Ballina’s quest for 2028 All-Ireland Fleadh gets underway

A meeting regarding the Fleadh is set to take place in Ballina this month.

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann representatives and Mayo County Council will meet on Thursday, February 22, in an effort to bring the All-Ireland Fleadh back to the town of Ballina after a lapse of 26 years.

Mr Joe Connaire, Chairman of the Mullingar All-Ireland Fleadhanna, will address the meeting and outline the benefits the All-Ireland Fleadh has brought to Mullingar and the wider region over the past two years. 

The All-Ireland Fleadh in Mullingar attracted 600,000 people over the ten-day event and generated in the region of €120 million to the local economy over 2023 and 2024.

RTÉ and other TV stations from around the globe cover the annual major cultural event, providing a huge tourism boost to the host town and county.

Former chairman of the Connacht Council of Comhalta, Michael Brennan, headed the venues for Sligo and Mullingar festivals, and will advise the meeting on the number of venues required in Ballina.

Head of Aviation Business Development, Marketing and Communications, at Ireland West Airport, Donal Healy, has confirmed he will attend and represent the airport at the meeting.

Eamonn Walsh, a spokesperson for the local Comhaltas groups, described the

meeting as ‘hugely significant’ and the start of the campaign to bring the Fleadh back

to Ballina for the first time since 1998.

He paid tribute to the work of Mr Billy Lewis, former CEO of Moy Valley resources, as well as Mr Oliver Rouse and Mr Paddy O’Hora, former executive members of the Ballina Chamber of Commerce who made the 1997 and 1998 All-Ireland Fleadhanna in Ballina possible.

Mr Walsh is calling on all Mayo business people throughout the world to back the Fleadh and provide sponsorship in order to fund the festival.

Ballina was awarded its first Connacht Fleadh in 2023 to coincide with ‘Ballina 300’ celebrations. The event was a resounding success and lauded by the Árd Comhairle of Comhaltas in Dublin’s HQ.

Mr Walsh said that the entirety of Mayo county would ‘benefit from an All-Ireland Fleadh’ and urged the whole County to get ‘behind this mammoth event’.

Ballina is currently going through an impressive transformation, with the opening of the Military barracks at the Market Square with its huge outdoor performance area, two new schools, and a number of additional venues in the construction stages.

Dr Labhrás Ó Murchú, Director General of Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Éireann, who officially opened the Connacht Fleadh in the town last year, said it ‘ticks all the boxes’ to host the All-Ireland event. 

“A lot of big towns don’t have the atmosphere required, but Ballina has it everywhere. The ’97 and ’98 Fleadhanna in Ballina are a part of Comhaltas Folklore” he concluded.