My fleadh: Jason McKevitt, volunteer and musician

How was your fleadh, were you busy?

My fleadh was brilliant and I really enjoyed it. I love Irish history, culture, music and traditions and am also very patriotic, so the fleadh for me was a celebration of all that. I was busy during the fleadh, meeting people from abroad who arrived in Mullingar and wished to speak with me about the history of Mullingar, volunteering and simply meeting with old friends. We had friends stay with us from Wexford who are seanachies and are involved in the 'Bygone Days Storytelling House' down there.

I am also involved with Mullingar Tidy Towns and along with chairperson, Cllr Bill Collentine, was out every day for a couple of hours litter-picking. I want to pay tribute to the workers from the Community Employment Scheme and the TUS Initiative who are employed with Mullingar Tidy Towns on a daily basis assisting Westmeath County Council in keeping our town clean. They are simply brilliant. Added to that, I must also mention their CE coordinator, John Bawle, and Rosie McCormack from Westmeath Community Development, who work tirelessly in support of Mullingar Tidy Towns and are the essence of what Mullingar is all about.

I also volunteered with the fleadh and it was great. As part of that, I also spent time working at the competitions and at the Gig Rig. As well as being a historian, I am a also bodhrán player for the last 25 plus years, and its was great to get to play in a few sessions during the week, including with my own brothers, Lar and Derek.

Did you get time to enjoy the music and the different sights and sounds?

Yes, absolutely I did. As I mentioned previously, I am a bodhrán player and got to play in a few sessions during the week, including with my brothers, Lar, who is a singer/ songwriter, and Derek, who plays the banjo. I also ensured to ramble around the town to listen to the different musicians and, as a fleadh volunteer, I was lucky to work at some of the competitions, such as the ballad/ sean-nós singing competitions, they were brilliant, absolutely go hiontach!

At the Gig Rig, I got to work backstage and link up with Mick Foster and Friends, Cuckoo's Nest and a fantastic up and coming Irish group, Cailini Lua from County Clare, who owned the stage. They will be the new Corrs!

How would you compare this year's fleadh to 2022?

In 2022, we were not long out of the Covid lockdown period and so there was great excitement. Also this year it got busier earlier and the crowds were huge from the beginning. It was also great to have more musicians on the streets compared to last year, the best time to be on the streets was between 2pm and 7.30pm, in my opinion.

What are your standout memories from the fleadh?

My standout memories was the sense of community spirit and how when I was volunteering either with Mullingar Tidy Towns or as a fleadh volunteer, that people were so respectful.

The local business community were great and many of the businesses offered us refreshments as we carried out our volunteer work.

Another memory was listening to the young musicians and singers perform, which has left me in no doubt that our Irish culture is in safe hands. Being asked to present a history lecture at 10.30 at night at the Mullingar 1916 memorial for some of the audience members as they left the TG4 studios was also memorable.

Finally, being able to play a trad session with my family in the Druid's Chair pub with my daughter, Aine, and my father Danny present was a special moment for me during Fleadh 2023.

Will the fleadh return in my lifetime? I don't know, but the memories of 2022 and 2023 will live within me forever.