Staging an eight-hour ‘Fleadh Fringe’ Irish folk show just minutes away from a massive pipe band competition will “sideline a major, long-established cultural event in favour of a first-time concert”, an Orange Order district says.

As the News Letter exclusively revealed last week, Bangor’s council has approved clashing events on August 1, when the Co Down city is due to host the 73rd annual Ulster Pipe Band Championships.

At the same time as the contest is running, an open-air Irish folk event tied to the all-Ireland Fleadh, which kicks off in Belfast the following day, will happen a short distance away – and may result in city centre parades linked to the championships having their route or time restricted.

The council is funding both events, but has agreed to hand a larger sum to the Fleadh Fringe even though officials weren’t able to give politicians a breakdown of how £40,000 of public money will be spent on the folk show.

placeholder image — Competitors in 2019's UK Pipe Band Championships. This year's Ulster Pipe Band Championships are to be held in a large park in Bangor, happening at the same time and just a few minutes' walk from an open-air eight-hour concert connected to the all-Ireland Fleadh. Photo: David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press

Now the Orange Order’s Bangor district has hit out at the conflicting date, a spokesman stating the council’s decision has “created an unnecessary and avoidable clash of space, resources, stewarding, traffic management and public attention”.

The city’s council has strongly denied there could be any issues with having the pipe band championships and Irish folk show running simultaneously, maintaining that its officials “view the hosting of both events on the same day as a significant opportunity for the city of Bangor”.

But the Orange Order is adamant the clash will cause problems, suggesting that as the pipe competition was already slated for August 1 and the Fleadh runs in Belfast over the subsequent week, the folk concert should have been scheduled for a different day.

Said the Bangor District spokesman: “The Ulster Pipe Band Championships are not a new or speculative event. They are a proven, long-established part of Bangor’s cultural calendar, with a city centre parade and significant visitor numbers.

“The council knew this event was scheduled well in advance, yet still chose to drop a first-time ‘Fleadh Fringe’ event directly on top of it.”

The district pointed out that they were forced to cancel a 2024 Bangor remembrance parade for Orange Victims Day because the council insisted on a lengthy Equality Impact Assessment for it, yet a similar test doesn’t appear to have been applied to the Fleadh Fringe event.

“What is most troubling is the inconsistency,” the spokesman told the News Letter.

“The council has previously been willing to spend public money carrying out Equality Impact Assessments for brief commemorative events organised by Bangor District, yet appears to have proceeded with this decision without applying the same level of scrutiny at the point of decision-making.

“You cannot claim to support cultural balance while disadvantaging one long-established tradition and fast-tracking funding, promotion and resources for another.”

The pipe championships are set to see around 50 bands perform and bring around 10,000 people to Bangor, while the Fleadh Fringe is predicted to be attended by up to 5,000 people over its 1pm to 9pm duration.

Last week a council committee agreed to stage the Irish folk show, despite misgivings from unionists about the date clash. An official told that committee the concert’s organisers stated August 1 “was the appropriate date to do it”.