City-county tension over €120m Fleadh snub

Cork City Council’s interest in hosting Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann has caused quite a stir amongst Cork county councillors who feel a joint bid must be discussed.

Last month it emerged that Cork City Council will soon decide whether or not to formally apply to host the lucrative traditional music and heritage festival, considered the biggest of its kind in the world and capable of bringing in up to €120 million to the host county. However, the city council’s lack of engagement with Cork County Council regarding a joint city-county bid sparked much debate amongst elected members at Monday’s full county council meeting. Social Democrats councillor Ann Bambury got things underway with her motion calling on Cork County Council to express a joint interest in any bid to host Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, an event organised by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.

Cllr Bambury, a Comhaltas member herself, said she feels “very strongly” about Cork City Council’s submission plans. She said: “I'm disappointed that Cork City Council did not reach out to Cork County Council with respect to this submission.

“If we are to be serious about hosting the fleadh, it must be a joint venture. It cannot simply be viewed as a city event.”

The Bandon-Kinsale rep added that the two councils “shouldn't be arguing over who owns the fleadh” and should instead be asking how to make Cork the strongest possible candidate to host it.

Cork City Council confirmed is it considering a bid to host Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in both 2028 and 2029.

A statement from Cork City Council said that any decision will be based on “engagement with relevant stakeholders” and will be determined by several factors which will require “thorough consideration”.

The statement did not specify whether Cork County Council is considered a “relevant stakeholder” in this case.

Meanwhile, a statement from Cork County Council said it remains committed to responding to “any engagement from Cork City Council” in relation to any bid to host Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.

Supporting Cllr Bambury’s motion was Cllr Sinéad Sheppard (Fine Gael) who said a collaboration between city and county would work “extremely well”.

“Competing against each other is not what we want to do here,” she said.

Also in support was Social Democrats councillor Isobel Towse who urged that traditional Irish music and dance is “alive and well” in towns and villages across county Cork. “You could argue they’re holding it all together,” she told the council.

She added: “The city and county need to work together on any bid to bring the Fleadh to Cork because including us can only enhance their application.”

This year, Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann was hosted in Belfast and is estimated to have brought up to €60 million to the region with over 1.6 million visitors making their way to the city, over twice the expected amount.