4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Full steam ahead for Fleadh Cheoil 2025 as Wexford aims to attract 700,000 visitors
Wexford People
Today at 19:00
It was an altogether quiet affair this year as Wexford County Council hosted information evenings around Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann at its headquarters.
Last year's information sessions, taking place in the backdrop of a local election campaign, proved a lot more contentious, even sparking a war of words between sitting councillors and election hopefuls. It also saw a much larger attendance, with the Wexford public not fully aware of what to expect from the town hosting the Fleadh.
Following last year's meeting, some took to social media to call the planning of the massive event as 'a farce', expressing concerns that residents in the likes of Crossabeg and Castlebridge would be left stranded and that people would be unable to access GP and hospital services.
However, such apprehensions seem to have fizzled in the wake of the success of last year's event and this year's information sessions saw only around 30 business owners and 15 town residents attend the information meeting over the course of a day at county hall.
"I think in general, everyone was pretty happy with how things went last year," Chief Executive of Wexford County Council Eddie Taaffe said.
"There were a few minor suggestions and tweaks put forward by those in attendance and we hope to address those in the weeks ahead.'
According to garda estimates, a record-breaking 650,000 people from all over Ireland and the world attended last year's Fleadh Cheoil which was described by Ardstiúrthóir of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann Labhrás Ó Murchú as 'one of the greatest Fleadhs of all time'.
Mr Taaffe confirmed that organisers in Wexford are expecting this year's Fleadh to break attendance records once again.
"Generally speaking, on the second year of a town hosting a Fleadh, you factor in an additional 10% in terms of attendance,' he said. 'With that in mind, we think we could push to around 700,000 people over the eight days this year.'
