It always struck me as odd how certain parts are determined as being one side orthe other in this part of the world. Therefore I am delighted that Bangor is playing host again to the Co Down Fleadh 2013. Last year it was confined to 2 pubs and a parish hall. It was a fantastic success. This year it has expanded to 6 pubs, a parish hall and there is a large banner as you enter the town welcoming all. That, my friends, is truly a whole new world.
I’ll be attending a few of the events and so will a few serious trad players including Sharon Shannon. I would encourage unionists also to attend, perhaps to witness that although our songs may be sad, even patriotic, they are not sectarian.
Tá fáilte roimh gach anseo
"We in coming days may be" 
Fair play to Bangor.
People obviously feel comfortable in Bangor but most of all they feel safe.
And why shouldn’t they.
Diddly Dee music is a threat to no one.
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Very true. Music is a great artistic form; there may be some variations I don’t particularly like (C&W would be my main point of loathing) but all genres have something that can stir the emotions.
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Good to see this.
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Carrickally,
Have you every come across a group that do a gig/play/storytelling with a Lambeg drum and a flute.
Don’t remember them mentioning Ulster Scots although no doubt that would be the genre.
Think they said they came from Tyrone.
Saw them a few years back in a lefty pub in Derry.
Went down very well.
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No idea about the lambeg group although Tyrone would sound about right – most lambegs in County Antrim don’t have a fife accompanying them so that narrows it down to Tyrone and Armagh.
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Lefty pub in Derry? San Dino’s
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Specially for Sammy, our resident Ruggerball expert, here’s Simon Zebo and Paddy Jackson with their latest rap video, it’s seriously brilliant! 🙂
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Quality – especially the boul Paddy.
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Nice generosity of Spirit from all in Bangor.
Speaking of good music there was a large band parade up on the Beersbridge tonight, there was one especially big band dressed in blue; Carrickally were you there and was that the massive band from Lurgan? Sounded ace.
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No ad, I wasn’t at it. I’ve heard the Lurgan band (Is it Craigavon PBFB, they have a blue uniform?) is big but big doesn’t necessarily equate to good all the time.
Our band with three sides, one bass and ten flutes could more than hold its own against the big boys on the street and with one side have won indoor competitions, but that’s just me boasting!
BD, will you keep us posted on events in Bangor and can I ask, how do you pronounce Fleadh?
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Flaa. The dh is silent
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It might have been a visting band from Scotland, so I’m told.
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Open to all, was it Alfie?
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Well the NILT poll hints that many Unionists hostility to Irishness is being greatly diminished. It is after all their culture too, but among more aware Unionists or Liberal Irish Protestants there must be debates in how the Scottish Independence debate and outcome may predicate the future of the ‘wee north’. This reevaluation will I’m sure add to the numbers at the Bangor Fleadh.
Enjoy the Craic BD!
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mekonged
The northern politic class if they live in reality will also take note of a possible future turn to the right.
A NO vote in Scotland followed by a YES vote by the little Englanders in their millions to leave the EU.
How it would effect the local traditional music scene. i don’t know.
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Don’t know about them but I think my brain may overload if I add that contingency to the reckoning. Don’t our overlords have ‘Chaos Theory’ as their compass and incomprehensible logarithims to test all competing scenarios. One of those equations may suggest a ‘Little Englander’ triumph will bring Eire back into the Motherland, for clearly the West Brits will jettison the EU dictatorship if it means their beloved Crown irretrievallbly casts adrift from Brussels et large. We’ll than have our 32 county devolved parliament in Dublin and Lambeg Drums echoing through the Shankill Fleadh!
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Personally, I’d have no problems with Lambeg’s being played at a Fleadh. Carrickally, as Enda says is indeed pronounced “Flaa” The literal translation is “Festival” or more properly, Fleadh Ceol meaning Festival of music.Ceol being pronounced “Key owel”.
I am open to correction by the purists 🙂
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Cannot say I would object to a lambeg drum being played and may I suggest the Brian Boru drum?
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What about the Bagpipes would u have them along from a local Northern Ireland pipe band? Say the Field Marshall Montgomery Pipe Band they are rather splendid.
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Might well file this under “Be careful what you wish for”.
How long would a sanitized Stormont or the toytown parliaments in Edinburgh or Cardiff last if the UK took a massive turn to the right.
See UKIPs view of devolution.
And how does any of this effect the Bangor Fleadh, well taking the past record of certain unionist politicos passing wild remarks over the most trivial of events then a diddlydee weekend in Bangor would be up there with holding a 1798 commemoration in the town.
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On a similar tip from yesterday’s Irish Times
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/momentous-decisions-ahead-for-both-scotland-and-the-united-kingdom-1.1429281
although it doesn’t really say very much.
Enjoy the Fleadh!
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Interesting comments re: Scottish and little English nationalism. Two things that I don’t believe will happen are a yes vote for Scottish independence or UKIP assuming power (even in a coalition) that would result in the re-constitution of devolution.
However, the referendum on EU membership will be a close run thing. I’m a Europhile and think that the EU has done more good than harm for NI. That doesn’t appear to be the majority view on the mainland – or else it’s a case of empty vessels? Of course, the wealth-creating SE corner see the EU taking and not giving whereas the western fringes can see the physical improvements funded by them (although not the improvements funded by the Treasury, an interesting case of nationalistic cataracts, perhaps).
Of much greater importance will be foreign aid. While trade unionists and do-gooders congratulate themselves on raising the issue of world hunger amongst a couple of thousand people, they won’t worry that they’ve negatively impacted upon the retail core of Belfast in a way similar to the flag protests and their unintended consequence is to cut money generated for the local economy. We’re also going to see a hit tomorrow, thanks to Obama’s visit. If we can’t afford to support our local traders, why should we expect our revenue to be used to send aid to corrupt regimes in the hope they will continue their not-anti-British stance?
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The last line in that is the interesting one for me. Why indeed aid johnny foreigner in his messy domestic problems? Far better spending the dosh on projects in your own interest, and what possible interest does the best country in the world ever have in the oil rich, geographically strategic countries of the Middle East region for example or in the emerging mineral rich countries of Africa? Better stay away from that – could not possibly be of interest. Perhaps a Cod War with Iceland since they did not give the profligate banking sector their money back would serve the best country ever better?
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With your references to the best country ever, I’m wondering why you’re dragging Canada into this? 🙂
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I think so much of what gets discussed here can be boiled down to notions of identity. Whether we’re talking about an ‘Irish’ Fleadh in ‘British'(!) Bangor, the UK/EU referendum, Scottish independence or NISRA and NILT surveys.
Economists and politicians can set out the facts as they see it, but I’ve come to believe that identity is perhaps one of the most basic human needs. Maybe not as intrinsic as food and shelter, but possibly as important as the need to procreate.
Whether this takes the form of a Corkman differentiating himself from a Jackeen, or an Orangeman distancing himself from a Republican I think that for most people belonging is perhaps more important than being equal.
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The modern Irish spelling would be fleá – but fleadh persists in usage. No matter. Bain sult as, a chara.
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Fair enough, I’m still learning FF
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Well, most people know what a fleadh is. Not many would recognise a fleá (unless perhaps, they saw it on an Ulster-Scots speaking dog). Sod the caighdean.
In Ulster Irish -(e)adh endings are generally sounded ‘oo’ so a fleadh would be a floo, which incidentally is Ulster-Scots for influenza.
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FF,
Lol. You’re in the wrong business whatever it is, you deserve a turn at the end of whatever oolster politics show the BBC are producing these days 😉
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Which pubs Dub?
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The Rabbit Rooms, Donegans, Jennys, Wolseys and that other place, the dodgy named one, ah yeah, Fealtys!
Was a great weekend Mick
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Thanks, couldnt find mention of any venue bar the Parish Hall (they used to call it the Little Flower Hall in my youth)
The original, and the best… 😉 Fealtys has been hosting sessions there unbroken since the early sixties, and spawned at least one moderately successful band..
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The online advertising was very poor, I’d single out the CCE website in particular. Not sure if it was a “heads down” type of thing but nevertheless it was a great weekend. I neglected to mention Coyles on my list by the way
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Incidentally, horror of horrors, Fealty’s has been repainted in red and black!
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Paint is good! The grey and black livery had been there since 1961, at least… Times (eventually) move on… Do they still have the upstairs lounge?
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Mick,
It’s there but unused
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