Only one gig rig for fleadh, as Friars Mill car park for those with mobility needs

Members of Westmeath County Council were taken backstage and given a tour of the amount of work that goes into running Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, as well as an outline of changes being implemented this year, at their May meeting. Preparations for Fleadh 2023 are nearly complete, and some of the work was done last year.

The event control and traffic management plans can be used again and many of the contracts were for two years, so the same rates will apply, thereby protecting the event from the impact of cost inflation.

Anne Marie Corroon, a council employee who is seconded to the Fleadh Executive Committee (FEC), said the committee, led by Joe Connaire, Willie Penrose and Colette Glynn, worked tirelessly to make last year a success and will so that again. She paid tribute to all the agencies, individuals and council staff who worked to achieve that outcome.

More than 1,000 signs were erected around the town last year and they can be used again. Some 400 bins were brought in and 2.5 million plastic cups were collected and recycled. The council staff were out at 4am each day making sure the streets were clean.

Ms Corroon outlined changes for this year. The campsite is being moved to the Mullingar Equestrian Centre and there will be an increased shuttle bus service. There will be only one gig rig, at Blackhall, and the Friars Mill car park will be given over to parking for those with mobility needs.

The organisers do not have the use of Columb Barracks for parking this year, but they are confident they will have sufficient parking. They also have shuttle buses to the various car parks and at the weekend, and a shuttle bus to the Mullingar Park Hotel.

Following talks with local taxi drivers, the taxi ranks at Cathedral View are being moved to the Fairgreen, which will be a transport hub for taxis and all shuttle buses. The taxi rank at Austin Friars Street car park will have a security presence at the weekend and barriers for queuing.

The council contributed more than €1 million to the running of last year’s fleadh: €400,000 in a grant, €131,000 by providing two staff to the fleadh office, €188,000 direct costs including additional CCTV cameras, printing, materials for car parks and labour costs. Other costs to the council of €300,000 included town enhancement works accelerated to be completed in advance of the fleadh. These include, such as road surfacing, footpath renewal, painting, power washing and cleaning.

The council helped the committee get €144,000 in Leader funding, €150,000 from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and €80,000 from Fáilte Ireland, last year.

Ms Corroon explained that the FEC organise the events, accommodation, judges, and sponsorship. The council organise procurement of vendor management, event control, security, waste management, barriers, tower lights, stages, toilets, traffic management, signage, the medical support, and power generators. They are also responsible for the car parks, road closures, and the traffic management plan.

Ms Corroon said Pauline Hussey of the council staff helped the committee with their administration tasks. Tourism officer, Una Doris, maximised the tourism potential for the entire county.

In the lead-up, municipal district staff were busy repairing footpaths, planting roundabouts, tidying, power washing, and preparing the car parks. The ICT department worked on the website creation and management, getting broadband in where needed around the town and making the garda CCTV available in the event control room at the County Buildings.

It had to be calculated how many toilets would be needed, how the parking permit holders would be accommodated for the week and how to get essential medical supplies, post and meal-on-wheels in and out of the town.

Ms Corroon went on to point out that additional key locations for the electric bike hire racks were provided at Mullingar Town Park gate on Sunday’s Well Road, the Fairgreen, Friars Mill Road, the campsite and the train station. Six water stations were installed to help minimise use of plastic bottles. There were reverse vending machines installed in competition halls and solar bins in the town park.

The council staff implemented the inner traffic management each morning, managed all the car parks and were on hand to shift barriers and toilets when needed. There is hardly any part of the council that was not involved, and the council staff were all on hand to help, Ms Corroon said.

And when it was all over, the staff, after a long week, were out again to put the town back to normal with minimal disruption.

Cllr Aengus O’Rourke, cathaoirleach, acknowledged the huge amount of work that goes into organising such a complex week-long event. He publicly thanked the FEC for including Athlone in their calendar of events for this year to mark the 70th anniversary of the hosting of the fleadh there in 1953. A local committee has been established to work on a fringe event on August 6-8, highlighting the wealth of heritage, cultural and music talent in Athlone, he stated.

Cllr Ken Glynn welcomed the inclusion of taxi drivers in this year’s planning process. He asked if the outer car parks were used much last year.

Ms Corroon that they and the shuttle buses were heavily used. There will be increased garda presence and tow-away signs at what were identified as the hot spots for illegal parking last year. The car parks and shuttle buses will be well advertised, she said.

Cllr Hazel Smyth said the fleadh was the highlight of her term as mayor of Mullingar, but that a number of people had expressed surprise that, as major, she had not been invited to the official opening. She suggested that the event lack diversity and indicated that she was not the only one left off the invitations list.

Director of services, David Jones, responded that diversity was the aim of the council at all events.

Cllr Smyth, who worked as a volunteer throughout the week of last year’s fleadh, was shocked that 2.5 million plastic cups were used and discarded and asked that compostable or refill cups be used instead. She claimed that some of the reverse vending machines had not been working.

Ms Corroon explained that the environment section was putting pressure on the vintner companies to provide reusable rather than plastic cups this year.

Cllr Bill Collentine was concerned that buskers were moved off the streets last year and sent down to the town park, with the result that they contacted their “buddies” and told them not to come.

“We need to reach out to those people and tell them to come on in. I have been at 38 fleadhs and that is what happens,” he said. He also suggested that “there wasn’t the same buzz in every street”. The music was not properly spread out, he said.

Cllr Collentine was annoyed that no seating was provided on the streets. Premises were serving drinks out through hatches, but there was nowhere to sit and drink them.

Mr Jones said busker bye-laws are essential in case a performer or group are dominating a space but stressed that street performers are welcome, and the bye-laws were not enforced last year.

He said it is a “hard and fast rule” that street furniture must be removed for an event of this magnitude, for health and safety reasons.

Cllr Liam McDaniel got out of hospital for a few hours to attend last year’s fleadh, but he was in a wheelchair, and he could see nothing. He asked that wheelchair users be given prime spots at venues.

Ms Corroon assured him that every effort was being made to make the fleadh accessible.