A Macnas structure in Galway City during the Savage Grace parade in October 2016
Performers in the Macnas street parade at the Kilkenny Arts Festival 2013

Mácnas (pronounced mock-ness) is (Irish for 'frolicking'[1]) is a performance company based at the Fisheries Field in Galway, Ireland. Its public performances are noted for being "pioneering, inventive and radical" in style.[2] The company has been credited with changing the nature of public entertainment in Ireland and is regarded as highly influential within the field of spectacle performance.[3]

Founded in 1986, the company has performed in over 20 countries across the globe. Its parades have been a centre-point of Halloween, St. Patrick's Day and formerly Galway International Arts Festival festivities in Galway city, drawing crowds of up to 50,000 people on to the city streets.[4]

Mácnas toured alongside U2 as part of the Zoo TV Tour in 1993.[5] The company simultaneously helped to ring in the new millennium in three cities: Galway (Eyre Square), Dublin (Merrion Square) and New York City (Times Square).

In March 2016, Mácnas performed at the opening ceremony of SXSW in Austin, Texas.[6][7] In November 2017, Macnas performed as the closing act in the Land of Green Ginger programme at Hull UK City of Culture 2017.[8][9]

Mácnas offices are spread across two locations in Galway city. Administration and rehearsals mainly take place in Fisheries Field. Large-scale construction primarily takes place at a warehouse in Liosban.

The Liffey Press and Macnas have published Macnas: Joyful Abandonment, a 250-page history of the company.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla (Ó Dónaill): Mácnas".
  2. ↑ "The magic behind the mask as magic of Macnas parade looms - Independent.ie". Independent.ie. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  3. ↑ "Talent on parade". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  4. ↑ "Thousands turn out in Galway for Macnas parade". RTE.ie. 30 October 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  5. ↑ Canadanne. "U2 Massive Heeds". www.canadanne.co.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  6. ↑ "Macnas Street Performance - SXSW Official". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  7. ↑ "Irish again set to make some noise as SXSW kicks off in Austin". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  8. ↑ "Giant puppets march through Hull". BBC News. 12 November 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  9. ↑ Corcoran, Sophie (11 November 2017). "Dazzling Land of Green Ginger parade bewitches thousands". Hull Daily Mail. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  10. ↑ "The Liffey Press Macnas: Joyful Abandonment". www.theliffeypress.com. Retrieved 17 September 2018.


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