During summer in Galway, the first siting of the cruise lines coming into port can be seen clearly over the sea. When passengers from the 30 cruise liners that docked last season, exit the ship they are welcomed by Liam Silke, Galway’s native Town Crier.
Dressed in the traditional garb of a crier, complete with a triton hat, a metal bell, and a scroll, Silke would welcome thousands of people to the historic town and point them in the direction of historical and guided tours beginning just down the street in Eyre Square.
Photo courtesy of Liam Silke via Facebook
The origin of the crier is rooted in Roman times when the emperor spoke to the Senate. Messages would then be relayed, or shouted, to the mobs standing outside, and the word would spread through the city. “The Romans then conquered England, and they brought with them their criers because they had the same traditions. And then the Normans build the towns and the cities… so now you had the ‘town crier’.” says Silke as he explains to me the history of the position. “If you harmed a town crier, you are harming the authority of the mayor, so you’re an officer. He brought the good news; he brought the bad news. He brought the news that was coming in – if there was a famine, or if it was good news if there was a wedding.”
Silke is a jack of all trades after receiving a degree in Hospitality and Tourism, lecturing on marketing and tourism shortly after college, opening a restaurant in Dublin, and doing murder mystery theatre along the west coast of Ireland. To create funds for the traveling theatre company, Silke took to rebirthing the old tradition of the town crier after being inspired by an original crier bell in the Dillon’s Claddagh Ring Museum on Shop St.
In a red velvet robe, feathers flying from his hat, Silke says, “I would go in and introduce the murder mystery to the crowd because they were all strangers, and I would get to them together.” As these murder mysteries became increasingly popular, Silke was invited to lead the St. Patrick’s Day parade as the town crier, then shortly after that an invitation was extended to lead the 2008 annual Oyster festival in September. “That created publicity for myself and then I registered the name of ‘town crier’ as a business, and then I got my leafless stone and got my advertising done…” and many more invitations to weddings, funerals, and corporate events came flooding in for Silke’s new position.
“It became very popular for corporation’s use… very simply because [the 2008 collapse]. That meant all the big corporations could not afford the big dues, but they could afford one person.”
“They could afford a crier.”
Silke was commissioned to welcome corporate guests as they came into Galway or to the Dublin airport, ensuring that their first interactions with the history of the cultural city were the truest ones.
When I asked him why a demand for such a niche spokesperson would be high, Silke responded “In marketing, you look at it from the customer’s point of view. You turn the customer’s want into a need.” He explains that having the local town crier be their first interaction brings all guests to the city to a “common denominator”, for “that’s the whole idea of the exercise of bringing people together is to get them talking and build up their confidence.”
“You are greeted by an official of the company” and an official of the city of Galway.
The role of the town crier is most famously seen in works set in medieval periods or stories of the past, but Liam Silke brings to the table a fresh take to keep history alive.
“Today because Galway is tourist orientated… the future is just an echo of the past. So, I went down to the past, took the crier to bring into the future.”
“That is why today, high tech companies which are now multinational is where the crier fits in.”
On Friday, 21 February, tour guides around the county will be celebrated for their investment into Galway’s culture for International Tourist Guide Day. A complimentary walking tour will be available followed by a lunch gathering at Monroe’s Tavern.
Liam Silke is a Certified Tour Guide by Failte Ireland and hosts medieval walking tours throughout Galway City in English. You can see more information on his services and book a tour here https://galwaytourguides.com/galway-tour-guides/liam-silke/.