'Mini Fleadh' and Final Class of the Year 2013
26 March 2013
As part of the 40th Anniversary of Comhaltas in Portglenone, the local CCE Branch held their Annual Under age 'Mini Fleadh' event on Saturday 16th March. The fleadh is aimed at our very young musicians and also for those preparing for the upcoming County Antrim Fleadh in Ballycastle on 11th May 2013.
The competition takes the format of the normal Fleadh Cheoil, the only difference being that it is mainly for Under 12 musicians. The main priority of the event is to give these young and enthusiastic musicians the chance to perform in front of an audience and an adjudicator. There are a variety of awards to be won ranging from the Tin Whistle, Fiddle and Concertina competitions.
Many thanks to our guest musicians, Aoife and Katie Flynn from the group "GLEO", who performed at the 40th Anniversary concert on the previous night, for adjudicating our "Mini Fleadh" and this year was no different to previous ones in that a few of the competitions were hotly contested for and both Aoife and Katie had to make a few difficult decisions before the final winners were selected.
The trophies were presented by Portglenone CCE and Ulster Chairman, Eamon Graham at the last branch class on Monday 25th March. Instead of the normal classes, the evening took the shape of a session. Congratulations to all the musicians who took part and made the 'Mini Fleadh' and the last class of the year very enjoyable for everyone especially the very nervous musicians who overcame their fears and played brilliantly.
The awards were as follows:
The Portglenone CCE Tin Whistle Cup was presented to Chloe McGarry.
The Fr Felix McLaughlin Fiddle Cup was presented to Caitlin Convery.
The Most Promising Musicians Award and the Ballinasloe Trophy was presented to Matthew Wray.
Many thanks to Ciaran Bradley for the use of "The Wild Duck Inn" where the 'Mini Fleadh' was held and also for the use of their facilities every Wednesday evening for the Portglenone Junior CCE Sessions. Thanks also to Mrs Milner, Principal of St Mary's Primary School, for the use of the school's facilities over the year to hold the classes on Monday evenings. We look forward to their continued support next year.
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