The Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is set to be hosted in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2026, according to a report in The Irish News on Wednesday, February 19.
Should Belfast be confirmed as host - which appears likely - it will be only the second time that the Fleadh will be staged in the North after Derry played host in 2013.
The Irish News said that Belfast City Council confirmed an "announcement is expected in March," while Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey separately said on Wednesday that the announcement will be made on March 8.
Hosted by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, or the All-Ireland Fleadh, is the world’s largest annual festival of Irish music, song, and dance.
Since its beginnings in Mullingar, Co Westmeath in 1951, the Fleadh has become a national institution, an annual event now drawing upwards of 600,000 visitors to the host town over the course of a week of festivities and competitions in August each year.
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Mullingar, Co Westmeath in 2022. (Ireland's Content Pool)
According to The Irish News, Belfast’s successful bid for 2026 was made by Belfast City Council in partnership with Ards Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and comes after previous attempts to bring the Fleadh to the city in 2023 and 2024 failed.
The Irish News noted on Wednesday that a Belfast City Council report on the city's 2024 bid had found that a lack of Irish language in the submission was among the reasons for the city being passed over yet again. Other issues with the bid included insufficient disabled access.
The Irish News also noted that in 2022, TUV councillor Stephen Cooper tried to stop a letter of support being issued by the Ards and North Down Borough Council to Belfast City Council and Ards Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, who were making a bid to host the Fleadh.
The 2023 Fleadh was hosted in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, while the 2024 Fleadh was hosted in Wexford, where it will return this August 3 - 10 for the 2025 event.
Having hosted the Fleadh 14 times, Listowel in Co Kerry has hosted more than any other location in Ireland, though the town has not hosted since 2002.
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Derry City in 2013. (Ireland's Content Pool)
Welcoming Wednesday's report, Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey said: “It’s fantastic that there is set to be an announcement of Fleadh Cheoil coming to Belfast.
“The festival would be an historic celebration of arts and culture, attracting hundreds of thousands visitors and injecting tens of millions of pounds into our economy.
“This is hugely exciting news for our citizens and businesses, and is sure to have a positive impact on our communities for generations to come.
“Sinn Féin has supported Belfast playing host to this festival for many years, and I look forward to the week-long programme of events focusing on music, singing, dancing, storytelling and the Irish language.
“As we continue with the regeneration of Belfast, this festival would mark an important milestone in our city’s ongoing transformation.”
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