SKIBBEREEN can look forward to a weekend of Irish traditional music, song, dance and entertainment as part of the 2014 Cork County Fleadh Cheoil celebrations which will take place in the town this coming weekend May 8th-11th.
The town’s businesses will receive a timely boost from the many visitors from all over Cork and beyond who will visit Skibbereen for the festival.
The Fleadh is being hosted by Skibbereen branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Éireann, and it is expected that over 1500 competitors will participate in the various competitions. The Cork Fleadh is recognised as the largest County Fleadh on the Comhaltas calendar. In all, there are over forty categories of competitions, encompassing Under 12 to Senior age-groups with competitions for every instrument including Whistle, Fiddle, Button Accordion, Flute, Traditional Singing, Storytelling, Harp and Uilleann Pipes.
The Fleadh competitions are open to all members of the public to come and enjoy the large variety of music and cultural fare on offer. Special wrist bands will give audience members access to all competitions venues. A special souvenir programme will be available to purchase during the weekend which contains competition details along with a large number of articles of interest to the Skibbereen locality.
Skibbereen Comhaltas which was founded in 1969 has for the last forty five years been to the fore in promoting our Irish music, dance and culture in the town of Skibbereen. The branch is recognised as one of the strongest in County Cork and has been awarded the title of Best Branch at Cork County Fleadh for the past thirteen consecutive years. The town has hosted Fleadh Cheoil Chorcaí on seven occasions, most recently in 2010. In July 2001 and July 2003, the town played host to the Munster Fleadh Cheoil, occasions which are still recalled and remembered today.
The organisation of an event of the scale of Fleadh Cheoil Chorcaí involves a huge team of staff and voluntary helpers which includes visiting adjudicators, clerks, door-stewards, programme sellers, parking officials and event organisers to ensure the whole weekend runs off smoothly. The Fleadh executive committee which is chaired by Nuala Ní Bhriain have been hard at work since last October planning the Fleadh and raising the €10,000 needed to host the Fleadh.
The Fleadh organising committee are extremely grateful to the people of Skibbereen and surrounding areas, who have lent their support and good-will to the 2014 Fleadh Cheoil. According to Ms Ní Bhrian, “this will be a shop window for Skibbereen and for our culture. A lot of hard work will be involved but it is a golden opportunity to showcase the locality. As a Branch it’s also an opportunity to promote what is done, and hopefully it will inspire local people to get involved in Comhaltas in Skibbereen”
The Fleadh events will commence on Thursday, May 8th in Skibbereen Heritage Centre with a historical lecture on the life of music collector Canon James Goodman who spent many years as rector of Abbeystrewry Parish and is now buried in Creagh Cemetery. The lecture will be presented by local historian Mr. Jim Byrne and Mr. Dave Hegarty from Na Piobairí Uilleann followed by a short recital from local pipers Hugh and Eoin Quinn. Admission is Free. The first traditional music session of the Fleadh will take place in the West Cork Hotel at 9.30pm and all musicians are welcome.
Chairman of Cork Comhaltas, Mr Con McCarthy will officially open the 2014 Fleadh in the West Cork Hotel on Friday, April 9th at 7.30pm. All are welcome to attend. Skibbereen Comhaltas Under 18 Pléaracha group who recently won the All-Ireland Pléaracha Final in Dublin will perform their All-Ireland winning performance. The first céilí of the weekend will take place at 9.30pm in the West Cork Hotel with music by Jerry McCarthy and Liam Healy.
Fleadh competitions will get underway on Saturday morning, May 10th in fifteen competition venues spread across Mercy Heights, Rossa College and St Joseph’s NS with the Under 12 and 12/15, followed by 15/18 and Senior competitions on Sunday, May 11th. Skibbereen Sports Centre will be the focal point of the Fleadh as it stages the prestigious and hotly contested Grupaí Cheoil and Ceilí Band competitions. A record number of entries have been received for this year’s Grupaí Cheoil and Céilí band competitions. A feast of musical entertainment is promised as over 500 musicians will take to the Sports Centre stage seeking a place for their group in the Munster Fleadh Cheoil in Killarney. The winners and runners-up of all solo and group competitions will qualify to represent Cork at the Munster Fleadh in July.
On the conclusion of Saturday’s competitions, set and céilí dancers will be well catered for with a set céilí at 9.30pm in the West Cork Hotel. Music will be provided by the Five Counties Céilí Band from Freemount who were the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Céilí Band Champions.
The Fleadh Traditional Mass will take place in St Patricks Cathedral on Sunday morning at 9am with Irish music, singing and dancing from the members of Skibbereen Comhaltas.
The inaugural County solo Sean-Nós Dancing competition takes place in the Town Hall at 1pm. As this is a new competition to the Fleadh programme for 2014, admission to this competition will be free. Irish music will ring out through Skibbereen town centre throughout Sunday afternoon, with a free open-air platform dancing céilí at the Bridge with music by Tim Joe and Ann. This will be followed by performances on the gig-rig from the new Cork Senior Céilí Band Champions on conclusion of competitions in the Sports Centre. If weather conditions are inclement this free céilí will be moved indoors to the Town Hall. There will also be many informal sessions in the town’s pubs during the weekend.
For full festival details visit www.corkfleadh.ie.