All Ireland Fleadh campaigner Eamonn Walsh has called on Mayo County Council to send a delegation to next week’s Fleadh in Wexford.
He describes the proposed trip as a ‘fact finding mission’, to find out more about Fleadh operations with 600,000 people expected to attend the event.
Mr. Walsh stated that without the support of Mayo County Council, the bid for an All Ireland Fleadh in Ballina in 2028 will fail.
“It is imperative that Mayo County Council see at first hand the benefits the mammoth event brings to the whole county and speak with their counterparts in Wexford County Council”, he said.
Work has begun on the application to Comhaltas Ceóltóirí Éireann for the Ballina Fleadh, which has a guaranteed levy of €200,000 to be paid once the town is awarded the Fleadh.
Mr. Walsh says that the local Comhaltas is an voluntary organization and cannot be expected to raise the €1.9 million required to stage the mammoth event.
He has compared the situation to that of Sligo, Cavan and Wexford in recent years where the Fleadh has been organized in a joint effort by the County Council and Comhaltas.
This year’s All Ireland Fleadh begins tomorrow (Sunday August 4) and runs until August 12.
