Cavan hosts a masterful Fleadh Ceol (IrishCentral)

Cavan town, Ireland. Overview - Church of Irel... (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Four years ago at this time the Breiffne County was putting the finishing touches to what would be the only submission to the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann Executive Council to host the annual Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann or the All-Ireland Championships and Scoil Eigse (summer school) that precedes the August weekend competitions.

Long a dream of Martin Donohoe, Cavan’s most fervent traditional music booster who knows when opportunity knocks you open the door quickly, he mustered a number of other musicians in the county to join forces.

With Tullamore, Co. Offaly finishing a successful run of three years hosting the fleadh during the final days of former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen, a Tullamore native, Donohoe rallied forces in the county council, his native Cavan Town, county tourism and business leaders to take a crack at it.

A determined coalition led by county manager Jack Keyes was quickly cobbled together with the very clear intention of seizing a moment when Cavan needed to distinguish itself among Ireland’s 32 counties. Their mantra in the first year of 2010 was “Let Cavan Surprise You.”

And so it did for three magnificent years as the Keyes-led team of very creative, energetic and indefatigable operatives built up not only fleadh branding in a way that had never been seen before, but also a Cead Mile Failte tourism blizzard that brought back that image of the very hospitable Ireland where people were glad to see you and not just your wallet.



Read the full story at IrishCentral:
Cavan hosts a masterful Fleadh Ceol | From The Hob | IrishCentral

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