Standing on the stage at the closing ceremony of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026, I found myself asking two simple questions, what had we achieved here, and how had we achieved it? I had watched people moved to tears, children performing with joy and political leaders sharing a moment of calm as a city came together through music, dance and a shared sense of belonging. Looking out across the crowd, I realised that something truly special had taken place. Comhaltas had embraced Belfast, and Belfast had embraced the Fleadh.

The journey began long before August 2026. My first discussions with Belfast City Council took place in 2014, with planning for the Fleadh gathering momentum in January 2020. After years of conversations, planning and partnership, we had delivered the first Fleadh in Belfast and only the second to take place north of the border.

Founded in 1951, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ) is a volunteer-led, non-profit cultural movement striving to preserve and promote Irish traditional music, song and dance with hundreds of branches throughout Ireland and around the world. Its flagship event, the Comhaltas Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (All-Ireland Fleadh), is an internationally renowned celebration and the world’s largest annual festival of Irish traditional music, song, dance and culture. During its 75-year history, Comhaltas had become part of communities across Ireland and around the world. Belfast, however, was always going to be different. It would be the first Fleadh held in a major city, one with a rich cultural heritage and a complex history. As an organisation, we understood both the opportunity and the responsibility that came with bringing the event to Belfast.

Throughout the bid and planning process, questions were repeatedly asked. Could a Fleadh work in a city of this scale? Would it attract sufficient support? Would everyone feel welcome? These were legitimate questions, and they demanded careful consideration. Standing on that stage at the closing ceremony, I knew they had been answered, not through words or promises, but through the experience of the people who had come together to make the Fleadh a success.

Building on tradition

Belfast has a proud traditional music heritage, sustained by its music schools and more recent initiatives such as Tradfest. It was also the setting for Edward Bunting's celebrated Belfast Harpers' Assembly of 1792. Yet Comhaltas had a relatively limited presence in the city, and most of our local partners had never experienced the challenge of delivering a Fleadh.

Ards Comhaltas, our host branch alongside Belfast City Council, brought valuable experience from delivering successful Ulster Fleadhs in Bangor in 2016 and 2017. The council team, exceptionally led by John Walsh, worked alongside community groups, statutory agencies and other partners who shared our ambition: to create a city-centre event for the whole community, where people could celebrate together.

Delivering any Fleadh requires months, and often years, of detailed preparation. Behind the colour, music and spectacle lie countless meetings, plans, spreadsheets and difficult decisions. Venues must be secured, programmes coordinated and practical challenges overcome. Yet successful delivery is about more than getting the logistics right. A Fleadh must reach the people who live in its host community, through its main programme and its fringe events. It must reflect the character of its host town or city and, ultimately, become part of that place.

In Belfast, we saw that ambition become a reality.

Watching the city centre transform into a celebration of music, dancing, laughter and song was both remarkable and deeply fulfilling. I met local people who had never experienced their city in this way, alongside visitors captivated by Belfast's welcome, beauty and atmosphere. I watched young people from different traditions perform on the streets to enthusiastic crowds. I saw adult musicians overcome with emotion after sharing their music with new audiences on the gig-rig.

These were not simply memorable moments in a busy programme. They were reminders of what traditional culture can achieve when people are given the opportunity to participate, listen and connect. They are the moments that distinguish a Fleadh from any other event, and they will stay with me for a long time.

A collective effort and shared vision

It is also important to recognise the people who made those moments possible. More than 1,400 volunteers helped deliver an unforgettable experience for over 1.6 million people, from first-time visitors to seasoned Fleadh veterans. Local volunteers, Comhaltas members, Belfast City Council staff, statutory agencies and community groups worked together to welcome visitors, support competitors and their families, steward venues and deliver the week's programme.

Many of these individuals will never see their names in an official programme, yet their contribution was fundamental to the Fleadh's success. Their commitment reflects the volunteer ethos at the heart of Comhaltas. We owe them a profound debt of gratitude, as we do the funders, government departments and partner organisations whose cooperation made this achievement possible.

For me, the most significant legacy of Belfast 2026 lies in what it demonstrated. Music can create opportunities for people to meet, participate and discover what they share. Traditional culture is not something confined to the past; it is a living, evolving expression of who we are, capable of resonating with contemporary society and bringing new generations into its embrace.

The Fleadh also welcomed people from across the world, projecting a positive image of Belfast internationally and strengthening connections through our shared culture. It demonstrated that ambitious cultural events can contribute to community confidence, mutual understanding and a stronger sense of belonging. The experience offered a glimpse of what becomes possible when organisations, communities and public bodies work towards a shared vision.

Looking towards 2027

The success of the Fleadh was an important milestone for both Belfast and Comhaltas, but it must also be a starting point. As we look towards Fleadh 2027, we must build on what we have learned, make the event even more inclusive and create opportunities for more people to experience both the Fleadh and the city that hosts it.

Just as importantly, we must nurture the relationships, partnerships and audiences developed in Belfast, locally, across these islands and internationally. The challenge is to ensure that the confidence and inspiration generated during that extraordinary week continue to influence communities long after the stages have been dismantled and the crowds have departed.

I return to the question I asked myself on that stage: what had we achieved here, and how had we achieved it?

We had shown what is possible when a community opens its doors, when volunteers give generously of their time and when music and culture provide common ground. We had brought the Fleadh to Belfast, but we had also seen Belfast make the Fleadh its own.

To everyone who welcomed the Fleadh, supported its delivery, performed, competed, volunteered or simply came to listen and share in the experience, thank you. Your contribution made this a memorable occasion for so many people, myself included.

Belfast embraced the Fleadh, and in doing so, showed us once again the extraordinary power of our shared culture to connect communities and inspire the future.

Brendan McAleer is the Príomh Reachtaire with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann based between its Head Office in Monkstown Dublin and the Regional Resource Centre in Omagh, Dún Uladh. Brendan has been leading Comhaltas’ strategic development, including international development, since 2022. Brendan has been a member of many Fleadh Executive Committees and was the liaison between Comhaltas and Belfast City Council for the recent historic Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Belfast.