The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
STUNNING TALENT AT SULT NA N-ÓG
UP to 600 children between the ages of seven and 13 delivered one hell of an impressive collective demonstration of trad talent at Sult na nÓg over the weekend.
Musicians, singers, comhráitheóirí and story tellers plied their art in the north campus of the Tralee IT on Saturday; with the dancers wearing thin the floorboards of the Fossa Parish Hall on Sunday in the two-day event run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí na hÉireann (CCÉ).
This was the biggest field of entrants ever seen in a competition designed by Comhaltas to give young, novice talents a chance to shine in competition outside the often hotly-contested world of the county, provincial and All-Ireland fleadhanna.
Every last chord heard on Saturday would suggest that Irish music is safe in this county from the homogenising encroach of much of Western culture for decades to come.
“Sult na nÓg has really taken off in Kerry and this was the biggest year yet of the festival,” Comhaltas PRO John Stack said.
Sult was set-up years ago to give children who are new to the world of trad competition a chance to vie for medals in an atmosphere much less intimidating than they would find at Fleadhs. And it’s working a treat.
“It’s a very, very relaxed competition and already we’re really seeing the benefits. We had one lad who won at Sult in his third year competing in the event last year and who went on to compete in the County Fleadh.
“He won the County Fleadh and went on to come third in the All-Ireland in an incredible performance. So that’s why Sult is so important for novice musicians, dancers and singers. It gives them a chance to really shine in a relaxed environment and to build up their confidence no end.” They also got to put a human face on those feared adjudicators. “To give an idea of how relaxed Sult is, we had one young lad whose mandolin fell and was whacked out of tune. His father approached us to see if we could find someone to tune it so we asked the adjudicators if any of them could put it right. They all leapt to help and the mandolin was sounding right as rain in no time. But it gave that young musician the opportunity to see adjudicators as the warm, helpful humans they are, rather than people to be feared and that would only happen at Sult!” John added.