After the exhausting outing to Connemara yesterday, we all wanted to sleep in a bit. I woke up and got some laundry done (finally) and worked on some writing. By the time I was finished with everything, Tatum and Ryan were also ready so we made our way to the market that’s only open Friday-Sundays. However, when we got there one of the jewelry makers informed us that with the Arts Festival this week she’ll be there every day and I’m assuming that’ll be similar for most of the crafters. I really enjoy going so I hope it’s true! We went shopping from stall to stall looking at various pieces. I love seeing how different each thing is whether it’s jewelry, prints, clothes, or décor. We saved the food for last and I immediately made my way to the donut man. I’ve heard from a few people that he made the best donuts right in front of you so I was very excited to finally have the chance to try them. When he handed me the bag I could feel the heat pouring out of it. The donuts did not disappoint! They were just plain sugar covered donuts and they were amazing! They were falling apart as we pulled them out of the bag because they were still so hot and gooey.

The market wasn’t as big because it was raining so we continued walking the streets of Galway. We walked down all sorts of alleys and things and found some great artwork on the walls. I love how sides of buildings here are painted in a very tasteful manner. We walked past a man spray painting the front of a storefront in the city center and watched him for a while. It was cool to watch him work, completely unaware of the crowd gathering behind him. We walked towards the harbor and decided we had some time before we had to be at my first movie of the day so we went to the Galway Museum. It was bigger than I was expecting, but it was interesting. We had to rush through it because we didn’t know there would be that much to see, but we figured it’s free so we could always come back.

Ryan and I made our way to the theatre for the One Minute Film Festival. I was so excited to see this one because of how unique it was. The festival was a series of 28 films each lasting only one minute long.

This was the most movies I have ever seen in the shortest amount of time. I didn’t know how overwhelming it would be, but it was actually one of my favorite events of the week. As expected, some films stuck out more than others, some I forgot, some I loved, and others I didn’t like as much. A few of the ones I liked most were short documentaries because they weren’t dragged out so it kept it light and interesting. My favorite was Something Barrowed, which about an old woman telling the story of her wedding dress. Her husband was fighting in war and his unit had to jump out of the plane. He dislocated both of his knees, but his whole unit made it out alive. He brought her that parachute that saved his life and she made her wedding dress out of it. That dress has been worn by her daughters as well. It was so sweet. Another one I really liked didn’t look planned at all. The camera was set up with a kitchen in the background with the kid and his mom. The film was called Favorite Family Memories. The question was simply what your favorite memory with that person is. The next shot was the same kid with his dad. The last memory they ended with was the boy turned to his dad and said his favorite memory was the first time his dad told him he loved him and broke into tears. The emotion was so raw you could tell it wasn’t rehearsed. I was not expecting to be that overwhelmed with emotion in that short amount of time. I think it hit harder especially being so far from home. Having the emotions of missing our family mixed with the unexpected turn added to it all the feelings.

Other movies were the complete opposite. Some, like a lot of Irish films, had very dark humor that kind of made you laugh, but also shocked you. There were others that were just plain weird. Vexation was just close up of the most annoying sounds. For example, a knife and fork scraping against a plate, grinding teeth, and the squeak of a balloon being rubbed. Every noise made you cringe in your seat and ask why? Why would they do this? But then I realized it was also kind of genius because that is exactly the reaction they wanted. My favorite was called An Agonizing Encounter. It was about a boy who thinks a girl is waving to him. When he finds out she isn’t he is in absolute agony in the background as her and her friend stand talking in front of him. He acts out every emotion you have ever felt if you have gone through this situation. At one point he falls on his knees grabbing leaves and calling out why. It was hilarious because it is so relatable and shows everything that has ever crossed my mind when I have done the same exact thing. It was crazy how much people could do in a single minute and I loved how creative people were.

Because each film was only a minute, the whole festival only lasted 28 minutes. We walked home afterwards to grab some dinner and get ready before the closing film that night. We made our way to the theatre not really knowing anything about the movie at all. I am so glad we went to this movie. It is called Sanctuary and I think everyone should see this movie. It is a cast that is predominately mentally disabled and draws attention to struggles they face every day. The story is fictional, but the actors are very similar to the characters they play. It was great because, like all the Irish films I have watched, it was very honest. I thought it was interesting because they weren’t afraid to make jokes, while in America they skirt around even mentioning disabilities. It really brought their stories and their problems to the light and showed to the public how it needs to change. I loved how real it was, while also bringing in humor and happiness. The film didn’t necessarily have a happy ending, but it made me feel light and hopeful and that it wasn’t actually the end. We went to the closing film reception at the Rowing Club afterwards for some more free food and wine. It was so much fun and most of the cast was there. It was amazing how great everyone was and seeing so many of the actors and directors from the film festival all together. But the Sanctuary cast were definitely the stars of the night and they were loving it! It was so much fun and a perfect end to the Galway Film Fleadh.

As we made our way out, Laurie ran into an old student who went on the same trip 4 years ago. He has come back to Galway 3 times since their first trip and is now spending his 3 months of summer backpacking around Europe. He decided to come back to Galway to volunteer for the Arts Festival which is starting this week because they weren’t able to go when he was here with JMU. It was so cool to hear his adventures and experiences, especially considering I have been planning my trip back here since I have gotten here, if not before. We got back to the apartments and tried to stay up, but we all ended up going to bed not being able to keep our eyes open any longer.