Fleadh to return to Finsbury Park?

By LiseS | Thursday, July 01, 2010, 14:13

Promoter Vince Power has suggested that the popular Irish music festival The Fleadh may make a return to Finsbury Park.

It's 20 years since the first Fleadh came to N4. Over the years the festival, which promotes Irish and other music, has featured performances from The Pogues, Bob Dylan, The Wonderstuff, Neil Young, Counting Crows and the Charlatans. The Fleadh has been on hiatus for a few years, but Power suggests the time may be ripe for a return.

Watford-born Power is best known as founder of the Mean Fiddler music group; he sold his stake in the company in 2005. He has since kept busy organising the Hop Farm Festival, now in its third year, and the Benicassim music festival in Spain. Van Morrison, Blondie, Bob Dylan and Ray Davies will be playing Hop Farm this year.

The Fleadh in its heyday was popular with both Irish migrants and other music lovers, attracting both the cream of Irish folk and pop music and more mainstream headline acts. Power suggested to The Irish Post that the current economic climate has brought many Irish workers back to London. "We were in the same situation as we are now, with lots of Irish people over here."

Power adds that, despite his many other music and events-promotion activities, he has always had a special fondness for The Fleadh and looks forward to seeing it back in Finsbury Park. "It’ll be the Fleadh the way it was," he says, "top class acts with music to suit all."