‘Glimpse of a different Belfast’: After Fleadh party, calls for pedestrianisation for vibrant city

Tara McNeill, 12, playing the fiddle with the Glengormley School of Music outside Madden’s Bar at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann Alamy Belfast Fleadh ‘People now know what it can be, they won’t accept less.’ AFTER A WEEK of music, culture and dance, the first ever Fleadh has come to an end in Belfast. It’s understood that around a million visitors came to Belfast for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, which started on 2 August and ended last night (though it technically ran into Monday morning). 12.30am Monday. The #Fleadh in Belfast isn’t over yet … and thousands don’t want it to end. pic.twitter.com/QBhObpVaxO— Mark Simpson (@BBCMarkSimpson) August 9, 2026 Over 1,300 volunteers, ranging from teenagers to pensioners, dressed in distinctive yellow bucket hats and T-shirts, to offer brochures and a welc