Around 35,000 people showed up in London this past weekend for the return of the Irish Feis music festival.

The new Feis Festival replaced the annual Fleadh that ran for 14 years at Finsbury Park in north London, which ran from 1990 until 2004.

The headline acts of the two-day festival included Van Morrison and Bob Dylan. More than 50 acts took part in the multi-stage festival including Cranberries, the Undertones, the Waterboys,
Thin Lizzy and the Saw Doctors.

Renowned Irish folk artists including Christy Moore, Clannad and Shane McGowan also took to the stage.

Commenting on the large volume of Irish now immigrating to the UK, Feis promoter Vince Power said it was a “nice bonus”.

“The Irish people who come to the UK now are not the same as 21 years ago,” Power told the Irish Times. “This is a special anniversary and there is also a fresh appetite for an Irish music festival in Britain.”

“The market in Europe is quite fragmented and there is a great opportunity there,” he said.

“Small independent companies like us can be more creative and that’s what we want to do with the Feis for years to come.”

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