July 24th – August 15th, 2009
www.theworldfleadh.com

“THE WORLD FLEADH INTERNATIONAL IRISH & CELTIC MUSIC FESTIVAL TO BE HOSTED IN CASTLEBAR”

After the outstanding success the 2008 festival in Portlaoise, The World Fleadh International Irish & Celtic Music Festival returns with a fantastic selection of top Irish and Celtic music acts from around the globe alongside quality special guest acts from other musical genres. Festival Directors are delighted to announce the brand new location of Castlebar, Co. Mayo which will host the event between July 24th and August 15th 2009.

The World Fleadh festival from the outset was designed to be a transient event which would move from location to location on an annual or bi-annual basis. This year’s festival in Castlebar promises to be a longer event with a greater schedule of activities with the presence of the Royal Theatre in Castlebar to be a major plus. With Castlebar, Co. Mayo confirmed as this year’s host venue, festival preparations are well under way for The World Fleadh with many international names in the line up.The line up will be announced after the official launch this month.

Many of this year’s festival activities will take place in the Royal Theatre and the Linen Hall Theatre, two of the main venues for the festival. The Royal Theatre has a capacity of 2,200 seats and will be a perfect location for the many exciting music and arts events planned throughout the festival.

Festival Director of The World Fleadh, Eric Cunningham stated:

“It is with great delighted that I am able to announce that The World Fleadh will be held in Castlebar during 2009. Following the success the event had during its time in Portlaoise, we are looking forward now to a new direction and the town of Castlebar as a town has a lot to offer as a host venue. The existence of the newly renovated Royal Theatre arena as a centre for the large scale concerts solves many technical issues and creates several new and exciting possibilities for the future. I look forward to working with the people of Castlebar in bringing the event to fruition there.”

For Irish traditional music lovers the festival offers an exciting array of events. The festival will comprise theatre, outdoor and large scale concerts, céilí’s, music, song and dance master classes, workshops and demonstrations, a scheduled session trail, world title competitions, a world food & craft fair, a late night festival club and a variety of other fringe entertainments to cater for all tastes and ages.

For more information check out the festival website www.theworldfleadh.com for updates and ticket information.