Ed Sheeran-backed cross-border music project takes centre stage at Fleadh
By Rebecca Black, Press Association
A cross-border music project supported by the Ed Sheeran Foundation took centre stage on the second day of the first Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann to take place in Belfast.
Young people from Belfast and Cork involved in North South Sounds 2026 gave a rendition of The Cranberries’ hit Zombie during a performance on the Gig Rig at City Hall on Monday afternoon.
Some of the other highlights on Monday included the Comhaltas Gradam Inclusion Awards at the MAC celebrating traditional Irish musicians with additional needs.
Later there was celebration of 50 years of Ards Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann featuring The Priests alongside leading traditional performers at the Waterfront Hall.
Across the day crowds thronged the streets of the Northern Ireland capital for the world’s largest celebration of Irish music and culture which has been projected to bring a £53 million economic boost to the city
The Fleadh will see more than 200 events and 180 traditional music competitions take place in venues, pubs and streets, with 800,000 people expected to visit Belfast over the week-long celebration to August 9.
It is the first time the annual music festival has been held in Belfast and only the second time it has been held in Northern Ireland, after being hosted in Londonderry in 2013.
The 2026 event has been billed as one of the most culturally diverse in its history, with cross-community participation and a celebration of traditions from across Northern Ireland and beyond.
Stormont Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald told the BBC that her department allocated £1 million in funding to help stage the event, and said the economic impact that has been modelled is in and around £53 million.
North South Sounds 2026 also performed at the Oh Yeah Centre, a venue set up with backing from Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody, which is involved in the cross-border project along with the Ed Sheeran Foundation (ESF) and Music Generation Cork City.
It aims to connect children and young people in Cork city and Belfast through songwriting, performance, and community engagement.
Sheeran performed alongside local artists at the traditional music festival last year at The Sky and The Ground pub in Co Wexford, sparking speculation he may visit the Belfast Fleadh at some stage in the week.
