Ian Malcolm on August 10, 2026, 9:34 pm | Readers 0
Ian Malcolm, right, with Raidió na Gaeltachta presenter Tristan Rosenstock
One of my proudest ever moments came during Fleadh 26 when I walked on to the stage in Writers’ Square to do a couple of songs in Irish on the Raidió na Gaeltachta stage.
As a Protestant and Unionist, I talked about the musical tradition that we share, often unknowingly – songs like Come Out Ye Black and Tans, Rosc Catha na Mumhan (Munster’s Battle Cry) and Ólaim Puins.
All of these share the same tunes as songs from the loyalist musical catalogue; airs which have moved from one side to the other and back over many generations.
Even the relatively recent Fields of Athenry has its Orange equivalent in The Fields of Ballynafeigh.
My own set included two songs – a comedy song about a coconut losing its hair (a metaphor for decreasing male virility), and the other my own version of The Sash My Father Wore in Irish.
It may not have been a stellar performance worthy of the Gig Rig at City Hall, but I’ll never forget the experience. What a day for this Lurgan Prod! And I think the audience enjoyed it too – at least there were enough tapping feet to suggest that they did.
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann came as a surprise to many from the Unionist community, who may not have been sure what to expect. Indeed, several Republican-leaning commentators tried to strike a note of triumph that Belfast was about to be conquered by bodhráns and tin whistles, predicting Unionist discomfort at this “invasion”.
One even suggested that it would all be “a bit too taigy sounding, too fenian” for Prod palates.
How wrong they were! Thousands of Protestants and Unionists embraced the Fleadh with passion, and it wasn’t just this Irish-speaking one. On the train to Belfast, a guy from Kilkeel saw my instrument case and deliberately moved over to talk to me about the event. Like many other Prods, he was going out of curiosity.
And when they got there they found that loyal music and culture was centre stage. The Fleadh’s promise of inclusion was not a hollow one and the Ulster-Scots tradition was not shoved into the shadows.
Republicans often mock Loyalism for having no culture, except flegs and bonfires. They may have been disappointed to hear a host of drummers, fluters, pipers and more take centre stage and show that music – whatever its perceived colour – is an artform above politics.
The entire event was a fusion of music and tradition, people from both sides sharing their talents in a city that offered a genuine “céad mile fáilte” to all, musicians and spectators.
As I’ve often said, music is a universal language with many dialects, none more valid than any other.
Of course, there were a few nasty little moments, such as the hot food van blaring out that vile ditty “Up the Ra”! But this was very much the exception.
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2026 has shown Belfast to a new audience and in many ways proved how far we have moved from the days of distrust that kept people apart.
At last, Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter have been united – in music! Not exactly what the United Irishmen had in mind, perhaps, but you might say the Fleadh hit the right “Tone”!
Dr Ian Malcolm is an Irish teacher for lifelong learners and a journalist in the Irish language media. From a Unionist background, he passionately believes that Irish belongs to all. He is the author of Towards Inclusion: Protestants and the Irish Language. Despite being a commentator on politics in the Irish language media, he avoids all things political in the social media!
We are reader supported. Donate to keep Slugger lit!
For over 20 years, Slugger has been an independent place for debate and new ideas. We have published over 40,000 posts and over one and a half million comments on the site. Each month we have over 70,000 readers. All this we have accomplished with only volunteers we have never had any paid staff.
Slugger does not receive any funding, and we respect our readers, so we will never run intrusive ads or sponsored posts. Instead, we are reader-supported. Help us keep Slugger independent by becoming a friend of Slugger. While we run a tight ship and no one gets paid to write, we need money to help us cover our costs.
If you like what we do, we are asking you to consider giving a monthly donation of any amount, or you can give a one-off donation. Any amount is appreciated.
