More than 2,500 musicians at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann have broken the Guinness World Record for the most tin whistles played simultaneously for five minutes in a row.
In Chadwicks Wexford Park, an ensemble of school students, families and festival attendees played out renditions of The Boys of Wexford and The Dawning of the Day March. The record — which now stands at 2,516 people — will feature in the 70th anniversary edition of the reference book.
“There’s something that’s quite uniting about people coming together to play music anyway,” says Craig Glenday, editor in chief of Guinness World Records. “But to do it with traditional musical instruments adds another layer. It’s a culturally significant thing for that community.”
Fleadh Cheoil 2024 runs to this Sunday in Wexford, encompassing a range of traditional Irish music competitions, sessions, dances and exhibitions. This year’s theme is “A Fleadh for All”, encouraging people from all backgrounds and skill levels to attend.
To that point, the tin whistle was the perfect fit. “I didn’t realise tin whistles were such an inherent part of Irish school life,” says Glenday. “Everyone I’ve met says I’ve got one in the attic.”
Castlebridge, about a 10-minute drive from the GAA stadium, is considered the home of Guinness World Records. Though the book has been produced in London since its first edition was published in 1955, the idea for it was conceived in Wexford.
In 1951, Guinness Breweries managing director Hugh Beaver went on a hunt in Castlebridge and got into an argument with a fellow shooter over which game bird was the fastest. Staying in Castlebridge House, the pair went through a library of expensive encyclopedias to settle their dispute but found no answer.
“Hugh realised that in pubs all around the world, people would be arguing about things,” says Glenday. “And what you needed was a reference book that looked at the world from a sort of superlative angle and wasn’t created by an expert as such. It totally worked.”
Catherine Roche, the lead instructor for the tin whistle ensemble, believes events like this one can have a big impact on traditional music as a whole. More than half a million people are expected to attend this year’s fleadh, with a line-up of about 15,000 players, dancers, singers and storytellers coming from all over Ireland.
“It used to not be cool to play music,” she says. “I have three teenagers and they play a little bit, they play more sport than music. But it’s now cool to play music which is unbelievable for traditional musicians like us.”
Roche has been travelling to schools around the county since April teaching students the tunes being performed. She has also worked with Castlebridge Tin Whistlers — a group that has accommodated students from age five to 90.
“It’s the basis for all music,” adds Roche. “It’s your starter instrument and then you move on to something else. I play the pipes and the flute; you start on the whistle and you just get to love music.”
Standing on the pitch and watching members of his family playing in the stand, Meath native Tommy O’Brien says the experience is amazing. They are shrouded in traditional music. His daughter Niamh, an Irish dancer herself, is married to Michael Flatley.
“My wife has been practising for this,” says O’Brien. “She totally believes in it for the last two months. With Niamh and Niamh’s son, they’re having a ball, and they’re taking it very seriously. And I’m delighted that they are because it’s absolutely amazing to see this here now.”
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