Speech at the opening of the 64th Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann
Sligo, 9th August 2015
A Dhaoine Uaisle,
Tá áthas orm a bheith anseo libh inniu, i gcroílár na féile cultúrtha seo, Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann atá a reachtáil anseo i Shligeach don dara bhliain as a chéile. Is mian liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl daoibh as an gcuireadh a thug sibh dom agus an fáilte sin a d’fhear sibh romham. Ón am ar bunaíodh an Comhaltas sa bhliain 1951 (naoí déag caoga a haon) agus cultúr traidisiúnta na hÉireann in ísle bhrí ag an am, tá éacht oibre déanta ag an ngluaiseacht chun ceol, rince, amhránaíocht agus ár dteanga dúchais a chur chun cinn in Éirinn agus ar fud na cruinne.
[Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted to be here with you today at the start of this cultural festival, Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, which is being hosted here in Sligo for the second consecutive year. May I thank you for your kind invitation to be here and for the warm welcome. Since it was founded in 1951, at a time when Ireland’s traditional culture was at a low ebb, Comhaltas has done heroic work in promoting music, dance, singing and our native language at home and abroad.]
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is a pivotal event in the Irish cultural diary when we get the opportunity to celebrate the richness and diversity of our traditional music, song, dance and to use our native language. Communities and individuals throughout the island of Ireland, the Comhaltas provinces of Great Britain, North America and further afield have been putting an enormous effort into preparing for their participation at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2015, anseo i Sligeach, faoi scáth Bhinn Ghulbain.
This week marks the end result of much dedication, countless hours of rehearsal and practice, encouragement by supporters and planning. During the forthcoming eight days Sligo Town will welcome and offer hospitality to over 350,000 visitors from Ireland and abroad with a diverse programme of cultural events and activities.
The great showcase event, among many, of Comhaltas activity is the Fleadh Cheoil where over the years traditional performers have played their music, sang their songs and danced their steps to audiences of enthusiasts and an ever expanding national and international audience. The depth and detail of the various Irish cultural traditions have been discussed with passion and conviction at Fleadhanna and they have nurtured a community of individuals and groups who not only practice and share the chosen art forms, but are interested in everything truly Irish be it traditional or contemporary.
As the appeal and impact of Irish music, song and dance has grown, so too has the Fleadh. Fleadhanna Ceoil are now vibrant and inclusive community-based cultural festivals and Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann brings this inclusivity and community-focus to an even more significant level with experienced performers welcoming new events and initiates.
Over the next week, Irish traditional musicians, singers and dancers from all over the world will compete at the highest level in their art forms. Over 10,000 competitors who will take part in upwards of 160 competitions, the participants will have emerged from the worldwide qualifying Fleadhanna in which over 25,000 individuals will have participated. With the support of their parents and mentors, the underage competitors of the All-Ireland Fleadh have reached standards of excellence and mastery that offers great encouragement for the future of our Irish cultural heritage.
The Fleadh, the Comhaltas branch network worldwide, and the various Comhaltas events and activities throughout Ireland and abroad of course continue to connect us to our larger Irish Diaspora. Among the many artists who will visit Sligo are the descendants of Irish emigrants, who are now numbered among the virtuosos of the global traditional community. The music, song, dance and Irish language, which were such cohesive forces within Irish communities abroad, continue to strengthen them today while contributing to the well of tradition here in Ireland itself.
The Diaspora, which has brought our heritage to the farthest corners of the world, has in turn reflected back to us aspects of this heritage, including our music, song and dance, with re-energising variations and new interpretations. The musical culture that returned recalled a remembered tradition but it was far from confined to that.
Among the participants and visitors at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2015 are those who have neither ancestral nor geographic links to Ireland but who, with a curiosity that we all welcome, have developed a kinship with the Irish through culture and our folk traditions. We extend a special “Fíorchaoin Fáilte” to you. We acknowledge in a special way the inspiration that your musicianship and your insights bring to us, your taking the time and importantly the effort not only to reflect our traditions back to us in ways that are truly imaginative.
Our language, drama, music, verse and dance have emerged as the key and most accurate interpretations of our circumstances at different times in our history and in different migrant destinations. They serve as reminders of where we have come from and as mirrors to our present. There is an obvious value in the manner in which our traditional arts can lift and rejuvenate our spirits in both a personal and communal way, and bind us closer together as part of a distinct community in a much larger world. It also enables us to reach out to people from other cultures and traditions with a greater respect and appreciation. Our culture is, and should be, an open invitation to all to share in our appreciation of how this Irish people, this tradition, has found, and continues to find, expression for those universal aspects of our shared humanity – beauty, love, loss, joy, regret, anger and hope, to name a few.
Over the years Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann has developed from a two-day primarily musical event to an eight-day cultural festival with a diverse programme of events. Its success is largely based on the partnerships between the host community and its representatives, Comhaltas Ceolteoirí and government and local authorities. The preparation for a festival of this size is no small undertaking and recognition and gratitude are due to all those who have made it possible, and who are far too numerous for me to mention by name.
The Fleadh is an opportunity for us to celebrate the vibrancy and enduring appeal of our music, song and dance and to recognise value and celebrate the artists who make this possible. It is also an opportunity to welcome to our shores the larger Irish family and also those who wish to join us in these celebrations. I am confident that you will go home with happy memories and the names of many new friends in your address books and many new tunes.
I want to pay a special tribute to the ongoing contribution that Comhaltas makes to Irish society. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann was awarded the highly prestigious European Citizen’s Prize earlier this year. Tréaslaím leo. This prize is awarded to citizens or organisations having contributed to promoting better mutual understanding and closer integration between citizens of the Member States; or to facilitating cross border or transnational cooperation contributing to the strengthening of a European spirit. With 420 branches in 15 countries on 4 continents Comhaltas plays a leading role in fostering strong links with the Irish Diaspora and those who consider themselves Irish.
It continues to promote a positive image of Ireland on the international stage and promotes strong links with other cultures. Because we value culture as an aspect of our identity we understand its importance to others.
Volunteerism and generosity of spirit are the cornerstones of Comhaltas; its network of branches and events are underpinned by a core of upwards on 50,000 volunteers. Each of these individuals plays a part in ensuring the vibrancy of the traditional living arts and sharing its appreciation with the upcoming generation of performers.
I also wish to commend Comhaltas Ceolteoirí Éireann on its continued emphasis on the promotion of the Irish Language - an Ghaeilge Bheo - as a keystone of its activities and vision. Is dlúthchuid d’ár bhféiniúlacht náisiúnta í an Ghaeilge agus tá sí doscartha ó na cineálacha léirithe chutlúrtha a bhfuilimíd ag ceiliúradh anseo i Sligeach sa tseachtain amach romhainn. [Our native language is an integral part of our national identity and is indivisible from the many forms of cultural expression that we will celebrate here in Sligo over the coming week.]
I believe that it is highly appropriate that Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2015, which has at its core the highest level of achievement and participation in traditional Irish music, song and dance, is taking place in Sligo this year. 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of WB Yeats, one of Ireland’s most famous sons who wrote:
"Supreme art is a traditional statement of certain heroic and religious truths, passed on from age to age, modified by individual genius, but never abandoned.” (William Butler Yeats)" [1]
Sligo itself has played a pivotal role in the preservation, transmission and development of Irish traditional music. The importance of the early recordings of the South Sligo emigrant musicians in North America, Michael Coleman, James Morrison, Paddy Killoran and many others cannot be overstated. As Graeme Smith tells us the fearless Irish migrants travelled down the Appalachian Mountains to the states of Carolina, Tennessee and as far south as Florida” and later in the 19th century more recent migrants went to the urban settings of Chicago, Boston and New York. Michael Coleman, who was born in the townland of Knockgrainein 1891, developed a keen interest in the fiddle as a boy, and at the age of 23 went to work in New York as a performer with Keith Theatres, a travelling vaudeville with venues in many of the larger U.S. cities. During the 1920's and 1930's Michael Coleman made over 80 commercial recordings with major recording companies, which were to have an impact on musicians back in Ireland – and his influence on traditional music has long outlasted his own lifetime. He was certainly one of the most influential traditional musicians of the twentieth century, his legacy extending far beyond his native Sligo. Although he has had many imitators, Coleman's combination of superb technical ability and deeply expressive playing has had few equals.
To this day, the Coleman Traditional Irish Music Centre in Gurteen is a celebration of Irish Music, Culture and Heritage as expressed in the South Sligo Style of music. The vibrancy of our Irish traditional music today throughout the island of Ireland and worldwide continues to draw on this rich Sligo repository.
Is mian liom tréaslú leis an uile duine a bhfuil baint acu leis an Fleadh Cheoil, idir eagraithe agus taibheoirí. Cé go bhfuil an ceol, an damhsa agus an amhranaíocht i gcroílár na Fleidhe i gcónaí, is ceiliúradh í freisin ar na nithe sin a bhaineann go dlúth leis an Éireannachas – ár stair, ár ndrámaíocht, ár n-ollás. Is ceart go bhfuil an Fleadh ina ceiliúradh ar an bpobal agus ar rannpháirtíocht ghníomhach, a léiríonn chomh bródúil is atáimid as ár gcuid tradisiún, ár gcuid buanna, agus ár gcuid scileanna.
[I wish to congratulate everyone who is involved in the Fleadh, both organizers and performers. Although music, dance and singing are at the heart of the Fleadh, it is also a celebration of all things Irish – our history, our drama and our pomp and ceremony. It is fitting that the Fleadh is a celebration of community and active participation which illustrates how proud we are of our traditions, our talents and our skills.]
As we prepare to celebrate the centenary of the founding of our state, I wish to take this opportunity to encourage everyone, regardless of the level of your ability, to use our native language in social settings and to give it life through speaking it.
In conclusion, I would like to extend my appreciation and congratulations to all those who are involved with Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2015, an event which gives so many people, of different generations and backgrounds an opportunity to celebrate our heritage. This week we will celebrate the cultural traditions of the past in the context of today and we will bring with us from Fleadh 2015 in Sligo a renewed energy and strengthened vision for our future. Let us in defining our future be as courageous as all those who left us not only a legacy of cultural riches, but the basis for an empowering vision for our shared future in one venerable parcel.
Míle buíochas arís agus go n-eirí go geal libh an tseachtain seo agus sna blianta atá romhainn.
[1] Autobiographies: The Collected Works of W.B. Yeats, Volume 3 page 362