by Ronan Casey
At recent public and Council meetings, the tantalising prospect of hundreds of thousands of visitors descending on Westmeath for the annual traditional music and cultural gathering has been raised, and now two Westmeath TDs have said they want to see a Fleadh coming to the county town.
Deputies Robert Troy and Willie Penrose have both said they would support any and every effort to bring the showpiece event to Mullingar, where Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann was founded in 1951. The town last hosted a Fleadh in 1963.
However, it may be some time before this happens as a lot needs to be done before a committee could come together to make an application. Funding and sponsorship are two of the mainstays, as is local authority involvement but the biggest aspect would be that a local Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann branch will need to lead the application process.
A MUST
Speaking at a number of recent Town Team presentations, Jim Bourke, the chairman of the voluntary group formed to promote Mullingar as a safe place to live, work or be entertained in, said a Fleadh would be “top of the list” for the town’s profile. He said the town is a perfect fit with venues, accommodation and, most importantly, national access via its location and national road network.
Deputy Robert Troy said bringing a Fleadh to Mullingar would be a “big project” that would need a big committee to work on it and a lot of commercial “buy-in”. He said it would be a jackpot for the town and the county and said if the relevant bodies were to make an application, “I would certainly help and assist them in making this happen.”
Deputy Willie Penrose told Topic a Fleadh is something he has dreamed about happening in Mullingar. He chairs the Ballynacargy Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann branch who hosted a most successful County Fleadh. Moate pipped them to the post to host the Leinster Fleadh earlier this summer. The success of both events in their respective medium-sized towns proved to him that a town like Mullingar could host the big one: an All-Ireland Fleadh.
“It’s high time we got the Fleadh to Mullingar – it should be top of our agenda,” he added.
Speaking at a recent Town Team meeting in the Annebrook Hotel, Mullingar Municipal District Director of Services David Hogan indicated that the County Council would be supportive of such an event, were an application to be made by a CCE branch.
Camillus Glynn of Áras An Mhuilinn said if a bid were made, “any support we can give, we will give it wholeheartedly.”
These comments have been echoed on the ground in Mullingar. Local businessman, Thomas Nally, an avid supporter of music and through Rochforts, a supplier of musical instruments, says from his experience of street events in the town over the past few years, that a Fleadh Cheoil “could easily happen”.
Speaking at a recent Town Team meeting, he asked the Council to make their structure for events more widely known as successful small events could lead to bigger events such as the Fleadh. His comments received support and Topic understands moves are afoot among the business, cultural and political community in Mullingar to bring official bodies together to discuss the possibility of a local C.C.E. branch applying for a Fleadh further down the line. It has to be branch led.
FESTIVAL FUNDING
However, the Council’s 2015 budget has no provision for a large event in the Mullingar area.
Last year, Athlone received 100% of the festival and event funding for the county, with €85,000 allocated for festivals and events, and €20,000 apiece for the Athlone European Festival and ‘Destination Athlone’.
According to figures given to Councillors at a budget meeting this week, €30,000 is being allocated for festivals and events in the Mullingar Area. In Athlone, the ‘Destination Athlone’ and European Festival are both to receive €16,000 in funding and a total of €68,000 is allocated to unspecified festivals and events.
Whilst there was happiness that €30,000 is being granted to the Mullingar area, the levels of funding caused concerns for Cllr Una D’Arcy (SF) who wondered why there was no ‘Destination Mullingar’. She noted that festivals generally have to find match funding, with Failte Ireland and other state supports matching what the Council and festival committees can put in. “This creates a massive bounce for Athlone and highlights that monies need to be invested in the Mullingar area too.”
