This talk will discuss the development of the annual Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in the 1950s, with particular emphasis on when the Fleadh came to Loughrea, County Galway in 1955 and the subsequent year 1956, when it was hosted in neighbouring County Clare, in Ennis. The Fleadh was first established by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ) in 1951, when the inaugural festival was held in Mullingar. That first Fleadh was the initial action of CCÉ, the nascent music revival organisation, itself as yet unnamed. Over the course of the 1950s, the annual Fleadh (and the developing structures of county and provincial Fleadh) became the most important calendar event for the Irish traditional music community of practice. In the 1950s, Loughrea and Ennis as locations were key building blocks in Fleadh growth, but were not without tensions which spilled over into the performance space.  The Fleadh remains central to Irish traditional music culture, now attracting over half a million people annually, however, it is these early festivals which created many of the structures and patterns of festivalisation that are central the contemporary Fleadh model.

Dr Méabh Ní Fhuartháin (Head of Irish Studies, Centre for Irish Studies, University of Galway) lectures and researches in the field of Irish music and dance studies. Widely published, Méabh’s current research projects focus on Irish traditional music revival in the twentieth century, gender and Irish music, and Irish music in America.

Date: Monday 8 April 2024
Time: 20:00/8pm
Venue: Harbour Hotel, Galway