Kildare celebrates success at this year’s Fleadh
Cormac Keegan of CCÉ Craobh Bheartla Uí Fhlatharta, Cill Dara, 1st place All Ireland Winner of the Hugh Smith Memorial Cup for the Uilleann Pipes (over 18 years) at the 2026 Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil in Belfast.
KILDARE trad musicians made their way to Belfast for this year’s Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026, and made the county proud with a long list of wins across nine categories.
More than 5,000 competitors from 25 countries who travelled to Belfast to compete for coveted All-Ireland titles across music, dancing and sean nós singing, bringing together some of the finest emerging and established traditional performers from Ireland and around the world.
Doireann Ní Bhriain of Craobh Bheartla Uí Fhlatharta claimed second place in both the under 12 Fiddle and under 12 accompaniment competitions, and also took second place in the Under-12 Duet competition alongside Siún Ní Bhriain.
Ruben Ó Mórdha of Kilteel/Eadestown secured first place in the 15-18 year fiddle competition and added a third-place finish in the 15-18 year fiddle Slow Airs category.
In the senior competitions, Féilim Mac Donncha of Kilteel/Eadestown won first place in the Over-18 Men's Sean Nós Singing competition and also took first place in the Newly Composed Song in Irish category with his composition Ní Bheidh Tú in Ísle Brí.
Cormac Keegan of Craobh Bheartla Uí Fhlatharta was awarded first place in the Over-18 Uilleann Pipes competition.
Kildare also celebrated success in céilí dancing, with the Rinceoirí Mhaigh Nuad team of Emma Ní Bhroin, Garret Ó hÓgáin, Liam Ó hAnnracháin and Natasha Preston claiming first place in the Over-18 Mixed Four-Hand Céilí Dancing competition.
Hosted in Belfast for the first time by Belfast City Council, in partnership with Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ) and Ards CCÉ, the Fleadh saw the city transformed into a vibrant celebration of Irish culture, with competitions, concerts, céilithe, sessions, workshops and events taking place across the city.
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is the world's biggest celebration of traditional Irish music, song and dance and provides a unique cultural meeting place for performers, competitors, families and visitors from Ireland and across the globe.
For all the results and further information on Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, visit www.fleadhcheoil.ie.
