Since a few hundred traditional music followers attended the first Fleadh Cheoil in Mullingar in 1951, it has become one of the biggest and longest running free music festivals in the world.
56 years on, many thousands from all over the world were back in the midlands, as the Fleadh is staged for the first time in Tullamore, Co Offaly. The new series of Fleadh Cheoil captures the fun, excitement and good music that happens each year at this truly international music event.
High on the list of unusual items featured in this series is the coming together of 2,700 musicians to play together in the biggest traditional music session ever held. With thousands of musicians in Tullamore, the Fleadh programmes feature many of the top names in traditional music as well as several talented new performers. Some to look out for are Paddy O’Brien, Damien Mullane, Tara Breen, Mick Foster, John McEvoy, John Wynne & Jacinta McEvoy, Cathal Hayden, Donal Murphy, Gino Lupari, Siobhan Ní Chonaráin and the All Ireland Ceilí Band champions, The Allow Ceilí Band.
Pat Butler and Breda Smyth mix with the thousands of musicians who celebrated the 56th annual Fleadh Cheoil at Tullamore last year. Included in this weeks programme is music from the Fleadh Ard Ollamh, Mícheál Ó hÉidhin, accompanied by Charlie Lennon and Steve Cooney, as well as a session with Mick Foster of the Foster and Allen duo in the company of a few musical friends.