaining for a while, but ultimately exhausting.And when they do get tired, and they need to take a break, they head for Galway.This influx tends to compensate for the numbers of third-level students heading home or abroad at the start of each summer.
Effectively, we get a fresh batch of youthful energy every June to help maintain our innocent fun levels.And just because the atmosphere is easygoing, that doesn't mean it hasn't been a busy summer. We currently have attractions coming out of our ears.The film fleadh, the arts festival and the races are proving magnets for those who want to party. We are also celebrating Druid's success on Broadway this year, and many more visitors than usual will want to sample a taste of that theatre company's special "something" in its home city.Right now, the balance between the city's traditions and the needs of tourism are just about right.After all, it is the unique atmosphere here that draws those visitors in the first place. But we must take care. There are a number of new hotels already built and more under construction, and we've seen the development of a new strand of tourist accommodation.These places are nominally B & Bs, though they could hardly be described as traditional.In truth they would be better characterised as high-class guesthouses, with prices to match.With these developments has come a growing feeling that toomany of Galway's visitors are backpackers, who don't have the same spending power as the tourists these newer hostelries are designed for.This mercenary attitude must be tempered with an understanding that the feel of Galway, the ambience, is delicate, If we drive out the less-affluent young tourists we run the risk of destroying it.Part of what the summer in Galway is about is the mix of young people from all over the world just taking it easy - sitting around chatting with each other and the locals, spending an hour or two sitting in this pub or that cafe or just taking the sun, when and if we get some, in Eyre Square.If we keep our attention focused on the big bucks exclusively, we run the risk of turning Galway into an Irish Orlando; a city devoted entirely to separating visitors from their money and a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there.And that's the other great asset that Galway has - it is a great place to live. Almost too great.Galway is a city often referred to as the "graveyard of ambition". Those who come here to work never want to leave. So, if their employers can't facilitate them with a promotion that keeps them here, they just don't take promotions.The Public Service particularly has missed out on a swathe of high-calibre people who simply didn't want to leave. You couldn't blame them.They arrive here when they're young and free. They settle down to raise a family and find everything they could want is on their doorstep; good educational facilities at all levels, sporting facilities, music, theatre and the cinema.If you haven't visited the city in a while there is one development that might surprise you. A large chunk of the city-centre shopping precinct has been pedestrianised.This is one of those town planning decisions that has worked to enhance what Galway is all about. It gives freedom to stroll the shopping area. Any sense of urgency, any need to rush through your buying has been removed.It's great for pedestrians, but not for motorists. Finding parking is a nightmare - the only solution I've managed to come up with is to be in the city before 9 a.m. Yet, at the same time, I don't really want to see more multistorey car-parks. Perhaps we could take a second look at the public transport system; if we can get that functioning well we could eliminate inconvenience.But this is nit-picking. And I'll have any of my minor worries erased by my favourite summer festival. The city will be filled with race-goers and talk of horses and what to have a flutter on. Whole families will descend on Galway and, hopefully, the sun will shine.I love the Galway Races the most, I think, because they reflect so well what this city is about.The racing festival will bring together so many different groups, the seriously wealthy and the not so rich, the young and those older, the Irish and the foreign. And all of these groups will mingle and enjoy each other. It is a time when old friends renew contacts and new friendships are born; a time of great story-telling and of parties "go leor".It's a time when everyone's a Galwegian in this city that's a town that's a home, and a home from home.