Cheoil agus craic - Good music, good times.

The success of the Irish economy in recent years has led to incredibly rapid change, both social and physical. As a result of the furious development brought on by the “Celtic Tiger,” construction has taken place at a jaw-dropping rate - one third of all houses in Ireland were built in the last ten years. Add this to an enormous surge in immigration that has seen the foreign-born population rise from practically zero to over 10%, and it is not surprising that returning visitors sometimes fail to recognize their old haunts.

While Ireland has launched itself towards modernity, its culture and old traditions are also enjoying a resurgence. Perhaps spurred by a rediscovery of Irish self-confidence, or perhaps because of the appeal of the familiar amid uncertain circumstances, indigenous Irish practices are sustaining their popularity with much greater success than many of their European counterparts.

Nowhere is the health of ‘trad’ music more evident than at the annual ‘Fleadh Cheoil,’ meaning ‘Festival of Music.’ Begun in 1951, the Fleadh developed mainly as a competitive event. The finest musicians from across the country would come to compete for the title of All Ireland Champion in a variety of categories. Over the years, however, a festival developed quite apart from the competition, incorporating parades, street ‘sessions’ (informal concerts), and ‘ceilis’ (Irish dances). Today, over 10,000 musicians gather every year to celebrate their pastime, and over the course of one week the music, not to mention the beer, doesn’t stop flowing. Many visitors simply bypass the competition itself, since the streets and pubs are packed with musicians reveling in the opportunity to play in front of an audience.

The Fleadh Cheoil 2008 will take place in Tullamore, County Offaly (though the location changes every two years) between August 17^th and 24^th. For a town of 15,000 people, an undertaking of such scale is nothing short of breathtaking. Local accommodations do not even come close to meeting the need for over 10,000 beds. Happily, the solution to the problem is typically Irish and provides assurance that Irish hospitality is not dead quite yet – the town asks the people to open their doors and welcome the town’s guests into their homes. It has also been known for sleeping-bags to be unrolled on the floors of pubs by those who don’t want to miss a minute of the action.

In short, the Fleadh Cheoil is one week of unrestrained celebration of all things Irish. Cheoil agus craic, the Gaelic saying, sums it up perfectly. For visitors to Irish shores there can be no better introduction to Irish culture.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=U8i-ahlqmuY