IN A break with tradition the Fermanagh Fleadh will be jointly hosted by two neighbouring communities.
In previous years it has been left to one town or village to host the event, but this year south Fermanagh folk are showing that two is better than one with Derrylin and Kinawley pulling together to put on what should be a feast of traditional music and dance this weekend.
The Fleadh will get off to a flying start on the Friday night with an opening concert at the Kinawley Community Centre, and events will continue until Sunday evening.
This year, the Fleadh is unique as it is the first time that two branches will jointly host the event with committees from Derrylin CCE and Benaughlin CCE coming together.
Speaking to the Herald, Secretary Joanne Maguire said there has been hundreds of hours put into organising the event.
“This is the first time two communities have come together to host the weekend. The committee is made up of people from both areas with Derrylin hosting it this year, and Kinawley will host it next year.
It has been a great honour to work closely with our volunteers from both branches who have helped promote the music, song and dance within Fermanagh. I want to acknowledge the enormous amount of time and effort that all our committee members have all given to organising and delivering this event and thank them all for their dedication,” said Joanne.
The Fermanagh Fleadh continues to be extremely popular among people of all ages who have a passion for traditional music, and the winners of the Fermanagh Fleadh go on to compete at the Ulster Fleadh in July.
Over the weekend, there promises to be plenty of music, dance and craic for all the community with open music sessions in Roches Bar, Kinawley, the Mountview and Blakes bar in Derrylin and everyone is welcome to attend.
Joanne continued, “The Fleadh keeps children interested and everyone in the community gets very involved. The volunteers put a lot of work into the weekend and we can get loads of help. There are some very talented musicians in Fermanagh across all of the branches. There are a lot of Ulster champions and all Ireland winners, and the Fleadh definitely does help when it is local.
“The businesses are very good to us and are always willing to support us. It is a very community orientated event and we could not do it without everyone’s help.”
For further information, go to the Fermanagh Fleadh Facebook page.
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