Linguistic problems at Fleadh

SEVEN years on and they still have not got the pronunciation correct; the Guardian in its preview suggested that Fleadh is to be pronounced so it rhymes with "bar". Others felt it should be pronounced "slee-adh", still others opted sensibly to ignore the linguistics game and just get on with the business in hand of lying on the grass, knocking back Guinness and enjoying the music.

The London Fleadh is not only the city's biggest musical event (last Saturday's attendance was 35,000) but the biggest celebration of "Celtic" music outside Ireland.

Organised by the mighty Mean Fiddler Organisation it has featured everyone from The Dubliners to The Cranberries to Ash over the years.

This year's headlining act was supposed to be Bob Dylan - who is from that well known Celtic stronghold of Minnesota - but illness put paid to that and instead Shane McGowan with his Popes made the short journey up to Finsbury Park, North London, to fill the gap.

Cloudless skies and a beating sun had everyone in good humour as the more traditional type of Irish music competed for the audience's attention with the more contemporary pop of The Lightening Seeds and the louche cabaret antics of The Divine Comedy.

MC for the day Dave Van ping held the whole thing together admirably and the organisers were thrilled by the "no incidents, no fights, no rows" behaviour of both performers and crowd alike.

Naturally it wouldn't be a music festival if you didn't have to queue for three hours for a drink and two hours for food but, given that the festival induced good nature in everyone present everything ran smoother than a Van Morrison rhythm section.

The Man himself stirred things up with a jaunty and giddy set before making way liar a very together Shane McGowan. The crowd was puzzled when he dedicated one of his songs (Paddy Public Enemy No 1) to Dominic McClinchey, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the man beside me just may have got it wrong when he explained to his friend that Dominic McGlinchey was the daughter of Bernadette McGlinchey who had just given birth in a London hospital. They'll need to work on their politics as much as their pronunciation.