Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann Wexford 2024 – A rough guide to accommodation, venues, parking and more

APART from strawberries, golden beaches and fine weather, one thing Wexford has become known for over the years is hosting a good festival.

Be it Wexford Festival Opera, The Spiegeltent Festival, The Market House Festival, New Ross Piano Festival of the Rockin’ Food Festival in Enniscorthy, the model county always seems to serve up craic, ceol and impeccable vibes.

Consequently, it’s been a long time coming for one of the biggest festivals of them all to return to the Sunny South East. Twenty-five years after Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann took over Enniscorthy, the single largest celebration of traditional Irish music and culture in the world returns to the Model County and Wexford town in August 2024 and 2025.

This year, from August 4 to 11, in excess of 600,000 people are set to descend on Wexford town from all over the country and indeed the world. There will be all manner of stages and venues set up right across the town as the very best traditional Irish musicians battle it out for glory and put on one hell of a show.

With its historic narrow streets, beautiful quay front and stunning venues such as The National Opera House, not to mention its general nightlife and restaurants, Wexford was considered the ideal host for this landmark event.

In fact, given the setup in Wexford and the fact that the Model county statistically sees more sunshine than any other county in Ireland, there are quiet whispers in the corridors of Comhaltas Eireann that this just could be the biggest Fleadh Cheoil yet!

However, hosting such a huge event is not without its logistical challenges. It can be difficult enough to source accommodation in Wexford during peak summer season at the best of times, which is why a huge amount of work has been going on behind the scenes to bolster Wexford’s offering in this regard.

While hotels were pretty much booked up the instant that the Fleadh was announced, a host of state of the art campsites have been set up offering all the facilities you’ll need for a fun summer stay in Wexford.

The official Fleadh campsite will be located on the edge of Wexford town at Pairc Charman GAA grounds.

The complex has an enviable infrastructure with flat mown grass areas for caravans, campervans and tent pitches along with toilets, showers, waste disposal points, coffee shops and four clubhouse pavilions.

The site will also include tuck shops, food vans, bars and communal areas for ad-hoc sessions and a shuttle bus will operate to and from Wexford town during the week of the Fleadh.

You could, of course, chance your arm at contacting some of Wexford’s stunning hotels and there may still be some availability away from the main hub of Wexford town if you do some digging.

Apart from this, there’s still a whole range of accommodation options at varying prices listed on the Fleadh Cheoil website, with many Wexford natives opting to rent out rooms and even full houses to Fleadh-goers for the week-long celebration.

There are some real gems included, so it would be worth your while taking a good look through the options listed.

So, if you’re one of the lucky ones and you’ve managed to sort your accommodation and are headed for Wexford for the Fleadh, just what can you expect?

Well, craic agus ceol for starters, but the proximity of venues to the town centre in Wexford is a real selling point and is certain to add to the whole atmosphere of the event.

Wexford Quay will certainly be a real focal point. The main gig rig for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann will be set up near Wexford Bridge and will see performances from some of the biggest names in traditional music, as well as some of the hottest up and coming talent. Music will run here daily from 12 noon until 11 p.m.

The goings-on at the Fleadh are beamed to homes across Ireland and the world on an annual basis courtesy of TG4. The broadcaster will have their own area, complete with a stage, set up at the old Tesco site at Crescent Quay with live broadcasts to take place from August 8 to 11 from 9.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m.

With some massive ceilí bands travelling from all over the world to take part in the Fleadh, a huge venue was required to accommodate them. The solution was a large marquee/dome structure which will be erected in the car-park of Clonard Church. This venue will host concerts from August 4 to 9 from 7.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m., before moving onto competitions from August 9 to 11 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

The central venues of The National Opera House, Wexford Arts Centre and Clayton Whites Hotel will also host competitions and concerts during the course of the week, while the 50th Scoil Éigse will take place at St Peter’s College from August 4 to 9.

Wexford’s schools will form a central part of the Fleadh, hosting competitions, and you’ll catch these at the Loreto Secondary School, St Peter’s College, Kennedy Park NS, CBS Primary and Secondary Schools, Presentation Secondary School, St Joseph’s Community Centre, Gaelscoil Loch Garman, the Mercy Primary School, Wexford Park, St Iberius Church, Friary Hall and Wexford Library.

As well as the official venues, Wexford’s Main Street is likely to see numerous outdoor impromptu sessions and there’ ll be all manner of food, drink and merchandise stalls set up on the quay, the Crescent car park and Wellington Place carpark.

The heart of Wexford town will largely be pedestrianised for the entire event with park and ride facilities and shuttle buses running from the outskirts of town to the heart of the action on a regular basis.

In terms of parking, the main car parks will be located at Wexford Racecourse, Ballinagee, Barntown, Crossabeg, Hertz and Kent Stainless in Ardcavan, Drinagh, Crosstown and near Pair Charman. Shuttle buses will run from these sites throughout each day with a small charge.

There’ll also be a number of off-shoot musical events around the town for the duration of the Fleadh, including The Breakwater Festival, which will take place just across Wexford Bridge with concerts from August 1 to 11. Acts announced so far include The Wolfe Tones, Dec Pierce’s Block Rockin’ Beats and Green Road.

All in all, Wexford is going to be absolutely buzzing when August rolls around and if you have the opportunity, it’s a no brainer. Tune-up, tune-in agus bigí linn! Loch Garman Abú.

For more detail on accommodation, events, venues and everything to do with Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2024, visit fleadhcheoil.ie.