Fleadh Cheoil

The Fleadh Cheoil (feast of music) was originally conceived in 1951 by the organization Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ; known as Cumann Ceoltóirí Éireann at its inception in 1951 until it revised its name in 1952) as a yearly exhibition of traditional music. Although the event held in Mullingar on Whit weekend 1951 was not actually termed a fleadh, it established the model of a music festival, with competitions of music, song, and dance where medals, trophies, and other awards are given. The term fleadh cheoil was first used for the following year's competition in Monaghan town, and the 1951 attendance of 1,500 grew rapidly during the decade. For traditional musicians the Fleadh represented a means of bringing their music before the public, as well as an opportunity to exchange tunes. Spontaneous sessions in public houses and on the streets quickly became a singular feature of the Fleadh, drawing a progressively younger audience.

The very popularity of the endeavor provoked dissent within the traditional music community. Its proponents noted that the competition engendered by the Fleadh drew new musicians, greatly improved playing standards, and ultimately encouraged the popularization of traditional music, which previously had been the preserve of the few rather than of the many. Some lamented that the founding aims of CCÉ—the promotion of Irish traditional music in all its forms and cooperation with all bodies working for the restoration of Irish culture—were being lost and were ignored by many who attended the Fleadh. They further opposed the association of the Fleadh with music that was not indigenous, notably criticizing the balladeers singing songs far removed from the seannós (traditional Irish) style.

Yet it was the combination of the purist and the popular that produced the unique atmosphere of the festival as it moved annually across the country. By the 1960s it was a focal point of nascent youth culture in Ireland, drawing as readily from urban as from rural areas, seeking an Irish counterpart to music festivals held around the world. Drunkenness brought occasional public-order problems during the 1960s and 1970s, but this involved a tiny minority. The event has also flirted with political involvement, and the 1971 Fleadh was cancelled in protest over the introduction of internment in the North. The attendance at the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil regularly draws more than 100,000 people. Now held on the August bank holiday weekend, its unique atmosphere remains a compelling draw for its competing musicians, music lovers, and tourists. The establishment of branches of CCÉ across the country—by 2000 there were 400 branches—brought about the introduction of county and provincial Fleadhanna Cheoil, which reproduce the All-Ireland format on a smaller scale and are attractions in their own right. Fleadhanna form an integral part of the cultural life of Irish communities across the world: Competitors from Britain, the United States, and Australia compete annually—and successfully—in the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil.

SEE ALSO Music: Popular Music

Bibliography

Ceol. A Journal of Irish Music. Vols. 1–3.

Vallely, Fintan. The Companion to Irish Traditional Music. 1999.

Paul Rouse