Ballina is selected for major national show
All-Ireland champion concertina player Aileen Bourke will feature in the show.
Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Éireann is staging a specially commissioned show entitled 'Caírdeas' in Ballina Arts Centre on Wednesday, October 29.
'Caírdeas', meaning friendship, will be a musical and inspiring story of Comhaltas Ceoltóiri Éireann and the All-Ireland Fleadh from its inception in 1951.
The show is produced by Ray Conway and narrated by Mayo native Ciana Campbell who is no stranger to stage, RTÉ Radio or television.
The show will premiere in Comhaltas HQ in Dublin on October 25 and then move to Dundalk, Belfast, Letterkenny, Ballina, Ennis and Cashel.
A cast of 15 musicians, singers and dancers drawn from the four corners of Ireland will include All-Ireland champion concertina player Aileen Bourke from Bonniconlon and the newly-crowned All-Ireland champion accordion player Noel Stapleton.
The show will also feature a 15-minute slot by Cuimsiú, a powerful initiative developed by Mayo Comhaltas to foster inclusivity and belonging within the world of Irish traditional music that recently featured on RTÉ Nationwide. The Cuimsiú initiative includes an inclusive competition for performers with additional needs/disabilities, offering performers the opportunity to participate in the Fleadh Cheoil in a format tailored to their individual needs.
Eamonn Walsh, PRO of the Moy Valley branch of Comhaltas and a member of the organising sub-committee at Comhaltas HQ, said it’s a huge honour and a huge boost to the All-Ireland Fleadh campaign that Ballina has been selected as one of just seven venues nationwide for 'Cairdeas'.
Árd Stiuthoir of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Dr Labhrás O’Murchú will attend the Ballina event and Mr Walsh is hoping to organise a meeting with Dr O’Murchú and local public representatives to advance the Ballina Fleadh campaign.
Mr Walsh has appealed to everybody in the area to come out and support the event which is a once-off tour. Tickets, priced €20, will be available shortly at the Ballina Arts Centre. The event is a non-profit venture.
Contact 087-2775317 for further information.
