The All Ireland

The Fleadh Cheoil Na hEireann is the annual All Ireland championship. In the Fleadh there are competitions for music, song, dance and every instrument at every age group. There is of course a bodhrán competition. To qualify for the All Ireland, a competitor must win through the county and provincial stages. Because every competitor at the All Ireland is either a regional champion or runner up, the standard is exceptionally high.

For bodhrán at senior level (18+) the player is accompanied by a melody player of their choosing. They must play 4 tunes of their choosing, each must be of a different rhythmic type, eg, a jig, a reel, a hornpipe & a polka. Each tune is played twice only. A single ajudicator makes a decision regarding who the winner is. Quite often this person is not a bodhrán player. If the standard is not deemed to be sufficiently high, an ajudicator may recommend that none of the competitors may progress. This is rare.

Here are the All Ireland bodhrán results since 2003

Here are the official Fleadh rules as a Word Document (link goes to Comhaltas site)

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