#15 Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann

8/10/20264 min read

The Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann, or 'The Fleadh' was held in Belfast this year and it was absolutely amazing.

My local Comhaltas, the Ards CCÉ, was responsible for bringing the Fleadh to Belfast. This was an incredible achievement and has brought Belfast worldwide attention. Niall and Bronagh McClean lead Ards CCÉ and they have worked really hard for many months to make sure the event was a great success. I am really proud to be a member of the Ards Comhaltas.

2026 was a very important year for the Ards Comhaltas. It was founded in 1976 and so it is celebrating it's 50th anniversary. Having them bring the Fleadh to Belfast this year was the perfect way to celebrate!

There were more than 1.65 million visitors to Belfast over 8 days - more than double Belfast City Council's original estimate of 800,000 visitors. The weather definitely made the difference. If you've ever been to Belfast, or any part of Ireland, you'll know that rain is never too far away... It's usually wet, windy or more likely both at the same time! However, during the Fleadh week, the weather was very warm and sunny with no rain at all. By the Friday, it became clear that there was going to be a record number of visitors. Even the local newspaper, the Belfast Telegraph, reported about the size of the crowds. That's me in the photo too!

During Fleadh week, the All-Ireland competions were held. Also, CCÉ organised workshops each morning for students. These were called 'Scoil Éigse', which is Irish for 'School of Learning'. Then, in the afternoons and evenings, there was loads of activity on the streets of Belfast. There were crowds everywhere, live music on every street corner and every pub was packed with people enjoying the music and 'craic'. There was also a huge stage assembled in the grounds of City Hall called the 'Gig Rig' and live performances took place here throughout the week.

Fleadh week started on Sunday at noon. The President of Ireland, Catherine Connolly, addressed the crowd and then Ards CCÉ had the honour of playing the first song of the Fleadh; 'The Star of the County Down'.. That's Ards Comhaltas at the Gig Rig in the photo below...

That's me inside and outside Belfast City Hall after the opening ceremony. Everyone was so excited and happy for the very busy week to come.

On Monday evening, there was a wonderful concert in the Waterfront Hall to celebrate the first 50 years of Ards CCÉ, It was an amazing night! All members of our Comhaltas played on the stage during the show. It was the perfect time and place to recognise all the good work that Ards CCÉ has done over the years. Niall McClean's daddy, Donard McClean was one of the founding members all those years ago and he received a Special Achievement award for the dedication he has given to Ards Comhaltas and the community. It really was a very special night and the music was amazing!

In the afternoons and evenings after Scoil Éigse, I stayed in town and soaked up the really special atmosphere. There was so many people everywhere! I had my harp, so I set it up and tried busking. I really enjoyed it. People were very generous and threw coins and even £5 and £10 notes into my harp case. I was so pleased that people stopped to listen to my music. It was also lovely to speak to people who stopped to chat!

One afternoon, my friends Valentina and Emily, who are fantastic Irish dancers, gave a wonderful dancing display. I played harp, my friend Martha played fiddle and Paddy McGurgan played accordion. Paddy runs a very successful cosmetics shop and make-up studio in Belfast but I had no idea he was such a great accordion player too! We all had a great time and it made it into the Irish News newspaper!

I had a fantastic week at the Fleadh and at Belfast Tradfest. I really enjoyed Belfast over the past two weeks and I made some really great friends at Scoil Éigse too... from Ballynahinch, Newry and New York City! I really hope to stay in touch with them.

I'm off to Gran Canaria in the next few days with my family. The summer holidays have been so busy that I feel like I've hardly spent any time with them. It will be lovely to relax with the sun, sea and sand. Also, it will give me time to let my fingertips heal... they are completely shredded after all that harp playing!