Patsy McGlone 2nd September 2009

Cookstown SDLP Call on Council to Lobby for Fleadh Cheoil

SDLP Councillors in Cookstown are asking the Council to lobby Comholtas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCE) to hold next year’s Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in the local area. The motion to Council is signed by SDLP Cllrs Mary Baker, Peter Cassidy, James McGarvey, Patsy McGlone & Tony Quinn.

SDLP MLA for Mid Ulster, Patsy McGlone, said the news that Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ) is considering holding the all-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil at a northern venue offers new opportunities to promote our rich cultural tradition, and would provide a much needed boost to the local economy.

Mr McGlone said: “The recent statement from CCÉ Director General Senator Labhras Ó Murchú will be warmly welcomed by all lovers of Irish music and culture. My party colleague, Culture, Arts and Leisure spokesperson PJ Bradley called for just such a move earlier this year. More recently, an ad hoc cross-border group of elected representatives met with Senator Ó Murchú and the leadership of CCÉ to discuss the idea.

“Previous Fleadhanna, including this year’s event, the 59th Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, held in Tullamore, County Offaly, for the third year in a row, have attracted 200-250,000 people to the area. All of Mid Ulster would benefit from the boost such a large number of visitors would give to our local economy.

“It would indeed be a great achievement if the all-Ireland Fleadh could be held in the Mid Ulster area, but this is not just a matter of the millions of pounds that the Fleadh can inject into our local economy. The Fleadh Cheoil is now a major international cultural event and the organisers have developed great skill and expertise in making it a genuinely inclusive event and the time is right to bring that spirit of inclusiveness to the north.

“Traditional music in particular has never lost its ability to act as a bridge between the two communities here because it is virtually impossible to draw a firm line between its Scottish and Irish origins. The music of the Ulster-Scots tradition is a tremendous repository of our common musical culture and a northern Fleadh would present a great opportunity to recognise it as such. When musicians of both sides get together they will both know the tunes and hopefully find new harmonies.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors –
Motion to Council:
“That Cookstown Council lobby for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann to be hosted in the Mid Ulster Area.
Cllrs Mary Baker, Peter Cassidy, James McGarvey, Patsy McGlone & Tony Quinn”
 

ENDS 02/09/09