39. Macnas Celebration, Athenry, Ireland.
Photograph by Sam Abell

From the Ireland on Fast Forward article, September 1994, National Geographic magazine, page 20.

The blurb has it that A Pagan heart and Christian soul feed the roots of the Irish nature. The Macnas theatre group celebrates pre-Christian culture during a festival in Athenry.

This celebration must be an annual event, as I saw it in 1989, when there were many more drummers marching down Athenry's main street to the Castle, where the Battle of Athenry was re-enacted, but with the ending changed so the Irish defeated the British instead, a victory celebrated with fireworks.

As an ex-pipe band drummer, I can guarantee that neither of the two playing these side drums actually know how to hold drumsticks, and that the one in the centre has no idea of how to hold the drum either (her drum strap is over the wrong shoulder, which would render the drum leg rest both useless and uncomfortable). Which makes it all that much better.