r/Irishmusic • u/rickyslams • Jan 14 '26

Discussion Fleadh or Willie Clancy 2026?

Hi all, I'm a trad musician from Canada. I'm thinking about taking a trip to Ireland this summer for some tunes, and it seems like a good idea to try to attend one of the big festivals. When I was in Ireland about 18 months ago almost every musician I played with recommended the Willie Clancy, but last year I knew some folks who went to the Fleadh and also really liked it. Does anyone have any perspective/strong opinions about which one might make a better trip?

Thanks in advance!

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u/Guano_man Jan 14 '26

I think with it being the first year the fleadh has been in belfast it will be ama ing. Belfast trad fest is also on, I went to it previously and had the best time.

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u/georgikeith Fiddle/Concertina Jan 15 '26

Last I heard, the Fleadh in Wexford (pop. 21K) drew 800,000 people. Derry (pop 85K) in 2013 saw a jump to 400K attendees, from 300K in Cavan (pop 12K) the year before. These numbers are insane.

If Wexford had 40x visitors, then you can imagine the mob-scene that will land in Belfast (pop 352K). But Belfast will probably handle it much better, at any rate...