Fleadh2020 on TG4
(Above) Niamh Kelleghan with the Mullingar Session-Fleadh 2020, including Joe Connaire, FEC chairperson on the left.
TG4’s Fleadh2020 begins this Thursday at 9.30pm
Fleadh2020 is a four-night celebration of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, and each night there is a focus on the different provinces and musicians representing each.
On Sunday night the focus is on Leinster musicians, among whom are Fleadh chairperson and banjo player Joe Connaire from Mullingar and Enda Seery from Streamstown.
Fleadh2020 on TG4, August 6-9, 9.30pm on TG4
TG4 in partnership with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, brings us Fleadh2020, a four-night celebration of Fleadh Cheoil from around the world on August 6-9 at 9.30pm on TG4.
Fleadh2020 is a gathering (socially distanced and virtual) of Irish traditional musicians from around the world who, under normal circumstances, would be coming together to celebrate the All-Ireland Fleadh – ‘The Homecoming’ – in Mullingar in August.
Over the four nights 6-9 August, Fleadh2020 will capture the essence of this annual event – the music, song and dance and the stories – and present a unique insight into the fleadh community, across Ireland and around the world.
On each night, presenters Dáithí Ó Sé, Doireann Ní Ghlacáin and Kieran Hanrahan take viewers on a journey through a different province, starting with Munster, then Connacht, Ulster and, finally, Leinster.
Each night also includes music from musicians around the world – from Scotland, New York, Tokyo, and Brisbane and plenty of chat and fleadh stories along the way too.
On Thursday August 6, we kick off Fleadh2020 with a celebration of all things Munster with music from the Crossfields Céilí Band from Freemount in Cork, Meabh Begley from Baile na nGall, Mick Flannery-Cork and Susan O’Neill from Ennis, Aidan and Aine O’Donnell and friends from Tipperary, last year’s U12 fiddle champion Laoise Ni Chinnéide with Brian Morrissey from Tipperary accompanied by Chris Kelly, the five Fitzgibbon siblings from Croom, County Limerick, the Droney family from County Clare, and traditional music’s legendary duo, Seamus Begley and Steve Cooney.
For the second programme on Friday night the focus is on Connacht, and we meet the Kane Sisters, Liz and Yvonne, along with dancer Nathan Pilatzke; brother and sister Seamus O Flatharta and Caoimhe Ní Fhlatharta from Carna; We Banjo 3’s Fergal Scahill from Corofin and Ryan Molloy with young fiddle player, Sarah McHale, from Athenry; we have the Bofield Comhaltas group from Ballina County Mayo, Síoda from Sligo who perform with harper-composer, Michael Rooney, the O’Fatharta family from Moycullen, Joanie Madden will be joining us from New York, the Moylurg Céilí Band from County Roscommon, and we have legends Matt Molloy from Westport and John Carty from Boyle, along with young musician, Jack Molloy.
For Saturday night, we delve into Ulster with music from The Blackwater Céilí Band, Donegal’s 13-strong female fiddle group, Sí fiddlers, featuring Mairead Ní Mhaonaigh, Bríd Harper and Liz Doherty, dance sensation David Geaney, who performs a live version of one of his online collaborations with dancers, Ailbhe Liu and Seoda Wang from Donegal, the Ards Comhaltas group from County Down, last year’s U12 whistling champion, Seán McAleer, pipes and harp duo Padraig McGovern and Sabina McCague, the Molloy family from Derry, Armagh’s Brian Finnegan along with his 10-year-old student, Odhrán Woods.
Some of the mighty young musicians from across the province including Jack Warnock, Eimhear Mulholland, John McCann, Oisín Murphy, Dearbhla Scallon, and the Walls Sisters, and trad super group, Beoga.
All this and a special performance from Fleadh veteran, Michael Flatley.
The last night of Fleadh2020 on Sunday night focuses on music from Leinster. There will be an opening set of tunes from Mullingar Fleadh chairperson Joe Connaire and friends, music from Attracta Brady and friends with young dancer, Cormac Lynch, singer-songwriter, Lisa O’Neill, fiddle music from Paddy, Kevin and Doireann Glackin, young multi-instrumentalist, Ademar O’Connor, some of the finest traditional music teachers including Kieran Hanrahan, Tom Doorley, Enda Seery and Jim and Damaris Woods, and a celebration of 30 years of Four Men and a Dog, all together for a first ever full reunion, with original band members Gerry ‘Banjo’ O’Connor, Mick Daly and Brian McGrath.