TG4 coverage last year brought Gerry to fleadh

Gerry Farrell, who lives in Drumcondra, was at the fleadh on Thursday. He hadn’t been to a fleadh in around 50 years, but he told the Westmeath Examiner that after watching last year’s coverage on TG4, he was compelled to make the journey to Mullingar.

“I remember being impressed by a céilí band from Glasgow,” said Gerry. “I’m interested in the music… The different people, the variety of people, I suppose from the Irish diaspora. It’s a way of coming together, isn’t it?”

Gerry travelled by rail and returned to Dublin again that evening.

The trip in itself was enjoyable, as lots of fellow train passengers were headed to the fleadh.

“Even coming down here on the train, there was two ladies beside me from Dundalk, and an old guy got on in Enfield and he knew musicians – I was only sorry I hadn’t got the phone on record – because he knew music, musicians; he was like a walking encyclopedia… a character.

“And the two old ladies, they were impressed with him because one of them, I think, was a serious musician. ‘Do you know such and such?’ ‘Oh, I know him, and blah, blah, blah.’ He knew everybody,” said Gerry.

“I haven’t attended a fleadh since, it would have been the ‘70s, late ‘60s… and they were provincial fleadhanna, small. It’s incredible, I mean a week of music! I’m looking forward to seeing some great music.”