Fleadh Cheoil

The Fleadh Cheoil (Festival of Music) is an Irish music competition run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ).

There are various stages to the competition. In Ireland there are county and provincial competitions leading to the All-Ireland Fleadh. In Britain there are regional then national stages of qualification for the All-Ireland. Competitions are divided into the following age categories: under 12, 12-15, 15-18, and over 18 (senior).

The first national festival of Irish traditional music was held in Mullingar in 1951. At its inaugural meeting in September 1951, CCÉ came up with the title of Fleadh Cheoil, aiming to make this a great national festival of traditional music. A complete list of venue where the All Ireland Fleadh has been held can be seen here. The 2008 festival was held in Tullamore, County Offaly.

In the years that followed, the number of would-be competitors grew so large that qualifying stages had to be arranged at county and provincial level. Since then, Fleadh Nua (the new fleadh), Fleadh na Breataine (an All-Britain fleadh) and regional fleadhanna in Britain, and two major fleadhanna in the USA have also become annual CCÉ events.

From its beginning, the goal of the Fleadh Cheoil was to establish standards in Irish traditional music through competition. The Fleadh developed as a mainly competitive event, but it also included many concerts, céilíthe, parades, and sessions.

Today, 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.

Competition categories

According to CCÉ's official rules for 2005,

: Solo competitions shall be held for the following instruments: fiddle; two-row accordion; concert flute; whistle; piano accordion; concertina; uilleann pipes; harp; mouth organ; banjo; mandolin - excluding banjo-mandolin; piano; old-style melodeon; bodhrán; war pipes; miscellaneous such as three and five row button accordion, piccolo, [chromatic] harmonica and other stringed instruments; céilí band drums; accompaniment – confined to piano, harp, guitar and bouzouki-type instruments; solo traditional singing in Irish and English; whistling; lilting; newly composed ballads and amhráin nua-cheaptha (newly composed songs in Irish).

: Solo competitions for slow airs shall be held in all age groups for the following instruments: (a) fiddle; (b) concert flute; (c) whistle; (d) uilleann pipes.

There are also competitions for the following ensembles: duet, trio, ceili band, instrumental group (grupai cheoil), accordion band, pipe band, and miscellaneous ensemble.

The full rule set, which may change from year to year, is available from CCÉ.

=See also=

*List of All-Ireland Fleadh Champions
*List of venues for All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil Na hÉireann
*Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann

External links

* [http://comhaltas.ie/blog/post/2007_fleadh_schedule/ Fleadh schedule and rules]
* [http://www.offalyexpress.ie/sectionhome.aspx?sectionID=13899 Coverage of the All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann 2008 in Tullamore from the Offaly Express]
* [http://MidwestFleadh.com/ 2008 Midwest Region Fleadh Cheoil in Detroit]
* [http://www.irishphiladelphia.com/ST-fleadh060706.html Flying to the Fleadh]
* [http://www.fleadh2008.com/ All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann 2008 in Tullamore]