Calls for Wexford public to play a part in Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2025
While we may not be able to do too much about that latter, an army of Fleadh volunteers is once again being assembled ahead of the August 3 kick-off.
Last year saw a team of 1,100 volunteers and they were well needed with over 650,000 visitors in attendance at the Fleadh over the course of the week. This year, Wexford is expected to break its own attendance record once again with around 700,000 Fleadh-goers anticipated, so the team of volunteers will certainly need to be ramped up accordingly.
"All we need is good weather and more volunteers,' Mr Taaffe smiled, speaking at the most recent Wexford Borough Council meeting.
'We need all the volunteers we can get to be perfectly honest. Even if it's just a couple of afternoons, we wouldn't expect anyone to cover the whole duration of the Fleadh. It'll be a great atmosphere and hopefully it'll take place in glorious weather again.'
Mayor of Wexford Catherine Biddy Walsh urged anyone who may have a couple of hours free between August 3 and August 10 to get involved.
"I think we as councillors need to lead by example here too,' she said. 'I think most of us are, but it wouldn't be too much to ask to give a couple of hours during the week to help out.'
Among the roles volunteers are being sought for are street ambassadors, assisting at competitions, helping to keep streets clean, volunteering at concerts, car parking, providing information, photography and much more.
The minimum commitment is a 4 hour shift and shifts vary depending on the role. With volunteers needed throughout the day and night, there is a role and shift time to suit everyone and you can volunteer to just do one shift or as many as you like.
The biggest number of volunteers will be required from the Friday to the Sunday, when the bigger crowds are expected to descend on Wexford.
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Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
Calls for Wexford public to play a part in Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2025
While we may not be able to do too much about that latter, an army of Fleadh volunteers is once again being assembled ahead of the August 3 kick-off. Last year saw a team of 1,100 volunteers and they were well needed with over 650,000 visitors in attendance at the Fleadh over the course of the week. This year, Wexford is expected to break its own attendance record once again with around 700,000 Fleadh-goers anticipated, so the team of volunteers will certainly need to be ramped up accordingly. "All we need is good weather and more volunteers,' Mr Taaffe smiled, speaking at the most recent Wexford Borough Council meeting. 'We need all the volunteers we can get to be perfectly honest. Even if it's just a couple of afternoons, we wouldn't expect anyone to cover the whole duration of the Fleadh. It'll be a great atmosphere and hopefully it'll take place in glorious weather again.' Mayor of Wexford Catherine Biddy Walsh urged anyone who may have a couple of hours free between August 3 and August 10 to get involved. "I think we as councillors need to lead by example here too,' she said. 'I think most of us are, but it wouldn't be too much to ask to give a couple of hours during the week to help out.' Among the roles volunteers are being sought for are street ambassadors, assisting at competitions, helping to keep streets clean, volunteering at concerts, car parking, providing information, photography and much more. The minimum commitment is a 4 hour shift and shifts vary depending on the role. With volunteers needed throughout the day and night, there is a role and shift time to suit everyone and you can volunteer to just do one shift or as many as you like. The biggest number of volunteers will be required from the Friday to the Sunday, when the bigger crowds are expected to descend on Wexford.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Organisers of Wexford Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann announce major change for this year's event
With the Fleadh set to depart for Belfast in 2026, the Wexford Fleadh Committee is keen to leave the best impression possible that will live long in the memories of those in attendance – hopefully a record-breaking 700,000 people this year. In the wake of last year's success, Chair of the Fleadh Executive Committee Eddie Taaffe vowed to carry out a thorough debrief and tweak anything that required it ahead of August 2025. One significant piece of feedback emerging from last year was around The Dome setup in Clonard Church car park, which hosted the Fleadh's showpiece event – the Senior All-Ireland Céilí Band Competition. Many Fleadh-goers felt that Clonard was just too far out from the main hub of activity, while others raised issues around the sound in the huge, purpose built temporary structure. At this week's meeting of the Wexford Borough District, Mr Taaffe confirmed that the committee would be addressing those concerns this year. "We won't be using the large marquee in Clonard this year,' he said. 'We've decided instead to relocate the Senior Céilí band competition to the tent which will host the Breakwater Festival at the far side of the bridge. "It will offer an increased capacity and it makes sense that we can use the venue of the Sunday. We're currently in discussions with the operator there as to how everything will work.' Sinn Féin councillor Tom Forde was curious as to the structure of the deal with Lantern Events, the company behind The Breakwater Festival. "Are we getting the use of the Breakwater marquee free of charge, or has a deal been struck?' he asked. "There are certain requirements,' Mr Taaffe replied. 'The Céilí band competition needs to be fully seated and there are also audio-visual requirements as it has to be streamed online. There will be additional costs arising from this. Seating costs will be significant. It's still more cost effective than another venue though. We'll be looking to share those costs with the operator.' Independent councillor Leonard Kelly followed up by asking if Lantern Events pay to use the council-owned land at the far side of the bridge for The Breakwater Festival. "We charge a nominal fee only," Mr Taaffe replied. 'We're keen to get business into the town. We don't charge for activities on the quay either. Events like this are a huge economic driver into the town and when we don't incur any costs, I don't see why we would charge the operators. "There is a small charge on the quay for vendors during the Fleadh, for example, because we provide them with power etc.' As well as the relocation of the Senior Céilí Band Competition, Mr Taaffe also revealed that there will be a new stage set up to the rear of St Iberius Church at Church Lane Car Park, which will see acts performing most likely from Thursday to Sunday. "There was a huge demand for slots to perform on the main gig rig stage,' he said. 'We wanted to create a bit more opportunity for local groups and smaller acts to perform. "We have roughly 110 slots for performers on the main gig rig on the quay. We had over 400 applications, so there were lots of people disappointed. Hopefully, we'll be able to give a lot of acts another shot at it by performing on this additional stage.' Mr Taaffe also confirmed changes to parking arrangements this year. Last year, the old Timber Provider's yard at Redmond Road had been set aside for parking for those working in town for the duration of the Fleadh. This year, he revealed that this site will be set aside entirely for accessible parking. For workers, park n' ride facilities will be available from car parks at the outskirts of town from 7.30 a.m. and passes will be available for purchase by employers in the coming weeks.
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Irish Independent
Wexford village to welcome one of Ireland's finest céilí bands for Fringe Fleadh 25
With the club having done such a wonderful job hosting people from all over the country at their campsite set up for last year's Fleadh Cheoil, they were the ideal choice to host a wonderful evening of music as part of the Fringe Fleadh 25. Supported by Wexford County Council, Friday night will see a high energy performance from one of the country's most renowned traditional acts – The Blackwater Céilí Band, all the way from Co Tyrone. Since their formation in 2015, the band are widely recognised as one of the finest exponents of traditional music, bringing boundless energy and passion to each performance, creating fresh musical interpretations with distinctive character and detail, firmly rooted in the Ulster tradition. Former Senior All-Ireland Céilí Band winners, they will certainly ratchet up the excitement levels a notch ahead of this year's Fleadh. Support on the night will be provided by local acts Danescastle Music Group and Carrig Bán CCÉ. Tickets for the show are priced at just €10 and are available through Doors open at 8 p.m.
