Councillors support Ballina's bid for All Ireland Fleadh
Musicians enjoying the Connacht Fleadh in Ballina last year, which was a huge success.
Ballina’s bid to host the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil was widely supported by councillors at this week’s monthly meeting of Mayo County Council.
Fine Gael Cllr John O’Hara brought a motion calling on Mayo County Council to support an application by Ballina to host the world’s largest annual Irish music festival in 2028.
Cllr O'Hara said he had attended a meeting with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Director General Dr Labhras Ó’Murchú in Dublin and a delegation from Comhaltas also visited Ballina to assess possible venues. He said a lot of potential venues have been sourced but the local committee in Ballina “cannot go any further unless we get support from the council”.
Independent Cllr Mark Duffy seconded the motion, saying the local authority should do everything possible to help the campaign to bring the All-Ireland Fleadh back to Ballina for the first time since 1998.
“It is an exciting proposition. Whatever we can do to support it we should. Ballina has a good track record of hosting big events, including the Fleadh.”
Cllr O’Hara said it will cost €2 million to host the All-Ireland Fleadh in Ballina, but it could generate about €70 million for the town and the wider North Mayo area. It would also attract sponsorship that would allay the €2m cost. Cllr Christy Hyland said the All-Ireland Fleadh would benefit the county as a whole.
Council chief executive Kevin Kelly said councillors would have to wait until after the local elections before signing off on a proposal to financially support the bid, but that could happen by July.
