'Fleadh Fringe' event clashing with Pipe Band Championships approved: Council to review tourism strategy in wake of controversy
A controversial ‘Fleadh Fringe’ event clashing with Ulster’s annual Pipe Band Championships ha s been approved – but the council responsible is to how it conducts tourism in the wake of the outcry.
An eight-hour ‘Fleadh Fringe’ Irish folk show is to be staged on the same day as the 73rd annual Ulster Pipe Band Championships, each taking place just a few minutes’ walk from each other in B angor on August 1. The all-Ireland Fleadh begins in Belfast the following day.
Last night, Bangor’s council voted to hold them both at the same time, after officials concluded that staging them both at the same time was a better idea than keeping them separate.
But unionists pushed through a move to have the council potentially rework its entire approach to tourism events, after the fleadh event was awarded £40,000 without a full breakdown of how that money will be spent.
Several years ago, the council axed tourism funding for a range of smaller festivals popular with their local community to focus on wooing people from outside the area. At a debate last night, unionists pointed out that community event organisers now often struggle to jump through bureaucratic hoops to get cash, and could be unhappy with the decision to hand a five-figure sum to the fleadh event despite the council not having a complete set of details.
In a report, council officials argued that staging the Fleadh Fringe on a different day wouldn’t work, though pipe band parades could be restricted as a result.
Holding it on Friday, July 31 would mean only around half as many people would be likely to show up as it’s “a working day”, say officials, and may mean the event would have to be shortened to just the evening instead of the full eight hours.
It’s also predicted that people coming to the fleadh from outside Northern Ireland will arrive on Friday night and Saturday morning, so wouldn’t be around to visit a Friday fringe event.
The folk show is due to feature performances from the local Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, which teaches Irish traditional music and dance to children and is to be heavily involved in programming the event.
According to the council report, that organisation has “indicated they are not available to participate in July dates”.
More to follow.