ASIDE FROM the competitions in the official venues in Cavan town, where the winners of the 2010 All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil will be declared at the weekend, there is another fleadh taking place daily on the streets, and in the pubs, showcasing Ireland’s traditional music buskers.
This chaotic but extremely talented brigade is to get the appropriate recognition too. There is an opportunity to share in a €5,000 prize fund, introduced by the fleadh organisers, to encourage the street musicians to play their hearts out.
“It’s not even necessary to enter to win the prize money… all they have to do, is play their music in the pubs and on the streets, and they’ll be spotted by a team of anonymous judges who will assess their talents, ” said a fleadh spokeswoman yesterday.
She added that daily winners in each category of busking will be announced at the weekend, along with prizes given for young and old street “contributors”.
And there’s also the opportunity for a recording contract for the most outstanding performer as an added bonus.
“The emphasis is on fun and entertainment with traditional musicians, singers, and dancers all being encouraged to take part.”
Several thousand people have already made the journey to Cavan for the fleadh, and by Sunday it is expected the event will have attracted over 200,000 patrons.
Gardaí have introduced special traffic restrictions in the town and they have appealed to all drivers to co-operate with fleadh stewards.
All the major competitions are taking place in different venues over the weekend. Hoteliers, pub owners, BBs, and restaurants, estimate the fleadh will be worth more than €30 million to the area.