Connaire believes two-year Fleadh ‘drought’ will make 2022 event bigger than normal

Joe Connaire, the man at the helm of the committee preparing for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in August 2022, reckons that because of Covid, the event could wind up being even an even greater success than might have been the case had the pandemic not happened.

“It will definitely be bigger and better – if Covid allows it – because people have missed the last two years and they are looking forward to getting back to it,” says Joe.

Getting an event of the scale of the fleadh organised is a major operation, and so, says Joe, every single day, the committee is working on one aspect or another.

“We have a great committee of volunteers working very hard in relation to securing funding, to securing accommodation. We have gone out to tender for a lot of things, and we’re working with the county council to bring a full event to Mullingar.”

The costs involved are substantial: this week, the committee is due to pay the fleadh governing body, Comhaltas, €50,000 of the fee levied for the right to host the event.

The costs of staging the event may be great, but so toll will be the benefits be, Joe points out, citing the anticipated visitor numbers of half a million.

“We are still appealing to all the businesses in the town to support it,” says Joe. “It’s not until it arrives in town that they will realise how big it is; so I’m appealing to the business people to support it and for people to get involved on a volunteer basis.”

There will be lots of extra hands required on deck in August 2022, during the week of the fleadh itself, and further details of the roles to be filled will be made public in the run-up to the event’s opening.

The focus in the coming weeks is to shift to venues – “so we will be on to all the boards of management of the schools,” says Joe. “Without them it couldn’t happen.”

Draw

Meanwhile, around the middle of January, the fleadh committee will be formally launching a major draw. The top prize is to be a Toyota Corolla Luna sport hybrid, and there will be several other prizes as well. The draw will take place on the final Sunday of the Fleadh.

“We are keeping the tickets very reasonably-priced,” says Joe. A single ticket will cost €20; three tickets can be bought for €50.