Global InformationFleadh Cheoil information
The Fleadh Cheoil (Irish pronunciation: [ˌfʲlʲaː ˈçoːlʲ]), or "music festival" in English, is an annual Irish arts festival and competition run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (Irish pronunciation: [ˈkoːl̪ˠt̪ˠəsˠ ˈcoːl̪ˠt̪ˠoːɾʲiː ˈeːɾʲən̪ˠ]), or CCÉ, a non-profit organisation which aims to promote the learning of and performance of Irish traditional music and dance internationally and domestically, as the group maintains international branches in several countries.
Each year, a different town or city plays host to the Fleadh Cheoil, facilitating exposure to new musicians and styles, as well as opportunities to discover new repertoire, for all in attendance. Over the decades, the Fleadh has been held everywhere from large cities and towns to rural villages, such as Mullingar, Sligo, and Tullamore, among many others. The competition, arguably the most prestigious and "serious" portion of the event, is held alongside a parade, countless impromptu jam sessions and performing musicians—many of global renown and previous All-Ireland winners, themselves. The public music sessions—which occur spontaneously at the festival and throughout the hosting town—are often a highlight of the Fleadh for many, involving musicians on street corners, in pubs, restaurants, or other public places. Competitors and attendees of the Fleadh Cheoil come from across the whole of Ireland, as well as many European countries, the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and more.
There are various stages within the competition, with varying degrees of local, prerequisite titles one must accomplish before competing at the Fleadh. In Ireland, there are county and provincial competitions leading to the Fleadh.
Competitions are in solo and duo categories, and divided into the following age ranges: under 12, 12–15, 15–18, over 18 (senior),U,18, Any Age, U-18, U-9, 9-11, 11-13, 13-15, 15-18 (for Cómhra) and O-35.