Lambeg at Fleadh in Cavan

Imagine the biggest street party in the world with hundreds of traditional musicians playing all along the main street, side streets and in every room of every pub.That was the scene last weekend in the town of Cavan for the 60^th Fleadh Cheoil.

I arrived in Cavan late Friday afternoon, but the party had already been going on all week.Each day the music would begin mid-morning and continue to the wee small hours.By midnight, the street would be covered in a layer of empty beer cans and plastic glasses.By 9.00 a.m. the street would be cleared and cleaned as if nothing had ever happened; only to see it start all over again and by mid-day, thousands would throng the town centre once more.The hundreds of musicians and dancers on the street were of all ages – from about 4 to about 84, and there were eccentric characters in abundance from all over Ireland who obviously treat the Fleadh as an annual pilgrimage.The crowds of spectators from all over the world were from all walks of life and I got the impression that they mostly were there out of curiosity and for the merriment; and weren’t necessarily devotees of Irish traditional music.Nevertheless, those who were there out of curiosity, will have gone away thoroughly impressed with the state of Irish trad music and with the way Ireland promotes its culture.One really impressive aspect of the street party, was that there were tens of thousands of young people having lots of fun consuming considerable quantities of alcohol, and there was absolutely no aggression, no bother whatsoever.There were none of the brawls that you would expect in such an environment and I doubt if there were many arrests other than the one I witnessed.Outside the Garda station, there are trees, bushes and flower beds.Two lads decided to discreetly relieve themselves in the bushes, obviously not realising who the bushes belonged to.They were most apologetic and vowed to the cops, who approached them from behind that it would never happen again, but I suppose somebody had to be arrested for something to justify the presence of the Gardai at all.The lads stated that they were from Armagh and in court no doubt, for their defence, they will point out that police stations in Armagh do not have bushes, only barbed-wire and tall, steel perimeter walls.

Off the street the pubs were bung full and Cavan has to be one of the few towns left in Ireland that still has a ridiculous number of traditional pubs for the size of the place. Good food was also available in abundance to cater for all tastes and budgets.Obviously, having a Fleadh there for the past two years has kept pubs, shops, cafes, restaurants and hotels in business that may otherwise have floundered.As well as the constant sessions in the pubs, indoor concerts took place in larger venues throughout the town.Performers included Sharon Shannon, Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny, Cherish the Ladies and the London Lasses.We also caught part of a performance in the Imperial Bar by Fiddlers Green – seasoned performers who expertly worked the spirited youthful audience. There was literally something for everybody: parades, theatre, storytelling, talks, cinema, craft markets, art exhibitions, laser displays at night and even the town’s churches pulled out the stops. I talked to one lady who had been very impressed by the singing in the Roman Catholic Chapel. She pointed out though that she had gone straight away across the street to take communion in her own Church of Ireland just to keep things right.

The main outdoor stage was called the Gig Rig and was set up in the outdoor square known as the Egg Market.I had the pleasure of performing there – briefly on the Friday evening, and again on the Saturday afternoon.The massive crowds showed great appreciation for the Lambeg drum and fife, which the vast majority of them had obviously never heard before.The significance here of course, was the Lambeg’s association with Ulster Protestantism:There was obvious strategy here by the festival organisers; a reaching out to the other culture on the Island of Ireland.The last time our band had performed to such a huge crowd at an outdoor event, was on the 12^th of July at the Field in Randalstown. Like the crowd on the Twelfth ,the Fleadh audience showed enthusiastic appreciation of our performance, but there was exceptional warmth in Cavan; a bonus in the awareness that they were responding positively to something they were not used to.

The Cavan Fleadh is probably a classic example of where public money can be put to very good use.This was Cavan’s second year hosting the event and they hope to secure the contract for another year in 2012.This was my first time at a Fleadh, but I find it hard to imagine another town having the infrastructure and the organisational skills to cope with such a massive event in such a successful way. There were no long line-ups for food or drink, or line-ups to relieve yourself of the easily acquired drink.The lads in the bushes at the Garda shop obviously didn’t stop to think that there would be an even more private spot to relieve themselves, within a short walking distance; a socially acceptable spot that was even legal.

Much credit must go to Comhaltas, Cavan Council and those in the town whose tremendous work, foresight and hospitality, made the Fleadh such a huge success. The recession, bankruptcy, debt, etc; all seemed like just a bad dream, or just another Irish myth and in some strange way, I think if Ireland could produce more successful events like this, their present economic woes just might in reality become a figment of someone in Dail Eireann and the banking world’s imagination. Most folk in Cavan seem to agree, that while the success of this festival was dependent on a massive collective undertaking by a large number of people, the main man behind the Fleadh was Martin Donahoe.A brilliant musician and entertainer himself, Martin is also a rare example of someone whose creative right-side-of-the-brain is matched by a logical left-side-of-the-brain. Any other town seeking to host the Fleadh would need a Martin Donahoe type character, who seemingly runs on some sort of other-worldly energy that doesn’t require any sleep.A group of individuals with the combined talents of Martin wouldn’t work because they would just fall out among themselves.

Good Luck to Cavan in their bid to host the all Ireland Fleadh 2012.I would go back.

Willie Drennan

www.theulsterfolk.com