Now worth €40m, Fleadh Ceoil is back in Clare for the first time since 1977

For weeks, there has been a sense of the prodigal son returning. Fleadh Ceoil na hEireann is back in Clare for the first time since 1977. Thirty-nine years of wandering finally ends; the Fleadh is home.

In the lead-up to yesterday’s opening day, there was a triumphant mood within the county. The bunting is out, the signs are up, and the music is back.

The Fleadh is a seminal event in the Irish music calendar. A celebration not just of music, but of the very essence of being Irish. Nothing brings people together in this country quite like music.