On the road to the Fleadh

Name: On the road to the Fleadh
Start: 2026-08-01T00:00
End: 2026-08-09T00:00
Location: Hillsborough Castle

Celebrating the Fleadh Cheoil with live music at Hillsborough Castle's cafe

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When

01 - 02 August and 08 - 09 August 2026

12:00 - 14:30

Ticketing information

Performances take place in the main café and are free to attend, there is no need to book.

Seating is on a first-come first-served basis, and priority will be given to café customers.

Free

Events

Join Hillsborough Castle to celebrate the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann - the world’s biggest celebration of Irish music and culture coming to Belfast for the first time.

Hillsborough Castle and Gardens is an unmissable part of any visit to Northern Ireland. The royal residence and stunning 100 acre gardens has played a central role in British, Irish and American history, and kids can visit for free this summer. The grand Georgian estate is on the road to the Fleadh, situated on the A1 from Dublin just 20 mins outside Belfast.

To celebrate the Fleadh, Hillsborough Castle's popular café will be filled with live music.

Curated by Súgrú and featuring outstanding local musicians, the programme celebrates the richness and vitality of our living tradition.

Bringing artists and audiences together, these sessions create opportunities to enjoy great music and to connect with traditional arts at their best.

Further information

Getting here

Hillsborough Castle and Gardens is on the main A1 road from Dublin to Belfast, just before Lisburn. The café is open to the public and free to call in.

Access information

The café is fully accessible with nearby accessible toilets. The music will be live and acoustic, it will not be amplified.

Close up of traditional Irish uileann pipes. — *Traditional Irish uileann pipes © Sugru*

Hillsborough Castle and the Fleadh

There has been interest in the Irish language and literary tradition at Hillsborough Castle for centuries.

The 2nd Marquess of Downshire was a patron of the Belfast Harp Festival in 1793, a three-day musical and patriotic event. Traditional harp players were gathered to perform at the festival so that their tunes could be notated and preserved for future generations.

His sons Lord Arthur Hill, the 3rd Marquess of Downshire, and his brother Lord George Hill, learned to speak Irish and began collecting old Irish manuscripts. In 1830 the Marquess became President of the newly formed Cuideacht Gaoidheilge Uladh (or Ulster Gaelic Society), he was a driving force behind the creation of the society along with Dr James MacDonnell, Dr Bryce and Robert MacAdam. The society pushed for widespread education of the Irish language.

Printed guides of the castle are available in Irish, Ulster Scots and many other languages are available on request.

Live Music Programme

Enjoy free live traditional music in our café from 12:00–14:30. See the calendar below for the full programme and artists.

Close up of harpist playing seated inside the Lady Alice Temple at Summer Music event at Hillsborough Castle. — *Gráinne Mayer © Historic Royal Palaces*

Saturday 01 August

Teresa Clarke (fiddle) and Gráinne Meyer (harp)

Teresa Clarke is a highly respected traditional Irish fiddle player and pianist, well known in the Belfast traditional music scene as an educator, live session performer, and studio collaborator.

Gráinne Meyer is an award-winning Co. Antrim-based harpist, composer, and pianist. She won the World Music Competition at the Wales International Harp Festival in 2023.

Sunday 02 August

Deirdre Galway (guitar) and Jason O’Rourke (concertina)

Deirdre Galway is a Belfast-based traditional musician, guitarist, vocalist, and educator, best known as a founding member of Réalta and Music in the Glen.

Jason O’Rourke is an acclaimed Belfast-based concertina player, percussionist, and composer with over thirty years of experience in traditional Irish music.

Saturday 08 August

Cormac “Buzz” Ó Briain (uilleann pipes, whistles) and Deirdre Galway (guitar)

Cormac “Buzz” Ó Briain is a central figure in the Belfast traditional music scene, recognised as an uilleann piper, Irish language educator, and founder/director of Cleamairí Feirste.

Deirdre Galway is a Belfast-based traditional musician, guitarist, vocalist, and educator, best known as a founding member of Réalta and Music in the Glen.

Sunday 09 August

Blended Whiskey

Featuring John Shannon on double bass and vocals, John Dougan on fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle and vocals, and Raymond Kinley on guitar, banjo, harmonica and vocals.

Blended Whiskey are a three-piece band from the South Down area, performing a lively mix of bluegrass, traditional Irish, and country music since 2004.