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Once a year Eyre Square appears transformed into an enchanted meeting place for leprechawns, banshees and other phantastic creatures, before they set off on their merry way through Galway City.

The Galway Arts Festival attracts more than 80.000 people each year to the city and the festival's most popular event is the free parade by the local community theater company, Macnas.

The mission statement of Macnas proclaims: "We hope to make fun and have fun on a grand scale and amongst ourselves."

Each year sees a different theme in the parade, with the theme for the year 2000 having been 'Listening Wind'. Hence anything connected with 'Wind' was picked up by the participating groups.

Many exotic birds were seen, flocking together before setting off on their parade through the City. It's estimated that about 50.000 spectators lined the streets in 2000 to watch their passage.

Listen to impressions from the Macnas parade. You'll see and hear the Devil asking for a kiss, the energetic drums of Macnas and Lindbergh's countdown for take-off and much more....

Please click here for more pictures and sounds.