Ãoslódáil (PDF) - Comhaltas Archive
Ãoslódáil (PDF) - Comhaltas Archive
Ãoslódáil (PDF) - Comhaltas Archive
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Sloth na nOg:<br />
The musical hope of youth<br />
Listowel has become synonymous<br />
with Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann,<br />
hosting the event for a record 14 th<br />
occasion this year. The 'Fleadh Capital'<br />
of Ireland has given millions of people<br />
unique musical memories and 2002<br />
was no exception. Many would say<br />
'the greatest of all time' but whatever<br />
the verdict it is generally<br />
acknowledged that this year's Fleadh<br />
had some extra special ingredients<br />
which permeated the mammoth<br />
cultural extravaganza.<br />
Michael Dowling, who has chaired 13<br />
of Listowel's Fleadhanna, and Marie<br />
O 'Gorman, the secretarial power<br />
house, with their diligent committee<br />
oversaw 10 days of unrivalled<br />
musicmaking. From the opening notes<br />
of the Scoil Eigse - 'a Fleadh within a<br />
Fleadh' - to the tWilight notes 10 (or<br />
I I or 12!) days later Listowel hit all<br />
the right notes for a cultural feast.<br />
There is nothing like it in the world!<br />
10,000 performers and almost a<br />
quarter of a million people in a town<br />
with a population of less than 4,000 is<br />
phenomenal by any standards. This<br />
great family festival was noted for<br />
excellence in culture, courtesy and<br />
hospitality.<br />
Competitions par excellence; vibrant<br />
and varied sessions; dancing at the<br />
drop of a hat; spectacles of cultural<br />
richness; songs of celebration; all<br />
these intermingled with the native<br />
tongue gave us the essence of the<br />
traditional renaissance which has been<br />
witnessed over the last 50 years.<br />
The Fleadh personifies voluntary<br />
service and dedicated commitment -<br />
the hundreds of people who give of<br />
their time and talents to make the<br />
Fleadh a source of national pride on<br />
the world stage. It is also a<br />
shopwindow of our traditional living<br />
treasures as taught, practised and<br />
appreciated year in and year out.<br />
We salute Listowel once more on<br />
their outstanding achievement - the<br />
committee and the community<br />
opened their hearts and their homes<br />
to the visitors from all over the<br />
world. They have earned an unrivalled<br />
place in our cultural folklore and the<br />
nation surely owes them a debt of<br />
immense gratitude.<br />
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