‘No’ to Derry for Fleadh 2013

‘Statement from Comhaltas Dhoire….

Comhaltas Dhoire are very disappointed to learn that the Ulster Council of Comhaltas have rejected Derry’s bid to host Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. This decision was reached by a majority but not all of the members present. We understand that it was based on the perceived threat from dissident republicans to families and visitors celebrating Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Derry.

Comhaltas Dhoire believe this decision is a mistake and plays into the hands of those who want to hold back any efforts to bring opportunity to our city and region. Derry’s bid for the Fleadh has been acknowledged as being one of the best packages ever presented to Comhaltas and yet we have been denied our right to celebrate our Irish culture.

We will be appealing the decision to ensure the voices of everyone who sees the value in celebrating Irish culture and those who support our bid is heard. ’

Another article here: http://www.robertmcmillen.ie/2012/01/derry-fleadh-bid-fails/


What do those here think, would you feel comfortable in Derry given the supposed dangers, or do you think it would’ve been a good location?

Well I’ve never been involved with Comhaltas and I’d never be able to make it to Derry, but I’m right with you in thinking that the decision is a bloody shame. We simply can’t go on living for ever like that. Good luck in your campaign to get this cowardly decision reversed, and if there’s going to be a petition or something I’d want to be right up there near the top of the list. Cheers, Steve.

I would feel comfortable there and I think it would be a great location. Such small minded people who oppose it. Jeez — its music and dancing and singing — culture. Nothing to be afraid of. Come on into the 21st century Ulster Council. Good luck to you.

Spent two lovely days in Derry last June. Toured the Bogside, admired the murals, visited the Museum of Free Derry, even got to play some tunes at the Strand Bar. We just missed the official opening of the Derry Peace Bridge over the River Foyle by a day. I felt totally comfortable there. I happen to be Catholic but no one there would’ve known that. We also happened to be in Belfast the night of the 21 June riot, and though we were staying less than 3 miles from the scene of the riots, we heard and saw nothing out of the ordinary. It’s a big town. Anyway, I agree that it’s stupid to not hold Fleadh 2013 there out of fear. If you need letters sent to the Ulster Council saying so let me know.

Good luck!

Ming

i was really looking forward to a derry fleadh. i hope that they change their minds. i’m sure the concerns of the ulster council will be known, so why not let the full Ardchomhairle make the decision?

There’s more on the story here - http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0123/breaking38.html.

Labhrás Ó Murchú usually gets what he wants.

I don’t think the decision not to hold the Fleadh in Derry is really about links with the city of culture tag or any other tag for that matter. It is simply a practical matter, that being the reason the event has never gone north(bar Donegal obviously). With the fleadh arriving in any town in the south there seems to be a tacit undersatnding with the authorities that for 1 week only anything goes(within reason obviously). What I really mean is that the pubs can overcroud and stay open late(really properly late) without incurring the wrath of the Law. Any Fleadh in the north would see the licencing hours enforced to an incredibly degree of accuracy wth venues closed and emptied within 20mins of their opening times. This does not exactly fit within the spirit of the Fleadh. I’m sorry, but as long as the 6 counties remain within the jurisdiction that they do there really is no place for the fleadh there. Nothing political in my argument at all. Just a pure stament of fact.

if those well known experts on terrorism the CCE say it is unsafe…we gotta listen. I mean their Health and Safety is appalling so it really must be dire what they think will happen

It benefits the Irish economy if it is held in the Republic.
Labhrás Ó Murchú is a TD for a constituency in the Republic of Ireland.

Whilst some of the south Derry comhaltas branches may have stated their opposition to the Fleadh 2013 being linked with the UK City of Culture, I do not think this is the real reason. Comhaltas has to think of the safety of its members and patrons. In recent years there has been up on 300,000 visitors to the fleadh. If this perceived threat from the RIRA was to manifest itself, jus imagine what would happen?
If there was a bomb scare on the Saturday night how would the PSNI react? How would the crowd react? Imagine the panic and the confusion which would follow. Exactly how would they go about making sure over 250,000 people were safe and out of danger…remember, these are the same dissidents who killed 29 people In Omagh nearly 14 years ago!
Whilst I know this could happen in any town or city in Ireland which hosts the Fleadh, I think when there is a threat to the safety of the fleadh visitors, the Ulster council were perfectly right to decide not to endorse the Derry bid. A single bomb scare would not only do comhaltas, and the fleadh cheoil alot of harm, it would also damage the greater Island of Ireland, and the crumbling tourism industry which we are trying so hard to save!

Well as you rightly point out it could happen in any town or city. Equally likely, I’d have said. So how much longer do we carry on running scared? Why does anyone bother putting on the Olympics when you think about security? Who wants to show who whose country it is? Anyway, nuff from me on this. I have to bone up on me Scottish chunes for Wednesday!

Says mog: Any Fleadh in the north would see the licencing hours enforced to an incredibly degree of accuracy wth venues closed and emptied within 20mins of their opening times.

Says me: Nonsense. The Fleadh in Castlewellan in 2008 wasn’t a bit like that. Only a county Fleadh, I suppose, and the pubs might have closed the front door at some seemly hour, but there was no stopping the music or the drink. Downside for me was the cigarettes coming out once the doors had shut….

Smoke & mirrors stuff. It’d be perverse in the extreme if supposed threats from dissident Republicans were to damage a festival of trad music in Derry. Even they, with their distorted views, surely couldn’t quite twist them that far to destroy part of their own heritage. A threat from dissident Loyalists might be a more likely scenario but these groups have largely dissapeared.

"Comhaltas has to think of the safety of its members and patrons. In recent years there has been up on 300,000 visitors to the fleadh. If this perceived threat from the RIRA was to manifest itself, jus imagine what would happen?"

This argument is ridiculous and backward looking. If every organisation took this attitute there wouldn’t be much hope for this country moving forward. A decision was taken to hold the Irish Open Golf Tournament just up the road from Derry in Portrush. This is a major European event and thousands of people will be in attendance at that in June. Also, MTV hosted their Music Awards in Belfast in December. This was a real showcase for the city and Northern Ireland in general and thousands flocked into the city. As Steve said we can’t be seen to be running scared any longer.

What a load of rubbish posted in the main by people who seem to have no idea what they are talking about. Wait for the full story folks.

load of b……s,why would any ira pose a threat to irish culture,theres more to this than is being told

absolute b…..ks. This has expressly been said that it was because of the UK city of culture tag and the bombings were just an excuse. grow up comhaltas.

god im glad im not a member anymore

Actually I was surprised that they would consider Derry since the Fleadh went north to Cavan from Tullamore. I would expect that next year the Fleadh is going to go West or Southwest.

Portrush is ‘just up the road from Derry’? Buy a new road atlas, DavidEd!

I’m solidly with strayaway on this one.

"What a load of rubbish posted in the main by people who seem to have no idea what they are talking about. Wait for the full story folks."

Well if you know something we don’t know, let’s have it please. The people on here who you accuse of posting rubbish can only go off what we’ve heard, and I think we’re fully entitled to express our sentiments, thanks, whether they’re right or wrong. Put us right by all means but do it by presenting us with the bits you know that we don’t. Cheers.

"Portrush is ‘just up the road from Derry’? Buy a new road atlas, DavidEd!"
Well I didn’t say how far up the road 😉 .. 25 Miles - just a good stroll.

Steve, some of the inane comments on this thread have not been heard anywhere until now…..

OK, if you can’t or won’t give us the whole story I suppose you’ll just have to carry on being quasi-enigmatic…

I think I’ll put a Morrissey CD on…hard to whack a bit of second generation Irish wit.

i was born in Derry and spent most of my life living in Derry, Portrush isnt far away and is in the same county. maybe MacCruiskeen should buy a road map himself

Portrush is not in the same county as Derry - it’s about 30 miles away in County Antrim. Sounds like everybody needs a map!

Any advance on 30 miles? 35, anybody? 😀

According to the AA Routeplanner, it’s 37 miles from the centre of Derry to the centre of Portrush.

And after all the *To’n and Fro’n* Derry is back in the running for the Fleadh along with Sligo of course.

Do I hear 40? Anyone?

"And after all the *To’n and Fro’n* Derry is back in the running for the Fleadh along with Sligo of course"

I’m stunned by the influence this group has !! What next … end world poverty ?

Like lambs to the slaughter…Larry the lamb, that is!!

apologies - Portrush is mainly in Co. Antrim, right on the border to Derry. Portstewart is in Co. Derry. no need for road maps here thank you

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-16715200

I personally oppose the fleadh going to Derry. I think it would be a fantastic location and I don’t believe that there would be any problems of violence etc. However, I just feel certain people are pushing Derry in order to carry out remarkable political achievements for themselves. If the fleadh went to Derry, people in distinguished positions would get a great deal of praise on a political level for carrying out such an achievement. That’s not what the fleadh is about. After all, comhaltas is a non-political organisation. Maybe my opinions are ludicrous but its just the way I feel about the whole situations. Lastly I purposely didn’t mention any names as I don’t want to get involved in a nasty debate

"After all, comhaltas is a non-political organisation."

Teehee. This made me chuckle.

All the Northern Ireland resident, long time fleadh supporters through good times and bad that I have talked to are vehemently opposed to Fleadh going to Derry. Lets listen to people who have lived through good and bad times on this island and who know what they are talking about. They all say it would be a disaster.

It would be nice for those of us who don’t live on that island to know what their reasons are for thinking it would be a disaster. It’s quite important, actually.

It is indeed important Steve. Good of you to take an interest and I wish more people would do likewise. The history of this Island is complex and torturous…it is indelibly etched in the hearts and minds of many. I strongly recommend that you delve into the past before enquiring about the future and I say that sincerely. The long term Fleadh goers will have little say in where it’s staged, of that we can be certain. As for being a disaster….a disaster for who? that’s the important question…..it could well be that the same conclusion is reached by polar opposites for very differing reasons….history can teach us a lot and I strongly suspect you already know that.

"All the Northern Ireland resident, long time fleadh supporters through good times and bad that I have talked to are vehemently opposed to Fleadh going to Derry"

you must not have spoken to very many

And after all that;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-16772316

‘Derry wins bid to host the All-Ireland fleadh
Londonderry has won its bid to host the All-Ireland Fleadh in 2013.

Members of the central executive of traditional Irish music body Comhaltas met in Dublin to decide the venue on Saturday.

Sligo was also in the running to host the fleadh. Ennis had withdrawn its bid.

The festival attracts up to 300,000 visitors and is worth about 40m euros to the host venue.

Comhaltas promotes traditional Irish music and culture around the world.

Derry, which will be UK City of Culture 2013, was a late confirmation on the shortlist after the Ulster Council of CCE reversed its decision not to support the bid.

It had withdrawn its backing after two bombs exploded in the city last week.’

Congratulations to all those involved.

Based on the topic of this thread and the fact that fleadh will be held in Derry, this type of communication is a very clever form of reverse political manipulation.
It’s bottom up manipulation as opposed to the usual top down appraoch.

# Posted on January 28th 2012 by Scots_Niall
https://thesession.org/discussions/29222

Only seein this now, I for one Im very happy that Derry will host the Fleadh. Ive lived close to the border my whole life, events like these are needed to help all those small minided people get over the past. I was in Omagh the day the bomb went off, but how long long do we need to be running scared and avoiding the subject for, after all we are one island, one nation! I cross the border quite a lot, spending most of the summer in the north and Derry will be a fantastic host for the Fleadh. They hold a magnificent festival for halloween every year and it goes off without a hitch, well as its seen from the public view. the psni are well equiped to ready to deal with anything that might(not very likely) were to happen. Its about time everyone moves on. I personally cant wait for 2013 Fleadh as I feel it will be one of the biggest and best in the past few years.