Apprentice Boys urged to ‘show respect’ after anti-Catholic slurs during Derry parade.
Relief of Derry parade attracted thousands at the weekend.
Thousands of Apprentice Boys of Derry marched through the city on Saturday to commemorate the Relief Of Derry in 1689.
By Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent
August 11, 2026 at 6:00am BST
The Apprentice Boys have been urged to ‘show respect’ after members were heard muttering anti-Catholic slurs during a parade in Derry at the weekend.
Thousands of loyal order members travelled to the mainly nationalist city for their annual ‘Relief of Derry’ parade on Saturday.
Around 124 bands and prominent unionist politicians, attended the annual parade, which marks the ending of the siege of Derry in 1689.
Footage circulated on social media reveals that several Apprentice Boys were heard making anti-Catholic remarks as they made their way along the city’s historic walls.
In one offensive clip, dozens of Apprentice Boys, wearing their traditional collarettes, can be seen marching past a well-known Derry entertainment venue in the Market Street area.
One marcher can then be heard saying, “Is that a Catholic Church?” to which another responds, “Does it breed many Catholics?”
During the same clip, Apprentice Boys can be heard saying “ah f**k ‘em” and “they’re just b**tards”.
Footage has also been circulated along with claims bands played sectarian tunes during Saturday’s event.
SDLP assembly member Mark H Durkan said that every year “Derry welcomes the Apprentice Boys and other similar parades in a spirit of respect and tolerance, recognising that while we may have different cultures and traditions, there is room for everyone in our city and on this island.
“However, respect is a two-way street, and it is disappointing that over the past few years a small minority have caused issues, whether through singing songs, making comments or showing a lack of regard for local businesses and the public,” he said.
Mr Durkan added that his party has “engaged directly with the Apprentice Boys to try to address these issues and we welcome their ongoing efforts to resolve them.
“Derry has long been an example of how events like this can take place in a respectful way and it would be very disappointing to see that undermined by the actions of a small number of people” he said.
The relief of the north: Belfast can take immense pride and lessons from Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.
Ryan McAleer looks at what Belfast got right for the Fleadh, with some suggestions for improvement in 2027.
Irish dancers in front of Belfast City Hall as record numbers attend the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026.
By Ryan McAleer
August 11, 2026 at 12:58pm BST
On the closing Sunday of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Wexford last August, I can still remember the slight feeling of apprehension among our northern delegation down there about the following summer.
Would the same numbers that turned out for Wexford come north for Belfast in August 2026?
Derry showed it could be done in 2013, but Belfast felt like a completely different prospect altogether.
Images of burning buses beamed across the world just two months before didn’t ease those fears.
Even in the days before the opening ceremony, there were conversations asking if Belfast had set itself up by throwing the number 800,000 around so casually for so many weeks and months.
Monday August 3rd brought a collective sigh of relief as the fear, tension and apprehension disappeared in a flood of positive stories and sheer joy.
Belfast had gone all in for the Fleadh on day one – not just for the traditional business-end of the festival, i.e. the final three days.
Businesses, the council, government departments, Translink, the PSNI… All seemed to pull together to make it work, and all with a smile on their faces.
By close of play on Tuesday August 4th, half a million people had made it into the newly pedestrianised city centre, traditionally the numbers that could be expected throughout the full eight days of the world’s biggest Irish cultural festival.
Even walking around early in the week, you could feel the positive energy humming on every street corner.
By the final Sunday, some 1.65 million had been captured on Belfast One BID’s cameras in the one square mile around the City Hall over the eight days, more than double the 800,000 forecast.
Stormont’s Department for the Economy had predicted an economic windfall of around £53 million based on 700,000 attending the Fleadh, with Visit Belfast suggesting a £60m benefit from around 800,000.
Back of the cigarette packet maths would suggest we’ve easily crossed into £100m territory.
But the Fleadh felt much more than an opportunity to turn a quick pound.
Despite investing significant sums in pop-up ventures for a week-long festival, most local hospitality operators didn’t take the hand with prices.
From Translink staff at Grand Central Station to the police on the beat, everybody seemed to have a smile on their face.
I heard tales of people from Limerick and Tipperary who had never crossed the border before sing the praises of the “friendly” people.
Northern friends who’ve played traditional music their whole lives and have travelled the length and breadth of the island for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann felt immense pride in what Belfast and Ards CCÉ had pulled off.
Key to the success was the combination of pedestrianisation; the decision to create a week-long itinerary of events; and businesses embracing the Fleadh for all eight days.
The hands-off approach – allowing people to walk the streets carrying plastic pint glasses – worked wonders.
The streets looked clean, the toilet provision was sufficient and there were plenty of food vendors to feed the masses.
So what can we learn for next year?
In Wexford’s first year of the Fleadh, some 650,000 people flowed through its streets. The positive stories from 2024 turned that into 800,000 the following year.
Given the incredible reach of positive stories and coverage of Belfast over the past week, it is not unrealistic for the city to prepare for two million Fleadh visitors in 2027.
That will bring added challenges for the organisers and Translink in particular.
While the park and ride facilities introduced for the Fleadh worked very well, the north’s public transport company was simply unable to cope with the numbers this year.
Whether rail, Goldliner or Metro, the capacity was not sufficient to meet the demand.
Resolving this with public resources under strain will require new thinking. Can Translink reallocate resources from elsewhere for one week, or could the private sector offer any solutions?
While Belfast City Council got so much right this year, they got the camping and caravan provision wrong.
Two sites for tents and offering a waste ground in the Titanic Quarter to families for their caravans was short-sighted.
Grass caravan sites will be needed in 2027. Most campers in Wexford last year spent the week on sports fields without any issue.
Given the number of public spaces and sports fields across Belfast, this should be an easy fix.
There are lessons for hospitality businesses as well. Scenes of hundreds of people dancing outdoors to music pumping through the streets looked incredible on social media.
But those businesses don’t need to pump that music out during the afternoon to drown out the magical young musicians looking to play outside their venue for free.
Less amplification and more sessions next year please.
More pedestrianisation will also needed, particularly in places like Dunbar Link.
For now, we can all bask in the success of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026. Belfast feels like a city ripe for transformation.
Even if Belfast manages to secure a third year for the Fleadh, it has demonstrated the appetite for a city centre-wide cultural celebration of music and inclusivity.
Surely other towns and cities around the north will have taken note. I’m looking in your direction Newry!
By Brian O’Neill on 4 August 2026I spent an enjoyable Sunday in Belfast city centre on the first day of the Fleadh. It was extraordinary to see such a massive crowd of people in the city centre. The area around City Hall, Donegal Place, Royal Avenue, etc., had been pedestrianised and it really was an example of what’s possible in our city centres if we remove vehicles. Now I say this as a car driver myself, but we all know from holidays to Europe that car-free towns and cities are just more pleasurable to be in.So far, the organisers seem to have done a wonderful job. The stage and big screen in City Hall were great. We brought some folding chairs and were happy sitting on the grass watching the acts.If I was to give one suggestion to the organisers it would be to put the running order on the big screen so people know what’s coming up next and at what time. The change over between acts was very slow, they should have used the change over downtime to showcase some amateur musicians who would love a shot at the play for such a big crowd or the safer option to run some pre-recorded video of performances.It was impressive to see all the various buildings that have become pop-up venues and bars, for example, the bars on Donegal Street. The big revelation was the electric light station, which is next to St Mary’s Church on Church Lane. I’ve walked past it for years and never thought about what was behind those doors but it turns out to be a massive Victorian warehouse that makes an amazing music venue. Who knew? Rumour has it Barney Eastwood used it to park his Rolls Royce in. I imagine it will become a permanent venue but it does need a bit of TLC as I would say it would be absolutely freezing in wintertime.the electric light stationIf you come in for the Fleadh, here are some tips for you.Transport: obviously it is best if you can take public transport but if you are driving there are lots of car park spaces around Belfast. You just need to think ahead and be clever. Thanks to deindustrialization and the troubles, Belfast has an insane amount of surface-level car parks, many of which are not very obvious as they’re basically waste ground that the owner has stuck a parking machine in.What you need to do is download the RingGo App and it will show you the locations of all the car parks. Best of all it will show you live how busy they are so you can see where has spaces. My recommendation is this one on Millfield, its only £1 an hour and its only a 2 minute walk to Maddens, Kellys Cellars etc. There is another one to the left of it, which is only 50p an hour. Although it does have vibes of “not sure if you’re gonna come back to your car on concrete blocks and your wheels missing”.Eating/drinking: Belfast is eye-wateringly expensive these days. I was charged £23 for two drinks. It was expensive even before the Fleadh. The average price of a pint now is £7. I think Belfast must easily be the most expensive city in the UK or Ireland now for eating out and drinking. even London is cheaper. What some places are doing is even putting a service charge on every drink. As you’re being handed a plastic cup, it really rubs it in to be charged an extra 15% for the pleasure of standing in the middle of the street.If you’re coming into Belfast with a family, the obvious thing to do is to bring a picnic. I especially recommend bringing some folding chairs. Remember there are lots of supermarkets in Belfast City Centre. You have the M&S Food Hall near City Hall, which has an enormous selection of food and snacks. You also have the Lidl on High Street and lots of Tesco Expresses so it is possible to keep the costs down. You also have the usual fast food places like McDonald’s etc.Given the crowds it’s more than possible just to stick a few cans or bottles in your backpack and top up on the fly. They are checking bags going into City Hall but it’s just a cursory glance so it would be more than easy to stick your wine or whatever in a water bottle. Oddly there is no bar or food in the grounds of City Hall. Be aware that there is a separate entrance and exits. There were reports of some people leaving to get a drink or an ice cream but couldn’t get back into the grounds due to the crowds.If you’re in the Cathedral Quarter, 44 Hill Street has opened up a lovely little courtyard area where you can get reasonably priced food and drinks. It’s also quite quiet so it will give you a break from the chaos. There is also a pop-up bar opposite the Oh Yeah centre on Gordon Street selling beer for four quid.A pop-up venue on Donegal Street. Courtyard at 44 Hill StSome suggestions for next year’s event.Some venues are working better than others. For example as I mentioned above, the electric light station is an amazing success whereas I called into the Telegraph building yesterday afternoon and it was pretty grim: not many people, loud, dark, and smelling of piss. Now to be fair, come Friday night and Saturday the place could be rammed but the organisers need to think is it better to focus the crowd to certain areas, especially during the mid-week quieter times as at the moment it is very fragmented.There needs to be a dedicated family zone as at the moment everything is far too alcohol focused with zero for kids to do. The obvious place for a family zone is St Annes Square or the revamped park next to the art college which will be open for next year. St Annes Square is a wonderful location so I was very surprised to see it not really being used. I passed it a few times and there was nothing on. Very strange. You need a safe family zone with a small stage for kids to play music on, street performers, bouncy castles and other attractions, crafts, face paints, etc.Ironically I didn’t actually hear much traditional music being played, especially by random musicians. There were a few around trying their best but it was next to impossible to hear them given the loudness of the environment. I imagine that there are lots of musicians trundling around trying to find a session to play in. There needs to be more thought given to where musicians can actually play. Musicians are the golden goose of the Fleadh and they need to be relentlessly accommodated. If the organisers haven’t got them already, there needs to be some kind of musician concierge service that helps organise sessions and informs musicians of what’s happening and what’s going on, what venues are hot, etc. I would even go as far as having musician-only locations that are not known to the general public, as everyone loves a bit of exclusivity. I would even have a subsidised canteen where musicians can get a low cost fed and meet up with each other.I will give you an example of the problem. I personally am involved with a local school of music but in our WhatsApp group they are struggling to think of where 20 odd musicians could meet up to have a session during the Fleadh. There needs to be a better way to support and encourage impromptu sessions. That may sound like an oxymoron as the whole idea of an impromptu session is that it’s well impromptu but you can do things to help the process, fertilise the ground as it were.What currently seems to be happening is all the focus is on the paid musicians that venues are putting on, which is positive and it’s good to see professional musicians making a living but there doesn’t seem to be much opportunity to play for the amateur and independent musicians who are visiting.Musicians can be delicate little flowers and shoving them in a tent with a thousand people shouting and talking over them is not a great experience. I’m sure the organisers are already engaging with the experts from TradFest etc if not then they need to be fully engaging with musicians and taking their feedback and suggestions on board as a priority.Venues also need to stop with the piped background music. You can’t have an impromptu session with Christy Moore blaring in the background.There needs to be some quality control over some of the stalls. Some of the sheer crap that they’re selling in Royal Avenue is embarrassing. Selling things like BB guns etc. has no place in Belfast and the organisers should review what stalls are selling and not let them back for next year.My take away from the event so far is that the organisers have done a wonderful job. They are getting good crowds and people seem to be enjoying the festivities. My main criticism would be that there’s too much focus on alcohol and street drinking. Now I know absolutely every event in our society is alcohol-soaked so this is nothing new but the event needs more soul and emotion.My fear is that visitors to Belfast will be going home with the feeling that they had their wallets emptied and did not actually experience much in the way of culture. In fact I would go as far as to say that Belfast has more culture going on in normal times than I’ve actually seen during the Fleadh.It might sound like I’m being a bit negative. I am not. I just think it’s important to review what’s working and what’s not working so next year’s event can be even better. It was very encouraging to see a wide range of people from all parts of society enjoying the festivities, but the organisers must fully engage with all of the Belfast arts community to make sure that next year’s event is more than standing in the street drinking overpriced beer out of a plastic cup. When it comes to culture you always need to balance the heart with the head.Comment
On This Day: Thomas Francis Meagher, the greatest Irishman in American history, was born.
Born on August 3, 1823 in Waterford, Meagher rose from Young Ireland rebel to Civil War hero and symbol of Irish‑American identity.
Is Thomas Francis Meagher Irish-America\’s greatest hero?Is Thomas Francis Meagher Irish-America’s greatest hero?
Today, August 3, we commemorate the birthday of Thomas Francis Meagher, one of Ireland’s most consequential figures in both nationalist and American history. Born in Waterford in 1823, Meagher became a fiery Young Ireland agitator, famously introducing the green‑white‑orange tricolor as a symbol of unity. Here, a look at the astounding biography of the leader of the Irish Brigade.
“The Immortal Irishman” subtitled “The Irish Revolutionary who Became an American Hero” is a book by New York Times columnist Timothy Egan and should have been a Pulitzer Prize contender when it was published in 2016.
There have been some excellent books on 19th-century Irish America including Terry George’s seminal work on John Devoy and Peter Quinn’s fictional, but deeply revealing, “Banished Children of Eve.”
But this book on Brigadier General Thomas Francis Meagher is of a different category again.
What Egan has done is restore the reputation and uncovered a host of details on a man I would venture to say had no peer in our history of Irish America.
His story takes place across three continents and he distinguished himself wherever he went, remaining a huge hero to the Irish in America.
The book quite simply is the best I have seen written on an Irish revolutionary figure in America and that is no idle statement.
It is almost impossible to describe in a few sentences the career of Meagher, born to a wealthy family in Waterford where his father was Mayor and a British MP.
Having seen the horrific reality of the Great Hunger, Meagher followed a very different path. He led the 1848 Rising in Ireland, was transported to Tasmania in Australia, escaped to America where he was greeted as Ireland’s greatest hero, founded the Fighting 69th, which showed incredible courage in the American Civil War, and was named acting governor of Montana before dying in mysterious circumstances at just 43 years of age.
He was also a friend of Abraham Lincoln, and indeed, Lincoln saw him once from his sickbed after refusing all other visitors.
Lincoln had visited the Fighting 69th once and noted their bravery, grasping their banner and stating “God Bless the Irish.” Those were words that no British leader would ever speak and Meagher recognized that.
He became an outspoken opponent of slavery at a time when the majority of Irish in New York did not want to fight and die to free African slaves. He went further demanding they be granted full citizenship, not just freedom. “The Black heroes of the Union army have not only entitled themselves to liberty but to citizenship,” he declared.
He was known as “Meagher of the Sword” for his impassioned defense of fighting the British over the Famine holocaust rather than Daniel O’Connell’s way of seeking help through political connections with the Whigs [former British political faction] who ended up more vicious towards the starving than the Tories [members of the Conservative Party in the UK].
His inspiration was the American War of Independence: “Abhor the sword, stigmatize the sword. No, my Lord, for at its blow a giant nation started from the waters of the Atlantic and by its redeeming magic and in the quivering of its crimson light the crippled colony sprang into the attitude of a proud Republic – prosperous limitless and invincible.”
He was fearless in his commitment to causes involving injustice anywhere and his beloved Ireland.
Egan also clarifies what happened at the end in Montana, where he was opposed by a group of vigilantes who ran the territory before his arrival, hanging suspects at will.
Egan’s take on Irish American history gives this book a breadth and significance that would be very hard to match.
KIERAN DOHERTY, aged 25, was born in Andersonstown, west Belfast, on 16 October 1955.
Kieran was a teenage internee between February 1973 and November 1975. On his release he was an extremely active IRA Volunteer and was finally captured in August 1976. Kieran received an 18-year sentence in January 1978 for possession of weapons.
On 11 June 1981, Kieran was elected as TD for the Cavan/Monaghan constituency in the Dáil general election, receiving over 9,000 first-preference votes.
He spent 73 days on hunger strike from 22 May. He died on 2 August 1981.
Big Doc’s final journey
• The funeral of Kieran Doherty TD passes through west Belfast
IRA Volunteer Kieran Doherty, TD for Cavan/Monaghan, died at 7:15pm on Sunday 2 August 1981, the day after Kevin Lynch’s death. Kieran had joined the hunger strike one day before Kevin Lynch and survived one day longer.
Kieran Doherty embarked on his fast upon the death of Raymond McCreesh. He managed, with difficulty, to speak to his family almost to the end though his sight had almost completely gone. Kieran (or ‘Big Doc’ as his comrades affectionately called him) had a strong spirit of survival which kept him conscious for most of his 73 days on hunger strike.
Kieran’s body was brought out of Long Kesh and through Andersonstown to his parents’ home in Commedagh Drive at two o’clock in the morning. About a thousand mourners accompanied the coffin and even larger crowds came out on Monday morning to pay their respects. The next day, hundreds of stewards took position on the funeral route as Kieran’s coffin was carried out of his parents’ house, escorted by an IRA guard of honour. An IRA firing party came out of the crowd and, lining the side of the coffin, fired a volley of shots. As British Army helicopters hovered overhead, the crowd cheered at the Brits’ inability to prevent the firing party from honouring their dead comrade.
• Scene during the funeral Mass at St Theresa’s Church; (below) Kieran Doherty’s coffin is carried by his sister Mairéad (left) a family friend Siobhán McKenna (centre) and sister-in-law Betty Doherty (right)
The cortege then moved through Andersonstown, led by two pipers. It may be recalled that during the Hunger Strike some of the clergy had set out to undermine the prisoners’ protest. In contrast to the attitude of the priest celebrating Mass at Kevin Lynch’s funeral, Fr Hansen’s sermon demonstrated a fundamental understanding of the issues at the core of the Hunger Strikers’ protest. While the presiding priest at the Lynch funeral refused to wear his vestments at the graveside because of the presence of a firing party, the priest at Kieran’s funeral recalled having visited Doherty on the 13th day of his fast and remembered it to be a cheerful event. He went on to recount Kieran’s words when he asked him if he would consider coming off the hunger strike. Kieran replied:
“Look, Father, I could not give up. If I did I would go back to criminal status. I am not a criminal. I never was and never will be one.”
Recalling those words at the funeral of Kieran Doherty, the priest said:
“Basically, I had to agree with him.”
He finished off by saying:
“Kieran was very much his own man. He died quietly and very determined, serene and dignified.”
Fr Toner, who was criticised by Bobby Sands in his diary, was in the congregation, listening but apparently unmoved by Fr Hansen’s words.
It was estimated that a crowd of about 20,000 attended Kieran’s funeral.
Chairing the event, Sinn Féin member Jimmy Drumm referred to the ongoing pursuit of the prisoners’ ‘Five Demands’.
“The British Government needs to be moved on the issues of work, association and segregation.” He finished by saying that with the basis of a just settlement “then we and the families will be spared the anguish and suffering of such funerals as this, and the prisoners who have suffered so much will be able to live in tolerable conditions.” Kieran Doherty was the eighth man to die on hunger strike in 1981 and two more would follow.
The oration at Volunteer Doherty’s funeral was given by Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Kieran’s Director of Elections during the 1981 general election in the 26 Counties.
Ó Caoláin said that the people of Cavan/Monaghan had taken the 26-year-old to their hearts and that they were proud to elect him as their public representative. Ó Caoláin criticised the Irish Government’s handling of the Hunger Strike, saying:
“Their gamesmanship for petty political scores has been a major factor in the continuing deaths in Long Kesh. The people of Cavan/Monaghan hold the present coalition government directly responsible, through firstly their inactivity and afterwards their open support for pressure to be placed on the Hunger Strikers and their families.”
Ó Caoláin recalled all the other Irish hunger strikers who had died as a result of British intransigence, three of them elected representatives: Terence MacSwiney, Bobby Sands and Kieran Doherty. Again of Doherty, he added that Kieran had taken his place amongst all those who fought for the three tenets of republicanism: “Equality, as embodied by James Connolly, who struggled to achieve a classless society; liberty, the liberty of Patrick Pearse; and the fraternity of Wolfe Tone.”
By Brian O’Neill on 4 August 2026I spent an enjoyable Sunday in Belfast city centre on the first day of the Fleadh. It was extraordinary to see such a massive crowd of people in the city centre. The area around City Hall, Donegal Place, Royal Avenue, etc., had been pedestrianised and it really was an example of what’s possible in our city centres if we remove vehicles. Now I say this as a car driver myself, but we all know from holidays to Europe that car-free towns and cities are just more pleasurable to be in.So far, the organisers seem to have done a wonderful job. The stage and big screen in City Hall were great. We brought some folding chairs and were happy sitting on the grass watching the acts.
If I was to give one suggestion to the organisers it would be to put the running order on the big screen so people know what’s coming up next and at what time. The change over between acts was very slow, they should have used the change over downtime to showcase some amateur musicians who would love a shot at the play for such a big crowd or the safer option to run some pre-recorded video of performances.It was impressive to see all the various buildings that have become pop-up venues and bars, for example, the bars on Donegal Street. The big revelation was the electric light station, which is next to St Mary’s Church on Church Lane. I’ve walked past it for years and never thought about what was behind those doors but it turns out to be a massive Victorian warehouse that makes an amazing music venue. Who knew? Rumour has it Barney Eastwood used it to park his Rolls Royce in. I imagine it will become a permanent venue but it does need a bit of TLC as I would say it would be absolutely freezing in wintertime.
the electric light stationIf you come in for the Fleadh, here are some tips for you.Transport: obviously it is best if you can take public transport but if you are driving there are lots of car park spaces around Belfast. You just need to think ahead and be clever. Thanks to deindustrialization and the troubles, Belfast has an insane amount of surface-level car parks, many of which are not very obvious as they’re basically waste ground that the owner has stuck a parking machine in.What you need to do is download the RingGo App and it will show you the locations of all the car parks. Best of all it will show you live how busy they are so you can see where has spaces. My recommendation is 
A pop-up venue on Donegal Street. 
Courtyard at 44 Hill StSome suggestions for next year’s event.Some venues are working better than others. For example as I mentioned above, the electric light station is an amazing success whereas I called into the Telegraph building yesterday afternoon and it was pretty grim: not many people, loud, dark, and smelling of piss. Now to be fair, come Friday night and Saturday the place could be rammed but the organisers need to think is it better to focus the crowd to certain areas, especially during the mid-week quieter times as at the moment it is very fragmented.There needs to be a dedicated family zone as at the moment everything is far too alcohol focused with zero for kids to do. The obvious place for a family zone is St Annes Square or the revamped park next to the art college which will be open for next year. St Annes Square is a wonderful location so I was very surprised to see it not really being used. I passed it a few times and there was nothing on. Very strange. You need a safe family zone with a small stage for kids to play music on, street performers, bouncy castles and other attractions, crafts, face paints, etc.
Ironically I didn’t actually hear much traditional music being played, especially by random musicians. There were a few around trying their best but it was next to impossible to hear them given the loudness of the environment. I imagine that there are lots of musicians trundling around trying to find a session to play in. There needs to be more thought given to where musicians can actually play. Musicians are the golden goose of the Fleadh and they need to be relentlessly accommodated. If the organisers haven’t got them already, there needs to be some kind of musician concierge service that helps organise sessions and informs musicians of what’s happening and what’s going on, what venues are hot, etc. I would even go as far as having musician-only locations that are not known to the general public, as everyone loves a bit of exclusivity. I would even have a subsidised canteen where musicians can get a low cost fed and meet up with each other.
I will give you an example of the problem. I personally am involved with a local school of music but in our WhatsApp group they are struggling to think of where 20 odd musicians could meet up to have a session during the Fleadh. There needs to be a better way to support and encourage impromptu sessions. That may sound like an oxymoron as the whole idea of an impromptu session is that it’s well impromptu but you can do things to help the process, fertilise the ground as it were.What currently seems to be happening is all the focus is on the paid musicians that venues are putting on, which is positive and it’s good to see professional musicians making a living but there doesn’t seem to be much opportunity to play for the amateur and independent musicians who are visiting.Musicians can be delicate little flowers and shoving them in a tent with a thousand people shouting and talking over them is not a great experience. I’m sure the organisers are already engaging with the experts from TradFest etc if not then they need to be fully engaging with musicians and taking their feedback and suggestions on board as a priority.Venues also need to stop with the piped background music. You can’t have an impromptu session with Christy Moore blaring in the background.There needs to be some quality control over some of the stalls. Some of the sheer crap that they’re selling in Royal Avenue is embarrassing. Selling things like BB guns etc. has no place in Belfast and the organisers should review what stalls are selling and not let them back for next year.
My take away from the event so far is that the organisers have done a wonderful job. They are getting good crowds and people seem to be enjoying the festivities. My main criticism would be that there’s too much focus on alcohol and street drinking. Now I know absolutely every event in our society is alcohol-soaked so this is nothing new but the event needs more soul and emotion.My fear is that visitors to Belfast will be going home with the feeling that they had their wallets emptied and did not actually experience much in the way of culture. In fact I would go as far as to say that Belfast has more culture going on in normal times than I’ve actually seen during the Fleadh.It might sound like I’m being a bit negative. I am not. I just think it’s important to review what’s working and what’s not working so next year’s event can be even better. It was very encouraging to see a wide range of people from all parts of society enjoying the festivities, but the organisers must fully engage with all of the Belfast arts community to make sure that next year’s event is more than standing in the street drinking overpriced beer out of a plastic cup. When it comes to culture you always need to balance the heart with the head.
