Fleadh Cheoil 2005
August 30th, 2005A quick update. Letterkenny has been extremely busy this last week, with Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann and all the associated events.
To put it simply, the Fleadh was a huge success. I’ve never seen as many people around Letterkenny, most notably on Saturday night. The town was absolutely packed, with people coming from every corner of Ireland, from the UK and the USA and Canada.
The best run down I’ve seen on line is in this Highland Radio news story. As the article states, there were an estimated 100-150,000 visitors to the town, who contributed €20 million to the town’s economy.
It wasn’t all perfect. There are some issues still to be dealt with, most notably regarding casual (on-street) traders. There are lessons to be learned, and steps that can be taken to make sure the problems seen over the weekend are not seen next year.
I’m very hopeful that Letterkenny will play host to the 2006 Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann. The people of Letterkenny reacted fantastically to the event, whether that be volunteering as stewards, opening their homes for others or by getting involved with the atmosphere of the event.
We’ll know in about two weeks whether Letterkenny has been successful in our bid for Fleadh 2006. Currently, Letterkenny and Ballina have submitted applications to Comhaltas. From speaking to senior Comhaltas officials over the weekend, I can say that they are extremely happy with the venues, facilities and atmosphere of Letterkenny.