About Sound

Celtic music is born out of myth and legend. Over hundreds of years, tunes have been worked and reworked, flipped, reversed, rearranged and amalgamated, passed from generation to generation and carried across the world. 

While its roots can be traced through Wales, Scotland and Cornwall, Celtic music is, of course, most closely associated with Ireland, where it brings people together like few other pastimes.

Since the innagural Fleadh in 1951, the annual festival has been shared in cities and towns the length and breadth of Emerald Isle. Musicians, dancers and fans from all corners of the world descend to celebrate, party and, naturally, consume some of Ireland’s most famous exports.

Despite the Fleadh’s 75 year history, the Northern Irish capital has been a glaring omission from its list of host cities, owing largely to the Troubles that shaped and divided Belfast for much of the second half of the 20th century.

The 2026 Fleadh is therefore a seismic moment for the city of Belfast and particularly fitting given that it is, incidentally, Ireland’s only UNESCO City of Music.

Amongst the thousands performing this year was Amairgin the Gael, Newport’s own purveyors of traditional Irish music.

Led by Scott McKeon, Amairgin the Gael is the only branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann in Wales and in June, stunned the competition by winning the All-Britain Final in London against the very best of England and Scotland and in doing so became the first Welsh branch to win the competition.

Fast forward a couple of months and the Welsh groundbreakers, all 15 of them, have lined up against the best the world has to offer inside the packed 2,500 capacity Waterfront Hall, a grandiose setting for an esteemed competition.

McKeon considers this a career highlight “Entering these competitions as a young teenager, the dream was to one day reach the All Ireland Fleadh. Never did I think I’d achieve that along side a group of students. They have come on so so much in such a short period with a few members completely new to trad music just two years ago. To say I’m proud of them doesn’t do it justice, we held our own alongside some world class musicians and flew the flag for wales. We’re all on cloud 9”

With a lineup 75% Irish; Scotland and the USA also represented, it was unsurprisingly a 1-2-3 for Ireland, but for our Welsh heroes, competing was the real win. The band left an indelible mark to rapturous applause and an enamoured crowd.

A million people are estimated to have attended this year’s Fleadh and Belfast have already been confirmed as hosts for 2027. As for the Gael, well, you wouldn’t bet against them rubbing shoulders with the world’s elite once again!

Gavin Facey – 01/09/2026