Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2007
Aug 14th, 2007 by Shardul
Tullamore, County Offaly - August 19th to the 26th
This years All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil is being haled as the largest festival of Irish music, song and dance ever – with over 250,000 people gathering from all over the world! With over 10,000 performers taking part in this, the 56th Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, the event promises to be a veritable ‘Feast of Irish Music’.
Here’s a little on the history of the event from the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann website:
The first national festival of Irish traditional music was held in Mullingar, early in 1951. At the Comhaltas Ceoltóirà Éireann inaugural meeting in September 1951 it was decided to create a national festival named Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (Festival of Music in Ireland).
County, Provincial and worldwide Fleadhanna have found their places in the traditional Irish music calendar and annual Comhaltas events include Fleadh Nua, Fleadh na Breataine (an All-Britain Fleadh Cheoil), regional Fleadhanna in Britain, Japan and the USA.
The goal of the Fleadh Cheoil has been to establish standards in Irish traditional music through competition. The Fleadh has developed as a mainly competitive event, but it also includes showcases of concerts, céilithe, parades, pageants, and street sessions.
The continued growth in the number and standard of Fleadhanna held each year have facilitated competitors to qualify from county, provincial and regional levels, producing a manageable number of participants at the high standard expected from the All-Ireland finals at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.
The Fleadhanna at each level provide a platform and a meeting place for over 10,000 musicians, who carry on the great tradition of playing and cherishing our music, songs, and dances.
And when the competitions are over, all can join in impromptu sessions which sometimes last until the early hours.
We wish everyone a happy time at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2007 and congratulate the efforts of the organisation to preserve the standards of Irish traditional music.
(BTW: Martin Doyle’s flutes have often been in the hands of finalists in the All Ireland flute competitions in recent years. Details can be found here: Fleadh Cheoil Results.)
... a web site dedicated to the simple system wooden flutes (aka 'Irish' flutes) that are so much a part of Irish traditional and Celtic music, and to the excellent wooden flutes produced by the Irish flute maker 
