Fleadh Cheoil (Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann) — Traditional Irish Music Contest Set Up in Minutes: 15 Instrument, Group and Singing Classes in Four Age Groups

Cultural & Folk Festival · Europe

Comhaltas Fleadh Cheoil: traditional Irish music across fiddle, flute, whistle, pipes, banjo, ensembles and sean-nos singing.

Sets up a traditional Irish music contest: nine solo instruments, duets, trios, ceili bands, music groups and separate Ladies and Men sean-nos singing, each in four age groups, with results compiled on the 11, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points scale.

This template builds a traditional Irish music contest of the kind held at large national gatherings in Ireland. A coordinator opens an event that already holds the instrument classes, the group classes, the age groups and the points scale, instead of listing fifteen competitions by hand. It suits music schools, branches of a traditional music society, festivals and community competitions that run tune-playing classes judged by adjudicators.

The fifteen classes fall into three families. Nine are solo instrument classes: Fiddle, Button Accordion, Flute, Whistle, Piano Accordion, Concertina, Uilleann Pipes, Harp and Banjo. Four are group classes: Duets, Trios, Ceili Bands and Grupai Ceoil (music groups). The last two are sean-nos singing, the unaccompanied traditional style, split into a Ladies class and a Men class. Every class runs in each of four age groups, coded A (under 12), B (12 to 15), C (15 to 18) and D (over 18). These are age-group codes, not grades of skill.

Marking follows the way the event’s own rules describe it. Adjudicators sit apart and mark separately, and results are compiled on a points system of 11, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 for first to seventh place, which the template carries as rank bonus values. Each entry is marked out of 100 per judge, with no sub-criteria printed, so the template does not invent any. The rules allow an adjudicator to withhold first prize, and first and second place normally qualify to the next level of the competition, so a coordinator who runs a county or regional round should record those two places for progression.

To run it, open the Registration Page for entries by instrument and age group, add your adjudicators, and let the tabulation produce a ranked result per class and age group. The ten-minute limit and zero fee are working defaults because the published rules fix neither; change them to suit your event. Language is left open, since tunes are played rather than spoken.

Where this event comes from

Competitive playing of traditional Irish music grew out of local sessions, house dances and the revival movement of the twentieth century, which created organised festivals with graded competitions by instrument and age.

Where this event is run

Ireland, where the largest competitions of this kind are held, and the Irish music communities of Britain, North America, Australia and continental Europe, where branches, schools and festivals run the same instrument classes. It is a poor fit for general music or pop contests, because the classes here are specific to traditional Irish instruments and singing.

• Ireland
• United Kingdom
• North America
• Australia
• Wherever traditional Irish music schools and festivals are held

Key facts

• 15 classes: nine solo instruments, four group classes and two sean-nos singing classes
• Four age groups: A under 12, B 12 to 15, C 15 to 18 and D over 18, each a code rather than a grade
• Solo instruments and sean-nos singing are individual entries; Duets, Trios, Ceili Bands and Music Groups are team entries
• Sean-nos singing is split into separate Ladies and Men classes
• Rank bonus points of 11, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 for first to seventh place; first prize may be withheld
• Marks out of 100 per judge; ten-minute limit and zero fee are working defaults

Age groups

4

Competition items

15

Competitions

60

Grade bands

0

Rank awards

7

Age groups

Every candidate is placed into one of these groups by age, and competitions are run per group.

A - Under 12

6From

–

11To

Candidates aged 6 to 11 compete in this group

B - 12 to 15

12From

–

15To

Candidates aged 12 to 15 compete in this group

C - 15 to 18

16From

–

18To

Candidates aged 16 to 18 compete in this group

D - Over 18

19From

–

99To

Candidates aged 19 to 99 compete in this group

Competition items

The events themselves — each with the category it belongs to and how judges score it.

Fiddle

On StageRating out of 10

Button Accordion

On StageRating out of 10

Flute

On StageRating out of 10

Whistle

On StageRating out of 10

Piano Accordion

On StageRating out of 10

Concertina

On StageRating out of 10

Uilleann Pipes

On StageRating out of 10

Harp

On StageRating out of 10

Banjo

On StageRating out of 10

Duets

On StageRating out of 10

Trios

On StageRating out of 10

Ceili Bands

On StageRating out of 10

Grupai Ceoil

On StageRating out of 10

Sean-nos Singing (Ladies)

On StageRating out of 10

Sean-nos Singing (Men)

On StageRating out of 10

Frequently asked questions

Can I change this template after installing it?

Yes — installing it creates a fully configured, live event, not a locked package. Every age group, competition item, rule and scoring setting can be edited afterwards to match exactly what your event actually needs.

Do I need technical knowledge to set this up?

No. Installing a template does the setup work for you; you only need to review the details (dates, unit or house names) and open registration.

Want the fuller picture first? See our guide to judge scoring and tabulation guide.