AS Wexford’s name was read aloud as the the host town of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, it was greeted with massive cheers from the significant delegation that had travelled to Comhaltas HQ for the announcement.
owever, it will probably have meant more to Paddy Berry from Drinagh than anyone else. A stalwart of traditional Irish music in Wexford, he’s attended more than 60 Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in his time, and he’s always harboured the dream of what it would be like to see his hometown host the world’s biggest celebration of traditional Irish music and culture.
Now, from August 4 to 11, 2024, that dream will become a reality and somewhere between 500,000 and 700,000 traditional music lovers descend on Wexford town, in what will be the single biggest event that the town has ever hosted.
"I’m delighted that I will now realise my dream of filling the streets of Wexford with Irish traditional music, culture, song and dance,” Paddy said.
"I’ve been going to Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann every year since 1959...so that probably puts me at 62 or 63 I’ve attended in total."
Carrying the passion, enthusiasm and drive of a man of half his years, Paddy has spent a lifetime promoting traditional Irish music in his hometown. A traditional singer of some renown himself, Paddy is all to aware of Wexford’s history in traditional music. Indeed, it was he who came up with the idea of the mural of legendary Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann winning button accordion player George Ross in the Faythe – a nod to Wexford’s history in the Fleadh, while looking to the future of hosting.
He’s been pivotal in Wexford’s push for the Fleadh and there was a flood of relief and emotion as it was announced that the bid had been successful.
"A huge cheer went up,” he said. “It was just brilliant. We had a big contingent up from Wexford, young and old, and everyone was just delighted. Belfast had a huge bid in, so we could never say that we were one hundred percent secure. But we had a really strong group of people on the committee pushing for this.
"With around nine months to go, it became apparent that we were in the lead in our bid and there was very good feedback coming out from the Ard Comhairle etc. They were very happy with the venues on offer in Wexford in particular and the town’s general suitability as a whole.”
Although Wexford has figures like George Ross recorded in the history books, Wexford perhaps doesn’t have the same deeply engrained musical tradition of other host towns. But Paddy feels that the legacy of hosting such a huge event will stay with the next generation and inspire them to grow a new and improved culture of traditional Irish music in town.
“Wexford will learn a lot from hosting the Fleadh,” he said. “This would be very new to Wexford. Up to now, a lot of the Fleadh were in towns where the culture of music is a bit different. There’ll be a lot to learn for Wexford and that’s happened before in host towns like Cavan and Derry.”
Given the numbers of people expected to arrive in town for the Fleadh Cheoil next year, it’s likely to require a massive logistical operation, the likes of which we’ve never seen before. But having had in-depth consultations with all the relevant stakeholders, Paddy is convinced that Wexford will rise to the challenge.
"I’ve no doubt about it,” he said. “Wexford has a lot going for it. It’s got some wonderful spaces and venues and restaurants and that type of thing.
“While accommodation is a big issue, it hasn’t been as much of an issue in recent times as it once was. Having said that, I’d hope that the town will step up and open up in that regard and that people will open their homes where they can.
"In Mullingar, eight of us rented a house for a nominal fee. The owners moved out to the country with family for the week and at the end of it they got a sum of money in their hand. There’s a great opportunity there for the people of Wexford too. There’s been no issues with vandalism or anything like that in the Fleadh for 40 years. It’s most families that travel to it these days and I would hope that people would step up, get involved and make their homes available to visitors.”
Speaking of stepping up, the Fleadh is likely to require up to 1,600 volunteers to ensure the event runs smoothly and safely. It’s hoped that locals will pull on the purple and gold jersey on this front too.
"We will need a lot of volunteers,” Paddy said. “This is a huge event. I mean, the gig rig on Wexford Quay alone will be running 12 hours per day for seven or eight days. You can imagine how many volunteers will be required there alone, and that’s just one element.”
Having attended so many, Paddy has an unrivalled knowledge of what’s required from a host town. But which one would he most like to emulate?
“The Fleadh has been in Listowel on thirteen different occasions and they are always the ones that we seem to talk about most,” he reflects. “I made great friends in Listowel over the years. But then, the nature of it now is that Listowel would be too small to host the Fleadh any more. It’s gotten that big.”
