40 years of Fleadh Nua in Ennis

IT is certainly a case of 40 and flying at this year’s Fleadh Nua in Ennis. The annual event celebrating traditional entertainment was launched on Sunday by An Seanadóir Labhrás Ó Murchú and has been in full swing since, with events continuing until this Monday.
This year marks the 40th occasion the town has hosted the festival, with traditional music sessions, céilís, workshops and recitals among the wide variety of events taking place throughout the county capital.
From relatively modest beginnings, the festival now comprises 66 separate events and extends over nine days.
As well as bringing a musical boost to the town, the fleadh also brings a financial boost with visitors flocking to Ennis to enjoy the festivities.
A key theme for this year’s festival is The Gathering. According to a spokesperson for the organising committee, “Gathering together for a few songs, a session or a céilí, whether in Chicago, Kilburn or Melbourne provided social occasions for our emigrants and helped to forge a vibrant Irish cultural identity – to the benefit of those at home as well as abroad. The arts know no boundaries and the appreciation and enjoyment of people the whole world over of our traditional music, songs and dances are among the happier consequences of the Irish diaspora.”
Among just some of the highlights yet to take place will be this Saturday’s Ceolchoirm na Cruinne, The Gathering concert featuring Clare’s Brendan Mulkere, as well as a host of other performers. Brendan will be joined on stage by some of his students past and present. The Gathering also provides the inspiration for  Spraoi, the Kilfenora Céilí band’s latest concert presentation, on  Sunday. The concert will also feature Don Stiffe, The West Clare Set Dancers and Michael Donnellan. Following on from the extremely successful streaming of last year’s concert, which was viewed by almost 10,000 people in 40 different countries, Spraoi will be available on www.livetrad.com.
There will be open-air music, song and dance events on Saturday and Sunday with a gig rig in Abbey Street car park. This year, the Fleadh Nua committee are reviving the cultural parade on Sunday at 2pm. The fleadh also features photographic displays, an open-air art exhibition, pub session trail, café music sessions, late-night festival club and storytelling.
For full details of all events, check www.fleadhnua.com, Facebook and Twitter or the Fleadh Nua App, which is now available for download on iPhone and Android.