My Fleadh as competitor, fáilteóirí – and Examiner reporter as well

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Mullingar was a wonderful celebration of Irish music, culture, song and dance and is being widely acclaimed as ‘the best fleadh ever’. I was privileged to be involved in the week-long festivities in numerous roles and will recount some of the memories I made at the biggest event to ever come to Mullingar.

I distinctly remember in 2018, five years ago now, Joe Connaire was informing the crowd at a summer seisúin in Castletown hall about the plans they were making to bring the fleadh back to its birthplace in Mullingar. A 10-year-old me didn’t envisage how big the event was going to be and how busy a week it would be for me.

I was asked to be a fáilteóirí (welcomer) with a few others from around the county, and we were tasked at welcoming An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to Mullingar as well as other dignitaries on the opening day. We were also on duty at various other official events throughout the week to welcome people, something I thoroughly enjoyed.

I made an appearance on the Midlands 103 programme ‘Coppers and Brass’ with Pádraig Duffy, radio host and treasurer of Comhaltas, alongside my whistle teacher Enda Seery on the opening day.

Whilst enjoying the festivities, I was covering the event for the Westmeath Examiner as part of my summer internship. I was on hand to produce videos to give a glimpse of the atmosphere around the town.

A highlight in my reporting during the week was the Seisúin Mór na hÉigse on the steps of the Cathedral of Christ the King.

Hundreds of young musicians who took part in Scoil Éigse all played together for the biggest session of the year, and made for great video content.

The North Midlands Credit Union Gig Rig was a central feature again this year and I was delighted to make three appearances on the big stage. The first was on the opening day when we danced our half set; on Tuesday night we joined our friends from Scór na hIarmhí to host possibly the biggest group on the stage for the week; and then on the final day with my own Comhaltas branch Castletown Geoghegan CCÉ.

I got the chance to do a small bit of volunteering throughout the week. I helped Deirdre O’Brien McGivney and her talented team of photographers to capture the event and gave a hand for a few hours as a street ambassador as well.

On the Friday, I was competing in the U18 half set in the set dancing competitions at Loreto college. It was a great honour to dance in an All-Ireland on home ground in Mullingar alongside my siblings Emma and Conor, as well as our neighbour Deirdre O’Brien. We had no joy on the day and had to give way to three very strong sets from Munster and Connaught.

The following day I was competing in the 15-18 English men’s singing. In what was a strong competition, I didn’t place, but again I was proud to make it to the final.

While running around trying to get from place to place, I did get some time to sit back and enjoy the fleadh. A highlight was getting to see last year’s céilí band champions Taobh na Mara from Waterford play in the Bandhall.

Singing at the singers club in the greyhound track hosted by Dick Stokes was another evening of great entertainment and of course playing tunes at sessions made for a great week.

On the closing Sunday evening, the hottest ticket in town was the Senior Céilí Bands Competition in the Cathedral. It was my final duty as a fáilteóirí and was the one I was most looking forward to. The standard in the competition was incredibly high and would take a stellar performance to be crowned champions.

The bands came from all over Ireland and further afield. Notably, the Melbourne Céilí band travelled 17,262km to Mullingar, the longest journey any band has ever made. The fusion of Irish and Australian culture, which included a didgeridoo, was a fantastic spectacle for the 1,500 music fans who were able to secure much coveted seats in the cathedral.

The Pipers Cross Céilí Band from Mayo were crowned All-Ireland champions for 2023 and jubilant scenes were evident around the historic cathedral.

While the fleadh officially ended on Sunday night, the following Monday was a great day of craic agus ceoil. The open air céilí with the Blackwater Céilí Band from Tyrone was a great way to end the fleadh and for me was one of the best moments of the week.

It was an unbelievable week from start to finish. I salute Joe Connaire and his hardworking committee for all they have done to bring the fleadh home, as without them, none of this would have been possible.

I met a member of the organising committee from Wexford, which will host next year’s fleadh, and they said: “Mullingar has set the bar very high and it will take a lot to top what they have achieved.”

The memories of the atmosphere, camaraderie and music will live on for some time and I’m already looking forward to the next homecoming, hopefully in the not too distant future.