Debate contribution: Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann

Debate contribution by Mr Mark Durkan on 14 September 2026.

MLA

Mr Mark Durkan

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

14 September 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5686000

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I thank everyone for their contributions today. I join them in congratulating Belfast City Council at every level; Comhaltas; Translink; the performers; businesses and, of course, the workers who are the lifeblood of those businesses; community organisations; and the thousands of volunteers who helped to make the 2026 Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann such a resounding success. It is refreshing to be able to celebrate something positive and talk about culture as something that unites us rather than divides us. The fleadh showcased the very best of the massive talent that this place has to offer. It demonstrated the extraordinary contribution that music, culture and hospitality can and do make to our economy, our international reputation and our shared sense of identity, whether it is a bodhrán or a Lambeg drum that makes our shared place home. The fleadh showed that traditions do not need to compete with each other; they can be celebrated side by side. That is an important lesson, particularly for the Assembly. If we are serious about building on the success of the fleadh, we have to be prepared to look beyond Belfast. We must recognise the enormous potential across the North, including, of course, Derry and the wider north-west. Derry has already demonstrated that it can host major cultural events, and thanks to Mr O'Toole for reminding people that, in 2013, we hosted the fleadh on the first time that the event had ever been held north of the border. It attracted hundreds of thousands of people and was a landmark moment for the city and the island as a whole. I still remember the huge excitement when we first heard that the fleadh was coming. I got a text from a friend, saying, "Tiocfaidh ár bhfleadh."

The energy of that wonderful week was unparalleled. Derry has a creative sector that has consistently shown ambition far beyond the size of the city. Whether it is in film, music or on screen, we have a story to tell, and it is one that people across the world want to hear. The question now is whether the Executive are prepared to match that potential with the investment and infrastructure required to sustain it. As others have said, the success of the fleadh did not happen overnight or by accident. It was built over many years by artists, performers, technicians, community groups, volunteers, cultural organisations, statutory agencies and bodies and countless others. That brings me to the current situation facing the arts sector. Last week, artists and arts organisations stood outside the Building or sat upstairs, demanding action to save the sector.

For years, the sector has been promised an arts policy. We have been told repeatedly that it is coming, that the framework is complete and that everything possible will be done to put it in place, yet, to date, there has not been that delivery. Failure to fund the arts adequately threatens not just tens of thousands of livelihoods or the substantial socio-economic benefits that the sector generates but the very infrastructure that made the fleadh such a success and has helped this small place to become such a big player on the world stage.

Certainly, go ahead. Make it quick.

Absolutely. Artists have to be able to live, to dedicate their time and efforts to their chosen career and to share their undoubted gifts with a wider audience. We can all reap the benefits of that. We cannot celebrate the success of the fleadh while allowing the sector that made it possible to struggle for survival. From music to fashion, film and television, the North has consistently punched far above its weight. We have extraordinary talent and ambition, but talent alone is not enough. The sector needs a proper arts policy and sustainable long-term funding that allows organisations to plan, employ people, develop young talent and build audiences. It needs more than the political am-dram between the DUP and Sinn Féin that we see so often here — thank goodness that we got only a wee trailer of that this afternoon — it needs delivery.

I am running out of time. I will not get extra time for doing so. Sorry, Miss Hargey. The same principle applies to licensing legislation. Where is the further licensing Bill that was promised within this mandate? Our hospitality sector needs a flexible and modern licensing framework that supports live music, festivals, cultural events, venues, restaurants, bars and hospitality businesses while maintaining appropriate safeguards, of course. We cannot ask businesses and venues to deliver world-class hospitality while forcing them to operate under outdated rules. We should also look at the distribution of cultural events across the North. Historically, the vast majority of arts funding has been concentrated in Belfast. Almost 80% of the annual funding programme has gone to Belfast. Other places are sometimes expected to be grateful for the crumbs. Take, for example, not Derry but Enniskillen and the broader Fermanagh area. That place, with its beautiful landscape and rich heritage, received just 1% of that funding. We also need to make sure that major cultural initiatives are genuinely accessible to people across the region and are not concentrated in Belfast. That is yet another area in which I hope that my colleague Sinéad McLaughlin's Regional Balance Bill will help to promote fairness and opportunity. We also need a more coordinated response from Departments. We have seen some great examples of that, which made the fleadh such a success. DFI has rightly received plaudits for the flexibility and agility that it demonstrated even during the week itself, but, in that same week, roadworks on the Glenshane Pass caused significant disruption and delay for people who were travelling from the north-west. It is frustrating that, sometimes, so little thought continues to be given to the impact on people travelling from and around the area outside Belfast. That requires proper planning between DFI, Translink, councils, tourism bodies and event organisers. We need better communication about roadworks and diversions, and we need transport planning that recognises the regional importance of major cultural and sporting events.

I do not really have time, Mr McNulty. Andy Allen underlined the importance of improved accessibility so that those events are truly for everyone. Mar a dúirt Aisling Reilly,

it is important that we learn lessons. I am not criticising anyone, but it is important that we learn lessons about how to make it even bigger and better next year.

We have to learn more from the fleadh than simply the lesson that Belfast can host a major event. The lesson should be that the entire region can benefit when we all work together. People are sick and tired of the rhetoric of division. They want to showcase a place that they are proud to call home. They want a region that looks to the future, not one that keeps picking at and reopening the wounds of the past. Let us build on the tourism growth that is already being recorded. Let us invest in our arts sector before even more organisations disappear. Let us deliver the licensing reform that has been promised. Let us ensure that the power of art reaches every corner of the North. Let us remember the central message of the fleadh. So often, because of identity politics here and the ongoing efforts of some to stir up tensions and exploit difference, culture can feel like a dirty word. We need to flip that notion on its head. Our culture is our treasure trove, an asset and what makes this region so rich. Our diversity is not a weakness but one of our greatest strengths. As a very wise man once said:

"Difference is of the essence of humanity."

Another wise man repeated that today in proposing the motion. We should respect difference, not fear it. Let us therefore invest in venues, organisations and artists who make that possible. Let us ensure that culture is accessible in every part of the North, not just concentrated in one city and certainly not confined to one tradition. The SDLP wants to build something new, as do the majority of people here, so let us celebrate our differences, learn from one another and use the power of the arts and culture to bring us together and move us forward.

1,389 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:16 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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