Marching band musicians prepare for the Fleadh

There has been some criticism of the Forum’s decision to take part in the Fleadh, mostly online.

Maurice Brown, a piccolo player with the Imperial Guards Belfast band and director of the Ulster Bands showcase, sees it as an opportunity.

“There will be nearly 2,000 people on the Slipways, and coming from a unionist background, to see unionist culture as part of the wider Fleadh core programme, its huge.”

He has taken part in an All-Ireland Fleadh before, back in 2016 in Ennis, County Clare. He’s been playing at many other events across the week, including at Sunday’s opening ceremony, and he’s received a special award from Fleadh organisers Comhaltas.

He sees no conflict at all with that, and his background and culture as an east Belfast unionist.

“I’m not ashamed of who I am or where I come from,” he said.

“We’re standing here in east Belfast where I ran around as a wee boy, so for them to have opened up the Fleadh to include all cultures in this city and see fit to award me something at the end of it, is a huge privilege and a real honour.”