Thanks to that nice Mr. O'Leary, I've got a bunch of 2€ return flights from France to Ireland for dates that happen to include the Fleadh Cheoil weekend, which I'd very much like to take my children to (return to their roots and all that).
So I'm looking at the official F.Ch. website and there are NO prices for anything apart from the 175€ Patron package, but I'm guessing it would be wildly optimistic to assume that this means everything - especially the evening céilithe - are free.
Does anyone have a link to anywhere that gives the prices?
bloody hell...they haven't introduced entrance fees for competitions have they....it was free last year...a word of advice celtic rambler...the camping in the Charlesville estate is not advised for children...even if they do encourage families, my experience last year was awful, and I complained and got nowhere...trust me sleep in a ditch instead...more authentic...
"10€ to watch a competition :-o ... pass.
What's the story with the céilithe in the evening, then? And parking, if I can get the use of a car? "
" bloody hell...they haven't introduced entrance fees for competitions have they....it was free last year..."
There has allways been a charge to watch the competitions, and don't even think about a car. Tullamore is not car friendly at all at all at all..........................you wont be allowed within a mile of the town to park.
actually now that I come to think of it I did spend all day watching the bodhran championships...and let's face it...as it isn't an instrument that was why it was free...having said that they should having been crossing my palm with silver to watch it I suppose? the competitions are all very tribal anyway...
There is a charge to watch the competitions, last year it was €8 per day. You get a wristband and can go into as many of the competitions as you want - I enjoyed sampling a few different ones.
Admission to Ceilis was €10.
There are sessions in the hotels and pubs - better during the week than at the weekend, music on the streets and the gig rigs which are free.
There was free parking at the edge of the town and free shuttle bus into the centre
Southsider has it right, except I got parking right in town at 2pm Friday afternoon.
And I was asked for admission fee to the bodhran competition - how did mickyfong get away with it?!
I'm not objecting to paying, but I like to know what I should be budgeting for. Also, living in France it comes as a terrible shock to be faced with post Celtic Tiger charges on the auld sod. The last festival I went to here (last month), came to 55€ for 4 concerts, 12 "bal trad"s and camping included. The next one I'd like to go to (which happens to be in Italy) is totally free.
But they just don't know how to do Irish (set/céili) dancing in France, and I'd like my children to see it while they're still of an impressionable age.
I suppose someone will tell me now that children under 16 aren't allowed in after 9pm or some such nonsense?
Don't know about Tullamore but a certain hotel in Spanish Point that is popular with younger musicians during the Willie Week - had bouncers on the door in the evening and were ejecting all under 17/18/19/ 20.. take your pick. Hmm! They were taking up valuable drinking space, would be my take on it.
There are set dancers in France and Belgium who are quite knowledgeable about Irish set dancing and come to Ireland every year for workshops and ceili. I met some of them in Keadu last week.
It's worth noting that some, if not many, of the tutors at the Fleadh Scoil Eigse are active in the preceding weeks at the smaller festivals. These smaller festivals are well worth searching out and going to. These being smaller, you get to meet and know everyone, both your fellow visitors and the locals, the sessions and tutorials are excellent (as are the local musicians), and car parking and accommodation are rarely problems.
10pm or not, the raison d'etre of a festival like the Willie Week or Fleadh Cheoil is encouraging and developing younger musicians. Enforcing the law rigidly like this is akin to the local business community shooting itself in the foot.
?? Oh great. :-[ So my children, that are used to dancing till anywhere between 2am and 5am, where should I park them? Sure I suppose there'll be some youngsters making their own entertainment in the streets ? What do Irish teens do these days between 10pm and 2am?
The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
Thanks to that nice Mr. O'Leary, I've got a bunch of 2€ return flights from France to Ireland for dates that happen to include the Fleadh Cheoil weekend, which I'd very much like to take my children to (return to their roots and all that).
So I'm looking at the official F.Ch. website and there are NO prices for anything apart from the 175€ Patron package, but I'm guessing it would be wildly optimistic to assume that this means everything - especially the evening céilithe - are free.
Does anyone have a link to anywhere that gives the prices?
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by CelticRambler
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
I think there is a charge to view the competitions.
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by dinn2
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
Eh? There never used to be a charge for that. So this is news. But it was always almost impossible to get a seat.
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by Rudall the time
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
Yup, the majority of the events are free. But there is a small charge to view the competitions, about 5- 10 euro but that's about it!
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by sherryc
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
There are charges for lessons at the Summer School in the week preceding the Fleadh, though.
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by Trevor Jennings
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
10€ to watch a competition :-o ... pass.
What's the story with the céilithe in the evening, then? And parking, if I can get the use of a car?
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by CelticRambler
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
Ceili bands theres are charge and a queue evrything else worthwhile is free, get stuck in a pub
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by premier
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
bloody hell...they haven't introduced entrance fees for competitions have they....it was free last year...a word of advice celtic rambler...the camping in the Charlesville estate is not advised for children...even if they do encourage families, my experience last year was awful, and I complained and got nowhere...trust me sleep in a ditch instead...more authentic...
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by mickyfong
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
"10€ to watch a competition :-o ... pass.
What's the story with the céilithe in the evening, then? And parking, if I can get the use of a car? "
" bloody hell...they haven't introduced entrance fees for competitions have they....it was free last year..."
There has allways been a charge to watch the competitions, and don't even think about a car. Tullamore is not car friendly at all at all at all..........................you wont be allowed within a mile of the town to park.
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by Backer
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
actually now that I come to think of it I did spend all day watching the bodhran championships...and let's face it...as it isn't an instrument that was why it was free...having said that they should having been crossing my palm with silver to watch it I suppose? the competitions are all very tribal anyway...
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by mickyfong
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
There is a charge to watch the competitions, last year it was €8 per day. You get a wristband and can go into as many of the competitions as you want - I enjoyed sampling a few different ones.
Admission to Ceilis was €10.
There are sessions in the hotels and pubs - better during the week than at the weekend, music on the streets and the gig rigs which are free.
There was free parking at the edge of the town and free shuttle bus into the centre
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by southsider
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
Southsider has it right, except I got parking right in town at 2pm Friday afternoon.
And I was asked for admission fee to the bodhran competition - how did mickyfong get away with it?!
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by RockyRoader
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
What's the objection to paying anyway? It's a huge festival, lots for the organisers to pay for.
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by RockyRoader
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
I'm not objecting to paying, but I like to know what I should be budgeting for. Also, living in France it comes as a terrible shock to be faced with post Celtic Tiger charges on the auld sod. The last festival I went to here (last month), came to 55€ for 4 concerts, 12 "bal trad"s and camping included. The next one I'd like to go to (which happens to be in Italy) is totally free.
But they just don't know how to do Irish (set/céili) dancing in France, and I'd like my children to see it while they're still of an impressionable age.
I suppose someone will tell me now that children under 16 aren't allowed in after 9pm or some such nonsense?
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by CelticRambler
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
Don't know about Tullamore but a certain hotel in Spanish Point that is popular with younger musicians during the Willie Week - had bouncers on the door in the evening and were ejecting all under 17/18/19/ 20.. take your pick. Hmm! They were taking up valuable drinking space, would be my take on it.
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by the wounded hussar
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
There has always been a charge in to the competition. This is my 5th fleadh and I,ve always paid in.
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by Darragh Ó C
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
There are set dancers in France and Belgium who are quite knowledgeable about Irish set dancing and come to Ireland every year for workshops and ceili. I met some of them in Keadu last week.
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by Trevor Jennings
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
It's worth noting that some, if not many, of the tutors at the Fleadh Scoil Eigse are active in the preceding weeks at the smaller festivals. These smaller festivals are well worth searching out and going to. These being smaller, you get to meet and know everyone, both your fellow visitors and the locals, the sessions and tutorials are excellent (as are the local musicians), and car parking and accommodation are rarely problems.
# Posted on August 10th 2009 by Trevor Jennings
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
Celtic Rambler - You're right, but the cutoff time is 10pm in the tourist season
http://www.tripadvisor.in/Travel-g186591-c116590/Ireland:Pubs.Children.And.The.Law.html
This might account for the door policy of that hotel in Spanish Point.
# Posted on August 11th 2009 by RockyRoader
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
10pm or not, the raison d'etre of a festival like the Willie Week or Fleadh Cheoil is encouraging and developing younger musicians. Enforcing the law rigidly like this is akin to the local business community shooting itself in the foot.
# Posted on August 11th 2009 by the wounded hussar
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
But if the local constabulary are agin it, breaking that law is shooting yourself in the foot.
Granted, it's not rigidly enforced most places.
# Posted on August 11th 2009 by RockyRoader
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
?? Oh great. :-[ So my children, that are used to dancing till anywhere between 2am and 5am, where should I park them? Sure I suppose there'll be some youngsters making their own entertainment in the streets ? What do Irish teens do these days between 10pm and 2am?
# Posted on August 11th 2009 by CelticRambler
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
give them a bottle of whiskey, ketamine, a tin whistle, and the keys to your car..
# Posted on August 11th 2009 by Miss Mulligan
Re: The Fleadh Cheoil is totally free, right?
if you are reluctant to endorse such activities just fall asleep with your keys in full view and let initative work its magic ..grand job
# Posted on August 11th 2009 by Miss Mulligan