THIS year’s Fleadh Cheoil an Chláir has been cancelled as the Covid-19 pandemic continues. Organisers have said that the decision not to hold the much anticipated event was made “with a heavy heart” but is the right thing to do in the current circumstances.
According to a spokesperson for Coiste an Chláir Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, “It is with great regret that Coiste an Chláir CCE made the decision last week to cancel Fleadh Cheoil an Chlair 2020 which was being hosted by the Lisdoonvarna/Doolin Comhaltas Branch. This decision was not made lightly and was taken over a number of weeks.”
The decision comes following the announcement by the Mullingar Fleadh Executive Committee that Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2020 would no longer be going ahead due to the Coronavirus pandemic, affecting not only Ireland but across the world.
The Coiste an Chláir spokesperson outlined, “The proposition of hosting the Fleadh in October was rejected by the Mullingar Executive Committee as it was deemed to be unworkable and would present substantial logistical challenges.
“Following this announcement, Comhairle na Mumhan contacted the secretaries of the six Munster counties with the intention of gauging the mood and thoughts of its Comhaltas members in Munster. The county secretaries in turn contacted all the branches and requested feedback on the feasibility of running Fleadhanna in the province. The overall majority in all counties felt that to proceed with the competitions under the current circumstances was inadvisable.
“Shortly thereafter, individual counties were encountering difficulties confirming venues and their use ,and there was a lot of reluctance to make venues available. This was further compounded by host branches and committees voicing their fears about hosting the competitions. Comhairle na Mumhan were left with little choice but to cancel Fleadh Cheoil na Mumhan 2020,which was being hosted in Newcastle West County Limerick. We would like to thank the members of Comhairle na Mumhan for their transparency while coming to this difficult decision.
“As a consequence of these cancellations,Coiste an Chlair were left with no other option but to cancel our own County Fleadh. It was with a heavy heart that we made this announcement last week but we fervently feel it was the right thing to do in the current circumstances as peoples health and well being must be our priority at this moment in time. We look forward to working with next years host committee and we will endeavour to make Fleadh Cheoil an Chlair 2021 an extra special occasion.
“We would like to acknowledge and thank the many teachers and branches in the county as they keep our spirits up by sharing music, both new and old, across many online platforms.”
Comhaltas headquarters have launched an online site where musicians of all levels can access new music weekly following the SCT syllabus. Majella Bartley,Oisín MacDiamada and Kathryn Browne are driving this initiative which is available at www.sctexams.com.
“Clare County Board would to thank all the Comhaltas members for their continued support and we look forward to seeing you all at our next event in the near future,” the spokesperson concluded.