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Once again Ireland showed me that it does not take much to create the magic.

On the 1st of October is chilly and wet. I put on the Wave Maker’s orange jacket and get on my blue bike. Nothing is happening on Walter Macken Place, and the Mervue housing estate seems to be lifeless. I can see mold on the buildings and temporary road works on the street. However, when I look more closely, I can notice sunflowers in the garden and even a small greenhouse.

Wait, something happens there

A white van pulls up on the estate and suddenly its wheels dig into the muddy grass. O, yes, it was raining in Galway again. However, with the help of others, we manage to get the car out of trouble. The side door opens and the theatre technicians set the blue stage within 10 minutes. Several residents come to the garden, one older man is wiping a balcony railing, someone has sat down on a stool with a cigarette.

The sun really appears

Artists: Órla Mc Govern and Niceol Blue show songs and storytelling. I have the impression that these stories really happened. This is a ray of joy to the elderly residents of the estate, but also for the volunteers Małgosia and Breda, and organizers.

From the story told by Orla, I learn that the gulls which hover over our heads on the Salthill promenade in Galway want tell us something. So maybe it is worth listening to these clipping of the day. Or create such sunny moments for other people around us? Despite the cold and rainy shower, we can let the magic in.

Festival in a Van, FÉILE I VEAIN, supported by the Creative Ireland Programme is a mobile venue which brings joy to small communities in Ireland. It is created by artists and technicians from the theatre. Recently, they brought outdoor performances for the elderly people in the International Day of Older Persons to Carraroe, Clifden, Tuam, Loughrea, Ballinasloe, Galway, and are also supported by European Capital of Culture Galway 2020.

Have you ever have this kind of expirence with the magic from little things?

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