Nashville native Hannah looking forward to experiencing her first Fleadh

Music lovers from across Ireland and the rest of the world will be travelling to Mullingar in the coming days to attend the first Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in three years and the first in Westmeath's county town since way back in 1963.

Among the international visitors attending the largest traditional music festival in the world is American singer songwriter Hannah Delynn Johnson.

A native of Nashville, the home of country music, Hannah is currently a guest of one of Westmeath's best known musical families, the Wrafters from Kilbeggan, and is particularly excited to see how Thomas Wrafter gets on in the 12-15 year old bodhran competition in which he will be accompanied by his older brother Conor.

Hannah got to know the Wrafters after her father met Thomas and Conor's father Peter when he was performing in America a number of years ago.

After attending the recent Willie Clancy Summer School in Clare for a few days, she is very eager to sample her first Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.

“I am really excited to see all of it. Not only the music but more of the culture, the language and seeing people from all over the world playing Irish music.

“I am really excited to see Thomas and Conor play together but I am going in flying blind,” she says.

Street sessions are a huge part of the fleadh experience and something that Hannah is particularly looking forward to.

“...You just want to slip into the cracks in terms of seeing what is going on in those corners of the streets because it is everywhere. So I sort of want to come in and be surprised,” she said.