The success of the first Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Belfast has been described as a “dream come true” for organisers.
Visitor numbers exceed expectations
Visitor numbers were estimated to have topped one million by Friday evening, already exceeding the 800,000 expected by Sunday, with music and the tapping of Irish dancing filling the city centre streets.
Saturday saw the continuation of All-Ireland competitions with 5,000 musicians and dancers from 22 countries taking part, as well as street performances and pop-up activities Fleadh Fringe events on the outskirts of the city.
There has also been participation from musical bands from the Loyalist and Unionist traditions in Northern Ireland as well as minority ethnic communities.
High-profile attendees
Irish President Catherine Connolly, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant, First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly are among the hundreds of thousands who have attended the Fleadh in the Northern Ireland capital this week.
Ahead of the final day on Sunday, organisers have urged visitors to consider using public transport or park and ride facilities amid high numbers of attendees.
Local reaction
Watching the crowds pass through the Cathedral Quarter, Jim Ingram, manager of the Friend At Hand Irish whiskey shop, said the Fleadh had brought everyone together.
“Nobody knew what was going to happen,” he said. “It’s bought everyone together, similar to when the King and Queen visited. It’s a bit like being at a wedding – we see the same business owners every day but everyone’s out hugging each other and celebrating. It’s just brought a nice atmosphere – we should do it more often. The Fleadh is coming back next year, but there is no reason why after that we couldn’t have a weekend event of our own and make it an annual thing. It would be lovely to keep it like this.”
Niall McClean, chair of Ards Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCE), the host branch for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Belfast, said: “It’s been absolutely unbelievable, way beyond our expectations, the crowds from the very start have exceeded all we thought, we’re over the moon, and there is still two days to go. I’ve been going to Fleadhs for 40 years and the atmosphere is always good wherever you go, but I’d been maybe a little bit sceptical with it being a complex city that it would work still – but it’s been extraordinary, the streets are full of music. It’s getting busier and busier and then the last day is always the highlight to see the Ceilidh band finish at the Gig Rig, so I think Sunday will be even bigger again – we don’t know where we’re going to put everyone.”
In terms of the Fleadh returning to Belfast next year, Mr McClean said there are always lessons to learn, but that generally events have exceeded all their expectations. “This will be hard to top when you see what has happened this week. The second year of the Fleadh is always bigger again, so I think Belfast is going to have to get an extension,” he added.
Community involvement
Brendan McAleer, from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, said it had been brilliant to see people from all backgrounds coming into Belfast to enjoy the fleadh. He also paid tribute to the leadership from the Belfast Bands Forum bringing music from the loyalist and unionist traditions.
“It’s exceeded all expectations for us because from the very outset we wanted all communities to be involved, and that has been our goal, and I think we have achieved it with the flute bands and the leadership of the bands forum that has ensured that all communities have been able to come in, feel welcome and to engage,” he said.
Mr McAleer said they repeated what had been done ahead of the fleadh when it took place in Londonderry in 2013, engaging with the bands forum early on. “We asked them the question, ‘what do you want to see from the fleadh, what can we do that will engage communities across the city’, we listened to that and put it in place,” he said. “There’s no point in me saying ‘here’s what we are putting on for you; it’s more ‘what do you want from us, and we’ll make it happen’.
“We always wanted this to be a fleadh for everyone, we wanted everyone in the city to feel the power of what music can do for Belfast, for Northern Ireland, for all of Ireland. This has been a moment, I think Belfast has been ready for it, it’s really a moment for us all. We have come together, we have given Belfast a taste of what it can be, we now need to build the legacy to make sure that stays.”
