A Gaggle of Cartoonists in Ireland

For the wonderful Galway Cartoon Festival

Recently, I was invited to travel to Galway, Ireland as a guest at their cartoon festival. I have loved Ireland the two times I visited, and I’d never been to Galway— so I said of course! And it is always a real joy to meet with other cartoonists from around the world, to talk about our shared love of the art form. The Galway Festival organizers were very welcoming and hospitable, and they had organized a wide variety of panels and talks, along with the exhibits. When not hanging with cartoonists, enjoying their art, drinking beer, talking… I wandered around.

I did a few drawings of my visit as well, the photos I took are at the end of this post.

Galway is in part known for its pubs, and it did not disappoint. One night, we happened on a group of musicians playing in a very crowded spot in a pub. It was wonderful!

I went to the Galway market and saw a variety of people selling food and crafts. This fellow caught my eye.

Galway has a large square in the middle of town, called Eyre Square, a place for hanging out and, apparently feeding the birds. What was unique about this woman was she was also feeding sea gulls. I’d never seen sea gulls in a park like this!

Knowing cartoonists from around the world is a very important part of my life, and I treasure these times with my international colleagues. Thank you to my host, Richard Chapman, and all the other organizers of the gathering.