Members of the under-12 New York Céilí Band refining their sound at the House of Irish Music and Dance in Woodlawn, in preparation for Fleadh competition.
By Daniel Neely
I’m sure few Echo readers need to be reminded that Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann is the world’s largest group dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Irish traditional music. Perhaps some readers (or members of their family) have even been CCÉ members at one point or another in their lives – maybe even as young competitors – and understand well the organization’s aims and goals. With this in mind, I think many will be interested to know that CCÉ’s annual Mid-Atlantic Fleadh Cheoil will take place this weekend, May 5-7, at the Parsippany Hilton in Parsippany, N.J. If recent success is any indication, this year’s Fleadh will yield a large crop of strong, new competitors who will do the traditional music community proud. It promises to be a very special event, indeed.
Billed as “a weekend celebration of traditional Irish music, dance, song, and the Irish language,” the Mid-Atlantic Fleadh is one of the two biggest annual traditional music competitions in the United States and Canada. (The other is the Midwest Fleadh, which will take place May 12-14 in St. Louis, Mo.; see midwestfleadh.org for more.) In it, hundreds of young competitors from the Mid-Atlantic US, Northeast US, Southern US, and Canada East regions compete either on their respective instrument(s) or in groups (and often both) for the opportunity to travel to the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Ireland to compete for the prestigious title of “All-Ireland Champion” in their age group.
This year, the Fleadh Cheoil will run Aug. 13-21 and will once again take place in Ennis, Co. Clare, as it did in 2016. (See fleadhcheoil.ie for further details.) North America has had a superb track record with the All-Ireland over the years. Folks like Kathleen Collins, Liz Carroll, Eileen Ivers and Brian Conway, Billy McComiskey, John Nolan, and John Whelan are only a few of the U.S.-based individuals who have won in senior competition. I was recently reminded that Erin Loughran, Maeve Flanagan, and Deirdre Brennan won the trio competition not so long ago and were the first fiddle trio to do it. More recently, folks like Dylan Foley, Josh Dukes, Sarah Buteux, and Jake James, have experienced success at the All-Ireland. And for sure, there will be those in this year’s competition who will be recognized their achievement – who will it be this time?
As is often the case, the road to Ireland for the region’s young musicians passes through Parsippany. The Mid-Atlantic Fleadh is always a lovely weekend packed full of events and they all seem to pass by quickly. Things kicks off on Friday with the grupai cheoil competitions. I’ve heard some of these bands and am of the belief that competition this year will be fierce. If music competitions aren’t you’re thing, a set dance workshop happens concurrent to the competitions and there’ll be a Ceili Mor (with the Fleadh All Star Band) to follow where you can try out your new dance moves.
Saturday is the big day as it’s when the solo music and the sean nos, ceili & set dance competitions all happen. During this time, the hotel’s halls are crowded with young musicians and their parents, either in anticipation of their turn in front of the judges or full of relief that their competitions have ended. The atmosphere is electric with the sense of pride and accomplishment – and rightly so – over the hard work that everyone’s put into preparing for the big day.
Saturday night is the Hall of Fame gala banquet & céilí which will feature the installation of Mike McHale, Eileen Goodman, and Keith O’Neill (R.I.P.) into the Mid-Atlantic Region’s Hall of fame. These three inductees are well known to everyone in the region and are richly deserving of the honor. For those who mightn’t know, the Region’s Hall of Fame was created in 1990 by then-chairman Jack Whelan to recognize and acknowledge the musicians who had distinguished themselves over the years. Today, there are over 40 members of the Hall and these new members will join the likes of Andy McGann, Paddy Reynolds, Jack Coen, Mike Rafferty, Joe Madden, and many, many others who have helped make the Region and its music what it is today. To see the full list of the Mid-Atlantic Region’s Hall of Fame membership, visit cce-ma-hof.com.
A dance featuring to the Hall of Fame Ceili Band and the Fleadh All-Star Band will follow the induction ceremony.
Sunday will open with an Irish Mass said by Msgr Charlie Coen, with the day’s competitions being the duet, trio, and céilí band competitions. In addition, a sean nos dance workshop will be held in the afternoon. The céilí band competitions are often said to be the crowning competition of the weekend and because the performance standard always very high, competition is fierce. Bands in the younger groups have had unusual success – who will forget under-12 Pearl River Ceili Band winning the All Ireland title in 2012? The day’s final competition is that for senior céilí band. With the New York Céilí Band there to defend it’s crown, it should make for an exciting afternoon of music. It’s a regrettable fact that only two senior groups have ever placed in All-Ireland competition. This year’s winner, however, will look to change that.
The 2017 Mid-Atlantic Fleadh promises to be a brilliant weekend of music! Congratulations in advance to everyone who will compete, you’ll be doing the community proud! For more information about the competitions, attending and meal package opportunities, visit www.nyfleadh.com.
