The very first national festival of Irish traditional music took place in Mullingar in 1951. At the inaugural meeting in September 1951, Comhaltas Ceoltóir Éireann (CCÉ) created the term Fleadh Cheoil, with the aim of making it a large national festival of traditional music.
In the coming years, the number of participants rose to the point where qualification stages had to be held at the district and provincial levels. In the United Kingdom, there are Fleadh na Breataine and district fleadhanna, as well as 2 main fleadhanna in the United States.
The Homecoming
Because of the vast Comhaltas history of the county town of Westmeath, this year’s Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann has been named ‘The Homecoming.’ The foundation of Comhaltas in Mullingar in 1951 was without a mistake one of the most important musical and cultural developments in Westmeath.
The scene was changed when Fleadh Cheoil festival returned to its original birth land(Mullingar), and the crowd was huge. Although this event was contentious, it must be said that events that attracts famous musicians such as Joe Burke to perfome in street sessions must be doing something well.
Music on The Streets
When the Fleadhanna was initially organized, the casual street sessions were a significant draw, highlighting the Fleadhanna’s distinctive nature. By its very nature of attracting large audiences, the Fleadh has drawn a diverse variety of street entertainment in recent years. The Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann should prioritize the performance of traditional Irish music over other types of street entertainment.
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2019
Over 180 competitions were held across all age categories on a variety of traditional instruments, singing in Irish and English, tune writing, duets, trios, and ceili bands. Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States were among the winners. Dylan Carlos of Roscommon took first place in the senior fiddle competition.
Fleadh Cheoil Festival 2022
The National Fleadh Fest will be held in Sligo in 2022.
The festival, which has taken place this year has the potential to boost Sligo’s economy significantly.
As a result of Covid-19, a new approach was required for 2021, and the national event was a combination of actual on-site events as well as virtual online activities in reaction to the pandemic. Fleadh Fest also assured major publicity for Sligo town, with TG4 already committing to four 2-hour broadcasts and talks underway with other media about additional coverage.