Fleadh Cheoil Listowel, Co. Kerry, Ireland 1981

The Kerry town of Listowel hosts the Fleadh Cheoil for a record sixth time.

Listowel has made the Fleadh Cheoil what the organisers want it to be.

The premier Irish traditional music event.

2,800 entrants are competing in instrumentals, ensembles and solo singing in fifteen venues throughout thte town over the weekend. Competitors from across Ireland have been joined by qualifiers from Britain and America.

Before the Fleadh Cheoil began, Listowel was the location for the Summer College of Traditional Music (Scoil Éigse) aimed at improving national standards.

While the Fleadh has its serious side, it’s on the street at the impromptu sessions that the real of the weekend is obtained by many.

An RTÉ News report broadcast on 23 August 1981. The reporter is Tom MacSweeney.