Returning this summer after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann will take place from 31 July – 7 August in Ireland’s midlands, known as the Hidden Heartlands.
Nothing beats the festival atmosphere of the ‘all-Ireland Fleadh’. The exciting, family-friendly week of Irish cultural entertainment features lively music competitions, hundreds of pub and street sessions, concerts, singing, dancing, busking, marching and céilí bands, as well as fun days, street theatre, tours and more.
The world's largest annual celebration of Irish music, language, song and dance is expected to draw nearly half a million music and Irish culture fans to Mullingar. The event is being celebrated as ‘The Homecoming’ given the town is where Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, the country's largest and most influential traditional cultural organisation, was founded in 1951.
The festival week will be opened by the Irish President, Michael D Higgins, with some 150 competitions in music, song, dance and the Irish language regarded as the centrepiece.
The town’s main thoroughfares will be given over to musicians playing traditional music with the aim of allowing friends to meet and share tunes in the unique setting of the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. Mullingar’s central town park will be reserved for all forms of street entertainment, including dance troupes, magicians, comedians, street performers and buskers.