Traditional music fans from Ireland, Britain, North America and elsewhere began converging on Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, last night for Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann.
Up to 150,000 people are expected to visit the town over the next three days for the festival of music, dancing, storytelling, drama and film.
While tailbacks were experienced on approach roads to the town, gardai said motorists should be able to pass through Enniscorthy without undue difficulty. Many people travelling between Gorey and Wexford were using the R471, which by-passes Enniscorthy. Impromptu sessions began in the streets and pubs of the town on Thursday and went on until the early hours of yesterday.
About 600 young musicians from all around the world have been in the town for the past week for Scoil Eigse, a programme of tuition in traditional Irish music which precedes the fleadh. The fleadh was opened by Mr Clement MacSuibhne, the president of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, which has been organising the event since 1952. The first fleadh, a year previously, was run by the Pipers' Club from Dublin and held in Mullingar.
Such is the scale of the fleadh nowadays that it is the policy of CCE's ardcomhairle not to promote it aggressively. The organisation fears if this was done there is not a town in Ireland that could host it.
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