Childcare and pre-school education may be the current Government mantra, but words like "play" and "fun" aren't always part of the political vocabulary.
Minister of State for Youth Affairs Síle de Valera attempted to redress that situation yesterday among balloons and babies in Galway city when she opened the Baboro International Arts Festival for Children.
It was the first time a Government Minister attended the event, which is now in its eighth year and is an integral part of Galway's artistic landscape. "We're delighted Ms de Valera made it,"Baboro director Lali Morris said, as she announced details of 63 performances at various venues over the next seven days.
The 200th anniversary of the birth of Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen is one of the main themes of this year's programme - and, coincidentally, main sponsor National Irish Bank has been acquired this year by Danske Bank of Denmark.
Two Danish productions, Dorthe's Heart & Pist! have been booked, while Andersen's famous tale, The Ugly Duckling, will be recreated by Scottish puppeteer, Shona Reppe, in An Taibhdhearc theatre.
Irish group Fibin Teo will stage a story of swashbuckling pirates, entitled Ná Foghlaithe Mara agus an Eochair Orga, while Patrick Lynch from CBBC television will present Tom Thumb. The history of rail in the west over three centuries will be exhibited to complement a German production entitled Lord of the Railway, supported by Iarnród Éireann and the Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes.
Baboro's attendance record is over 64,000 people since its inception, and it has spawned a series of complementary festivals in other parts of the State during October, including Sonas which opens this week in Louisburgh, Co Mayo and the Roola Boola festival in the Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar on October 23/24th. US children's singer and songwriter Tom Chapin, who was booked by Baboro, is also performing at the Louisburgh event.
Roola Boola shares many events with Galway, while also presenting a series of children's workshops on dance, magicians' tricks, puppet-making and the art of the angklung or tuned bamboo rattle from Indonesia. Baboro can be contacted at (091) 562667 or website www.baboro.ie and Roola Boola at (094) 9023722 or www.thelinenhall.com
