September 2, 2026
by Hannah Flowers, CIM Instructor
fleadh (noun): a festival, banquet, or feast.
The Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Belfast this August was a true feast, a banquet of Irish music, with children in every nook and corner playing their very best renditions of classic tunes like “The Kerry Polka” and “The Britches Full of Stitches” as crowds of people filed past. Parents watched with phones in hand, passersby gave a hearty clap, and a few famous, or at least Irish-music-famous, musicians shouldered their way through the crowds on their way to their next performance on the Gig Rig or one of the dozen official and unofficial session spaces.
The All-Ireland Fleadh in Belfast was a Fleadh unlike any Fleadh Ireland has seen in a very long time, perhaps ever. An estimated 1.6 million people visited over the course of the week-long festival, doubling the 800,000 visitors anticipated and surpassing everyone’s expectations. In a city with as checkered a history as Belfast, it was an incredible show of unity and a remarkable celebration of Irish music and culture in a place with a history rife with division and violence.
CIM students, family and friends met up at Lavery’s for dinner and tunes on Wednesday night!
For the Fleadh this year, 6 CIM students traveled with family and friends to Belfast to attend a week at Scoil Éigse and take in the Fleadh festivities together. Several members of CIM’s long-running adult ensemble, An Luan, attended the adult mixed-instrument class and had a great time performing with almost 500 other summer-school attendees, despite most of them being under five feet tall and not of legal drinking age! Without knowing it, a couple of students happened to sit a stone’s throw away from the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Róis-Máire Donnelly, and Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin. They only realized who they were sitting near once they noticed how many of the Irish people around them seemed to be in a bit of shock and awe at the presence of the dignitaries.
I spy An Luan members Emma and Abbey in the sea of Scoil Éigse students!
The Adult mixed instrument class at Scoil Éigse
The teenage CIM student cohort of Ellie, Teagan, and Owen enjoyed their flute and fiddle classes and even managed to catch a session at Lavery’s on Wednesday night. It was great to all be together for some meals and tunes during the week, as well as to meet up with some former CIM students who now live in other parts of the country.
The CIM crew all together at dinner during the week. So great to catch up with former CIM student Arjun and his mom Candy!
During the week, I had the chance to hear harp legend Janet Harbison give a lecture on the legacy of the Belfast Harp Ensemble at the Linenhall Library. She spoke about her wish to build a cross-community harp group and how that vision grew into an internationally renowned ensemble in the ’80s and ’90s. The group toured with the Chieftains and produced some of Ireland’s great harpists, including Michael Rooney (a 2026 MIM artist!), Gráinne Hambly, and Úna Monaghan. A handful of these harpists came together to reprise repertoire from their harp ensemble days. It was incredibly touching and inspiring to see the impact one harpist had on a generation of world-class musicians.
Janet Harbison performing with former members of her harp ensemble including former MIM artists Michael Rooney (2026) and Gráinne Hambly (2024)
As the weekend approached, the competitions drew closer, and I managed to watch some of the U18 Grúpa Cheoil competition as well as the U15 harp competition. It was incredible to see the level of musicianship displayed by the young instrumentalists. They showed a level of achievement and competency at such a young age that was both astounding and inspiring. The standard of the competitions was remarkably high, but everyone did themselves and their teachers proud with strong performances all around. I was particularly impressed by the beautiful playing of a young Japanese harpist who took second place in the highly competitive solo harp competition.
CIM students enjoying some well-deserved ice cream after a long week of classes!
Saturday came, and Ellie competed in the U18 flute and whistle competitions, with many of us from CIM there to cheer her on. It was great to have CIM supporters Emily and Brian Flagstad and their daughter, Moira (a CIM alum) along as well. Ellie did herself and her teacher, Norah, very proud with two beautiful performances. Although no medals were won, we all walked away from the day proud of the music Ellie played and glad to have well represented our little Midwestern corner of the Irish music diaspora!
The CIM crew cheering Ellie on at her comps on Saturday. Way to go, Ellie!
Ellie and Moira managed to squeeze in a few tunes after a long day of competitions.
Following a full week of constant tunes, the CIM families either flew home or continued on with their family holidays, leaving the Fleadh energized and inspired to continue learning more tunes back home.
I left Belfast and went on to visit friends in Northern Ireland for a few days. While visiting, I had several conversations with Northern Irish folks reflecting on the Fleadh and the significance of it happening in Belfast for the first time. Overwhelmingly, the consensus seemed to be that Belfast will never be the same. One friend told me that the last time she remembers Belfast City Centre being pedestrianized was when the city was a militarized zone during the Troubles. This time, although there was still a police presence, the city remained remarkably peaceful. Among those who came to the Fleadh were many people who might never have listened to a traditional tune in their lives but showed up to see what all the fuss was about—and went away very happy with the Belfast they encountered.
Belfast was decked out with some great murals to celebrate the coming of the Fleadh to the city!
The only time to get a shot of the Belfast sign without it crowded with strangers was after midnight.
The significance of bringing the largest international celebration of Irish music and culture to a divided Belfast can’t be overstated. It was a hopeful, joyful reminder of the power of music to bring people together and transform the way a city sees itself. It felt very fitting that the Fleadh, a festival of music, culture, and community would come to Belfast and give us all a glimpse of a brighter, more united and peaceful future and I am looking forward to seeing what happens when the Fleadh returns to Belfast in 2027!