Fleadh 2019

whelan2

Doesnt seem to be as much about it this year as last year. Will it be as big or good as an event as last year?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Every ad break over the past couple of week on RTE Tv and Radio 1 has an advert for it

ssmith6287

Doesnt feel like as much buzz around the town. Last year all of the store fronts were being done up, the streets were hopping with activities. Feels a bit meh this year

Leaving it very late this year to do anything. They only got around to doing the weeds around town this week.

There was some work done to the parking facility on Donore Rd. to clear it and there was a fence installed to make it smaller but it was massively underused last year.

They are using the Abbey car park this year for some of the events and no effort has been made at all to spruce that up and looks very shabby and run down. Actually it's probably 15 years since I last set foot in there.

endacl

Speaking as a fleadh veteran, I’ll be giving it a miss. As will plenty of others.

Drogheda may have killed the fleadh.

ssmith6287

In what way has Drogheda killed the fleadh. Not getting defensive, its just quite a strong statement. Anyone I spoke to about last year said it was great

endacl

Very few spots for musicians to actually sit down and play. Ballad shouters playing through PAs in many of the pubs. Piped music out onto the Main Street making street sessions unworkeable....

Drogheda missed the point. Was a great party for the town, but a shyte fleadh. Could’ve been a great party for the town, and a great fleadh.

Scotty #

ssmith6287 wrote: »

Anyone I spoke to about last year said it was great

Last years was great, but Drogheda has been in the news a lot since then for all the wrong reasons. Last year you could see the all the preparations being done, all the banners up, the excitement building. This year, with barely two weeks to go, you'd hardly know it was even on driving around the town.

I suspect the numbers will be well down on last year. It's a shame.

blingrhino

The ongoing gang feud certainly wont help either.

MightyMighty737

endacl wrote: »

Piped music out onto the Main Street making street sessions unworkeable....

Masisvely. Weavers absolutely ruined West St by blaring music out onto it.
Place was jammed though so I suppose they'll do the same again this year.

IvoryTower

The musicians who stayed in my house last year all contacted about staying again so I'm sure plenty of people enjoyed it, I've taken the week off myself and can't wait.

Sam Quentin

The reason you're not seeing as much activity as last year is because not as much work is needed as a lot of what you seen on the streets was built/assembled on the spot...but it's all in storage now ready to go,.like Blue Peter(here's one I made earlier)all sitting busting to come out of storage and rock Drogheda to its core,. it'll be a great Fleadh as good if not better than last year..

whelan2

No park and ride facility in monasterboice this year. Was very handy last year

delly

Being someone who was completely ignorant of what the fleadh was last year, I had no intention of going in or really understanding what it involved. I ended up going with others and was pleasantly surprised, it had such a great buzz, was so well managed, it was just such a great feeling being in the middle of it. Roll on this year!

blingrhino

whelan2 wrote: »

No park and ride facility in monasterboice this year. Was very handy last year

Thats a disaster.

Scotty #

Sam Quentin wrote: »

The reason you're not seeing as much activity as last year is because not as much work is needed as a lot of what you seen on the streets was built/assembled on the spot...but it's all in storage now ready to go,.like Blue Peter(here's one I made earlier)all sitting busting to come out of storage and rock Drogheda to its core,. it'll be a great Fleadh as good if not better than last year..

I hope you're right!

I was one of many volunteers who were out cleaning, painting and ridding the town of graffiti before the last fleadh. Weeks and weeks of effort put in.

I'm noticing this year no one is too bothered. Seems the ungratefulness of the Council to the volunteers has lead them to not care (and understandably).

Mell/Trinity Street, the whole way from the M1 Retail Park into the bridge of peace is disgusting with graffiti tagging from two of the same names over and over. And you've to pass by the still-charred remains of the house in loughboy. Town has a reputation as being a shithole built up over the last year and no one's bothered to do anything practical to try and change that.

Drogheda did a great job last year, and i think most people had a great time (although I agree with the Weaver's music being too loud, coupled with their attitude to the Boyne 10k racers a while ago - I've never set foot in it, and never will) but this year, other than the fantastic floral effort on the bridges, I don't think the town will be getting as many positive reviews at all.

It's not a welcoming place.


That said, at least that idiot Gavin Dumbass Duffy isn't trying to hijack the event. That's a plus!


EDIT: Also the loss of the week-long 'Music at the Gate' aspect is a negative blow. Seemed popular last year, and lead footfall up towards Scholar's, who I'm sure will suffer as a result of it being scrapped.

whelan2

Remember last year the big figures were up at the roundabouts etc a few weeks before the flash. Will they make an appearance this year?

endacl

Deleted User wrote: »

EDIT: Also the loss of the week-long 'Music at the Gate' aspect is a negative blow. Seemed popular last year, and lead footfall up towards Scholar's, who I'm sure will suffer as a result of it being scrapped.

For those who might be interested, Music at the Gate was the brainchild of a local man, piper Darragh Ó Héiligh. He came up with the concept and organized it off his own bat, and provided a great opportunity for musicians to play in a 'formalized yet informal' setting. The reason it's not going ahead this year? RTE want to film at the location.

This one's not Drogheda's fault. Entirely down to the combined short-sightedness of RTE and CCE. They could have filmed what was already happening....

Saw the ads on RTE during the week for it and in one scene, I think shot in Donors Green there was litter clearly visible over the mans shoulder.

EDIT: 10 seconds in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0hNdYgMaHI

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

Saw the ads on RTE during the week for it and in one scene, I think shot in Donors Green there was litter clearly visible over the mans shoulder.

EDIT: 10 seconds in

That is pretty poor alright. It's odd as it could surely be easily avoided? Maybe the cameramen were having a laugh at our expense due to the state of the place in general?


The ad itself is woeful though. :rolleyes:

peejay1986

That ad is so, so bad. I cringe every time I see it. I have to admit I hadn't spotted the litter until it was pointed out here, but it could be because I usually switch over when it's on.



Missed the Fleadh last year as I was away, so I'm planning to head up to check it out this time around. What was the craic like midweek last year? Still a good crowd and decent craic? Considering going the Wednesday night.

shenanagans

Any announcement on next year's location for the fleadh?? Is it Galway??

IvoryTower

peejay1986 wrote: »

That ad is so, so bad. I cringe every time I see it. I have to admit I hadn't spotted the litter until it was pointed out here, but it could be because I usually switch over when it's on.



Missed the Fleadh last year as I was away, so I'm planning to head up to check it out this time around. What was the craic like midweek last year? Still a good crowd and decent craic? Considering going the Wednesday night.

I preferred it the first half of the week, gets pretty hectic over the last weekend. Certainly good craic to be had any night

Decoda

shenanagans wrote: »

Any announcement on next year's location for the fleadh?? Is it Galway??

Mullinger 2020

http://www.westmeathexaminer.ie/2019/03/09/fleadh-cheoil-na-heireann-going-home-for-2020/

Chorcai

The town is manky with the dirt, West street you could stick to it with weeks and weeks worth of curry chips and seagull shíté on it, embarrassing to say the least, and let's not talk about the side streets (or Narrow West St) with shít n píss everywhere. The only ones to benefit from anything to do with the fleadh are the pubs. Since when are DJ's playing till 2am anything do with a fleadh?
A number of businesses having to close for the week, was it always a week-long thing? To be honest, a weekend is more than enough for it.

(I live in the middle of the town so somewhat biased)

Scotty #

Chorcai wrote: »

The only ones to benefit from anything to do with the fleadh are the pubs.

Many of the local sports clubs had a welcome windfall providing parking spaces, etc. The pubs certainly benefit the most but they're not by any means the only ones that benefit.

CheerLouth

The Irish Dancer was up at the Rosehall roundabout this morning and some signage. Looking forward to getting in for a few days next week

Mr. Muddle

A wonderful local person is organising a cleanup this evening if anyone wants to join in this is her post from Facebook. You can find it on the Drogheda Community Volunteers page



Hey Volunteers. Hope you will all be available from 6 and after on Thursday 8th at Gleesons for Take Back Our Streets Round 2. Here are a few pictures of key areas that need a bit of magic. There is a bit of scrubbing and painting with a dash of imagination.
1. Narrow West Street with maybe a bit of tidying at George's Square.
2. The Pizzeria, previously Mná ladies fashions and the Central Bar. These require the imagination bit.
3. 3 shops on Stockwell Street. We need to try to find our who owns them. (Gwen, can you help here?) These also require imagination.
4. We have permission to decorate McPhails so the North Strand mural girls will be on this tomorrow.(Thank you for contacting them Annie)
5. We have access to the key of the Methodist Church on Laurences Street which needs a cleaning up for Ceomhaltas to showcase the archives.
Now it seems like a lot but we have a great crew here and if we divide and conquer and help eachother out it should be very manageable (I hope!!).
Please bring anything at all you might think will be useful. We have cream paint courtesy of the North Strand Crew and are trying to source some black and grey paint if you have any lying about. Brushes and rollers. Sweeping brushes, buckets and mops, old cloths large sheets of corriboard, anything to decorate and brighten the area. I'll leave that up to your imagination. Don't forget old clothes and gloves if you have them.
We are all Indians, no chiefs here so let's work together to showcase our magnificent town. Have a think about where you feel you could best tackle.
Thank you to our local publicans and businesses who are showing great support on a very busy week for them. And a special thank you to you all who have responded....you are amazing . #takingbackourstreets #lovedrogheda #wearethefleadh

positron

Irish (pole) dancers have reappeared opposite the bus station as well. Not a huge fan of them, I would have preferred if they were not on stilts, but hey, good to see them back and definitely adds to the atmosphere.

I love the "Trump salutes this great local amenity border fence" notice someone slapped on the barricades they had put up for whatever work they were doing on the Boyne trail towards Oldbridge. It's a fair observation and they are blocking off the best amenity in the town for most of the year (till end of October or so). They have already finished laying some gravel, and they have filled in the the trenches dug up for laying pipes / lamps etc as well. I don't see why they need to block off the entire path just because they are doing work in a section off it.

Looking forward to the week ahead.

I think I posted in the cycling forum last year on one of your posts Positron about my eldest spotting them when we were out with the dog and heading up then fleeing in terror at the sight of them, they are creepy as fook

Was heading home earlier and passed the house of the fella involved with music at the gate's over which there was some controversy about it not being allowed go ahead with RTE etc. and there seems to be no sour grapes there for him or letting it spoil his Fleadh. House was looking mighty indeed.