For mother and son Adele Haase and Matthew Rowe from Liverpool, the Fleadh Cheoil has been an unexpected treat.
“We had no idea it was on, and when we got to the hotel [in Belfast], they said, ‘have you heard of the Fleadh?’ and we were like, ‘no’,” explains Rowe.
“It was unbelievable. It’s brilliant. It’s everywhere, so it makes just walking the city phenomenal.
“On our whole first day, we didn’t feel the need to do anything else, because we were just loving going from place to place and seeing people playing the music.”
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“It’s our first time here,” says Haase. “In the 70s and 80s, the reason why I didn’t come to Ireland was because of the Troubles. It’s been fantastic, that [the Fleadh] has just made it extra special.”
This is the first time Belfast has hosted Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, the annual celebration of Irish music and culture, though it is not its first time in the North; Derry took that honour in 2013.
More than 800,000 people are expected to attend the event, which runs until Sunday.
Locals and visitors alike have hailed the transformation of the city centre, thanks to temporary pedestrianisation and a big clean-up effort. However, on Friday, The Irish Times reported that rough sleepers had been moved from Belfast city centre for the Fleadh.
Many have remarked on the festival atmosphere on Belfast’s streets – as well as the extent to which it has been embraced by both communities.
“What a time to be alive,” said a beaming Maurice Brown, who performed in the opening ceremony as part of the Belfast Bands’ Forum, Belfast Band Forum.
“That a Northern Irish Protestant march band would take part in the opening of the Fleadh … [and] for it to go down the way it did was truly amazing.”
