The World Fleadh

The World Fleadh is a new international music festival which premiered in August 2006 in Ballybunion, Co Kerry, Ireland. The Irish Midland town of Portlaoise was the location in 2007 and is proud to host the event once again in 2008 . Lorient in France,  Cambridge in England and Milwaukee in the United States of America (to mention but a few) all host major annual festivals at which many of the world’s best-known Irish performers feature prominently. There are, of course, many festivals in Ireland which feature a selection of our most respected traditional musicians, but there was no national gathering of the stature and magnitude of the aforementioned overseas events. It is the objective of The World Fleadh organisation to fill this void and to develop an annual unique cultural festival which will take place in Ireland over a five-day period in a specially designed festival village.The World Fleadh comprises theatre, marquee and outdoor concerts by the most celebrated Irish traditional & contemporary performers in the world, in addition to exclusive Irish performances  by a selection of the world’s greatest Celtic/World Music performers. The ethos of the Festival will be to showcase not only the best of Irish Music in its purist setting, but also provide a platform for the best-known innovators and contemporary performers within the Irish music, song and dance traditions.Master classes & demonstrations in music, song and dance will be provided by the top names in the Irish music business. Throughout the five days, there will also be World Title music, song and dance competitions with significant awards, scheduled music sessions in up to 10 venues each day, 10 ceili’s and a plethora of fringe events for all tastes and ages. The world fleadh will once again take place in Portlaoise in 2008 from july 31st to august 4th. The rights have being acquired by a local committee who have employed Eric Cunningham as festival director ......