Irish premier hails cross-community participation at Belfast Fleadh

By Rebecca Black (Press Association)

The Irish premier has hailed cross-community participation in the first Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann to take place in Belfast.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin greeted some of those in the crowds gathered in the area around St Anne’s Cathedral on the fifth day of the world’s largest celebration of Irish culture and music when he arrived on Thursday afternoon.

There has been participation by loyalist musicians as well as those from minority ethnic communities alongside the traditional Irish entertainment.

Speaking to media, Mr Martin hailed the work and detailed planning by organisers to bring the event to Belfast, and the “wonderful music and culture on display in the city”.

“I think this idea of the universality of music and celebrating the diversity of music is a wonderful one,” he said.

“We’ve been doing our own bit through the Shared Island Initiative in terms of fostering a lot of cross-community culture and musical endeavour, we have an all-island musical archive, for example, that we now fund through Shared Island, and it’s wonderful the richness that can be revealed or unveiled by that type of collaboration.

“I think one loyalist musician put it to me last year that communities will refine their music in accordance to their traditions, but all are drawing from the same well, and I thought that was a wonderful summation of what we’re about here in Belfast through the Fleadh.”

Mr Martin said many people he had met are saying the scenes this week “reflect the change (in Belfast) that has occurred over the decades”.

He added: “Those organising it have been very taken by the participation and engagement from many different communities around Belfast, particularly the loyalist/Unionist community who have engaged with this Fleadh in a very enthusiastic way, and that has been a tremendous success story of this Fleadh, and that is something that we want to build on.”

A person holding their dog at Fleadh Cheoil na hEirann (Picture by Mark Marlow)