President Mary McAleese Connolly opens Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Belfast, describing the festival as celebrating the “universality” of music. The opening takes place at Belfast City Hall and is attended by hundreds of people, including Stormont’s First Minister and Deputy First Minister, who also address the gathering.
The festival is presented as the world’s largest celebration of Irish music. Organisers say it includes more than 200 events and 180 traditional music competitions, drawing competitors and participants to Belfast for a broad range of performances and contests. The event brings together musicians and audiences from different communities and backgrounds, with the emphasis on the shared appeal of music.
Across the coverage, the focus is on the ceremony to mark the start of the Fleadh, the participation of major political figures in Northern Ireland, and the scale of the programme in terms of the number of events and competitions.
