Heading to the Fleadh - by Méabh Ní Fhuartháin (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book is the first comprehensive examination of the history and evolution of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil). and its role as transformative cultural phenomenon.

Book Synopsis

This book is the first comprehensive examination of the history and evolution of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil). As a transformative cultural phenomenon, the Fleadh was central to the revival for Irish traditional music during from 1951 to 1969. Reflecting broader patterns of Irish life and society, this book charts the genesis and development phases of the Fleadh in the 1950s and the challenges of identity which the Fleadh experienced in the 1960s.

Review Quotes

Heading to the Fleadh is a comprehensive, clearly written study that parses the beginnings of a hugely important aspect of traditional music's development in the 20th century. Teachers in college-level Irish studies classes will find this book an indispensable addition to their syllabi, but I think anyone who has ever worked with Comhaltas on an organizational level or competed in the Fleadh Cheoil ne hÉireann will find this book noteworthy.

--Daniel Neely "The Irish Echo"

"Méabh gives context to that first Fleadh and to Comhaltas, and paints a fascinating picture of the festival's evolution in its early years, with competitions and other events being added, removed or adapted until the celebration came to more closely resemble today's Fleadh."--Judy Murphy "Connacht Tribune"

"Skillfully critiquing a broad range of scholarship on Irish traditional music, drawing on international comparisons, engaging with archival sources, and through many interviews, Ní Fhuartháin brings together important insights on Irish musical culture through a focus on the origins and development of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann that informs our understanding of the event in the present."--Daithí Kearney "The Journal of Music"