Gary Lightbody praises Belfast’s thriving music scene ahead of Fleadh
Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody has spoken about the growth of the music culture in Belfast as thousands of people are set to visit the city this week for the Fleadh.
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann – the world’s biggest celebration of Irish music and culture – kicks off on Sunday, with 800,000 people expected to attend the festival, which runs until August 9.
Speaking ahead of the opening of the festival, Lightbody said that despite travelling the world playing music, he has always felt the call back to Northern Ireland where he has lived for the last five years.
“I’ve lived around the world, but I’ve always had a place here and have always felt that calling back,” he said.
“There are so many extraordinary places in Northern Ireland and there’s beauty everywhere.”
The multi-platinum artist said that from a cultural and musical perspective, it can be hard to recognise Northern Ireland now from the place he grew up in.
“Maybe then there wasn’t such a connected music scene, certainly not like it is now,” he said.
“We have so many great bands and artists all playing on each other’s records, lending each other kit and really pulling for each other.”
With this year marking the 20th anniversary of Snow Patrol’s Eyes Open album which included the seminal hit Chasing Cars, Lightbody spoke about the concerts that shaped his musical life.
He said: “My very first gig was Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Ulster Hall and my second was Nirvana at the King’s Hall, so not too bad as a start.
“In the 90s there was not that much happening here with huge international artists, bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana are tattooed on our hearts because they came at a time when no-one else would.
“The Nirvana gig was life-changing. When I looked at them on the stage, I knew I wanted to be up there.”
With visitors to Northern Ireland also being encouraged to go beyond Belfast in their time at the Fleadh, Lightbody recommended Bangor’s Guillemot Café on the Seacliff Road, saying: “It’s absolutely brilliant – amazing food and a great wee spot.”
More than 200 events and 180 traditional music competitions are taking place across venues, pubs, and streets throughout the week-long celebration.
It is the first time the annual music festival has been held in Belfast and only the second time it has been held in Northern Ireland, after being hosted in Londonderry in 2013.
The 2026 event is set to be one of the most culturally diverse in its history, with cross-community participation and a celebration of traditions from across Northern Ireland and beyond.
The opening event at Fleadh 2026 will include a special collaborative performance from host branch, Ards CCE, South Asian Dance Academy, Belfast Bands Forum, as well as an array of highland pipers and champion Irish dancers led by Riverdance lead, Lauren Smyth.
They will play at the Gig Rig set up outside City Hall, where musicians and dancers will play from 11am to 11pm every day of the week.
On Sunday the outdoor stage will also welcome over 100 children from primary and secondary schools across North Down and Belfast as part of a schools choir project, continuing to the evening with Goitse, Blackwater Ceili Band and accordion virtuoso Sharon Shannon and her Big Band.
Musicians and dancers from across the world flock to the host city with the aim to compete in the All-Ireland Fleadh music competition with hopefuls from Ireland qualifying from county and provincial Fleadhs to earn their place.
But, many others come for music workshops as well as open music sessions that will emerge in a variety of venues and spaces across the city.