Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, the annual all-Ireland competitive traditional music festival of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, was first held in 1952, in Co Monaghan. Ten years later, by June 1962 when it was held in the town of Gorey, Co Wexford, the fleadh had grown enormorously in popularity and was a fixed event on the national calendar. In those years the festival was held at the Whit weekend.

The large crowds that were drawn to Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann were of interest to Bord Fáilte, the national tourist board, which often sent its photographers to capture the musicians, singers and dancers, and the crowds. The result was a body of professionally taken images which were used in contemporary tourist brochures, posters, and magazine like Ireland of the Welcomes.

By now these photographs have achieved archival status and are a valuble cultural record of the traditional music of other times. The selection preseneted here from the collections of the Irish Traditional Music Archive are reproduced courtesy of Fáilte Ireland (as Bord Fáilte is now called).

Nicholas Carolan & Ian Lynch, 1 August 2012

The flute is one of the best-known of Irish traditional instruments. Historically the playing of the flute was associated with north Connaught but it now holds broad appeal across the island of Ireland and abroad. Irish traditional players tend to favour the ‘simple system’ wooden flute rather than the Boehm (Böhm) flute which features in other musical traditions.

The photographs presented here from the ITMA collections range in date from the 1930s to the present day.

With thanks to photographers Tony Kearns, Liam McNulty, Paul Eliasberg, Bill Doyle and Lisa Shields for permission to publish the images. ITMA would welcome further information on any of these images and if possible would like to add to the collection by copying images of other flute players or their instruments which you may have.

Treasa Harkin, 1 February 2016