| Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2008 is taking place this week in Tullamore, County Offaly until Sunday 24th August. It is the largest festival of Irish music, song and dance, with over 200,000 people gathering from all over the world this weekend for this immense cultural celebration. Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2008 set a new world record for the Largest Traditional Irish Session ever with 2,845 musicians, singers and dancers playing for 56 minutes, after the opening parade of Irish counties and countries from around the world. The gathering of 2,845 musicians beat last year’s inaugural event, which attracted about 2,700 musicians from all over the world. The first national festival of Irish traditional music was held in Mullingar, early in 1951. At the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann inaugural meeting in September 1951 it was decided to create a national festival named Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (Festival of Music in Ireland). 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. Today (2008), nearly 50 years on, fleadhanna at each level provide a platform and a meeting place for the thousands of musicians (around 20,000 performers compete in fleadhanna each year), singers and dancers who carry on the tradition. And when the competitions are over, all can join in impromptu sessions which sometimes last until the early hours. |
The extraordinary scene and the music in O'Connor Square, Tullamore at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2007 when 2,700 musicians converged to establish a World Record for the largest session. This video shows a variety of traditional Irish music played by musicians of many nationalities. |
| SOURCE: Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2008 |
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