Staging the world’s largest celebration of Irish music and culture in Belfast this week is expected to deliver more than the projected £53m economic boost to the city. The latest forecast for the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann was outlined by Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald as she welcomed hospitality representatives and tour operators to Belfast.
The eight-day festival, which runs until 9 August, is being held in Belfast for the first time. More than 176,000 people were in Belfast city centre on Sunday for the opening ceremony, an increase of 95% on the same day last year.
On Thursday, Archibald said the signs were “pointing in a positive direction” and that the Department for the Economy (DfE) now expected the economic benefit to exceed the £53m figure announced earlier this week.
“I think we have seen greater than expected numbers coming to experience the Fleadh this year, so we are anticipating that it will likely be greater than that.
“We haven't got a number on it yet, all of that will come in the evaluations post event.”
The DfE has allocated £1m in funding to help Belfast City Council stage the event, which has already drawn hundreds of thousands of people to Belfast from across the world.
How are local businesses benefiting?
Many hospitality and tourism businesses say the Fleadh is already bringing a substantial boost to trade. John Bittles, owner of Bittles bar in the city centre, said what the business made in four days was equivalent to a week's takings.
He said Sunday was one of their busiest trading days and that the impact had been significant.
“Genuinely, it has been off the scale,” he said.
“This is the biggest event I've seen in 50 years; I've been doing this a long time.”
He said the level of trading had been “without a doubt a game changer”, and noted that Irish President Catherine Connolly was among those who dropped into his pub during her visit to the Fleadh this week.
Andy McNeil, general manager at the Europa Hotel, said the hotel was fully booked until next Monday and added that the Fleadh had “put Belfast on the map”.
He said the week would be “unbelievable” in terms of revenue for the hotel and was likely to be one of its best Augusts.
“This week is going to be unbelievable in terms of revenue for the hotel, it's probably going to be one of the best Augusts we've had.”
McNeil described the Fleadh as a “massive success” and said there was an amazing buzz around the city.
“I've spoken to people today and it's their first time visiting Belfast, and they just couldn't believe the welcome that they got and how friendly the people were. "
He also said not all hotels were seeing the same benefit from the event.
“I'm hearing mixed reports. Some places are getting a boost and some are not. It depends on the location with those closest to the pedestrian zone in the city centre performing best.”
Nuala Devlin Saul, managing director of Brack Tours, a tour operator focused on the North American market, said the Fleadh had been “amazing”.
She said people travelled to the island of Ireland because of family connections, the landscape or the food, but now were also travelling for the music.
“The feedback we are getting from our clients is 'where will we get some Irish music or music in general' and there is no better place on the island of Ireland than this week – it's incredible.
“Northern Ireland isn't just about golf, it's about the people, the place and I suppose our pride in selling Northern Ireland and I think this week has been amazing.”
What does Tourism NI say about the impact?
The week’s festivities have been showcasing music, language, heritage, storytelling and shared traditions, and tourism leaders say the wider image of Northern Ireland is also benefiting.
Laura McCorry, chief executive of Tourism NI, said she had heard only positive stories from the hospitality and tourism industry.
She said the increase in footfall was bringing much-needed revenue to businesses, many of which had invested heavily to ensure visitors enjoyed the experience.
“The increased footfall that is coming into the city is providing much-needed revenue for businesses and actually the businesses in the sector have invested a lot in making sure that visitors really enjoy the experience.”
McCorry said people were delighted “to see visitors coming in from all over the world”.
“Most importantly everyone recognises the power of the Fleadh and that is these powerful global images going out around the world and really creating a fan base for Northern Ireland.
“Hopefully lots of people who will come back and visit again.”
Colin Neill, chief executive of Hospitality Ulster, said there would “truly” be a legacy from the event and that the hospitality sector was looking positive.
He said hospitality businesses would become even busier from Thursday onwards, as the first part of the week was more competition-focused.
“We're really positive by the end of the week we'll have some happy hospitality businesses,” he said.
What is the Fleadh?
Fleadh Cheoil is an annual Irish arts festival and competition run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCE), the society of the musicians of Ireland. The organisation was founded in 1951 by traditional musicians and Gaelic culture advocates from across Ireland who wanted to enhance traditional music, dance and language on the island.
Each year, numerous fleadhanna, or festivals, are held across Ireland at county and provincial level. The best-known of these events is Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, often simply known as the Fleadh, which draws thousands of people and sometimes a famous face or two.
Where will the Fleadh be held in 2027?
In March, CCE confirmed that Belfast will host the Fleadh again in 2027, becoming the first location in Northern Ireland to host the music festival twice.
The only previous time the festival was held in Northern Ireland was in 2013, when the event in Londonderry attracted an estimated 400,000 people and 20,000 performers.
Belfast eyes boost from two years of world's largest Irish music event
Fleadh kicks off in Belfast with colourful performances
Fleadh expected to bring £53m boost to Belfast
