The Success of World Fiddle Day Scartaglen 2025 – The Whats and the Whys Explained

Paul de Grae, Spa (left) and Cormac O’Mahony, Castleisland ready for sun and sessions at Saturday’s World Fiddle Day celebrations in Scartaglen. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Eoin and James Kelly-Flannery with Caoimhe Flannery, Rockchapel with Anne McAuliffe, Castleisland and Michelle Anne Houlihan, Ballyduff at World Fiddle Day in Scartaglen on Saturday. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Waiting for the music to start were: Susan Browne, Ballyduff (left) and Sináad Nolan, Lisselton at the World Fiddle Day celebrations in Scartaglen on Saturday afternoon. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Dutch visitors to World Fiddle Day Scartaglen on Saturday included: Myrtle van de Worp, Anja Guilikers and Jos van de Worp. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Local man Dan Casey looking forward to a day of local music at the World Fiddle Day celebrations in Scartaglen on Saturday. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Fran Batin, Lincolnshire, U.K. (left) and Miriam Maume, Ballintemple, Co. Cork were fully equipped for participation in Saturday’s World Fiddle Day celebrations in Scartaglen. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Ready for Saturday’s activities at World Fiddle Day in Scartaglen on Saturday afternoon were: Nicholas McAuliffe, PJ Teahan and Tomás MacUileagóid. ©Photograph: John Reidy

World Fiddle Day Scartaglen organiser, P.J. Teahan pictured with the ‘Fiddle Cases’ exhibition in Scart on Saturday with Caoimhe Flannery, Fiddler of Dooney and Oireachtas winner from Rochchapel. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Ready to play at the World Fiddle Day celebrations in Scartaglen on Saturday were guests, John Carty, London and Roscommon (left) and Eoin Stan O’Sulliovan, Newmarket, Co. Cork. ©Photograph: John Reidy

And they’re off… at Saturday’s World Fiddle Day celebrations in Scartaglen. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Young fiddle players, Nancy O’Connor, Currans and Seán Fleming, Kilcummin at World Fiddle Day Scartaglen on Saturday. ©Photograph: John Reidy

One of Patrick O’Keeffe’s few surviving pupils, Martin O’Connor, Cordal pictured with his daughter, Eileen Clancy, Banteer and her children Conor and Mairéad at the World Fiddle Day celebrations in Scartaglen on Saturday. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Fiddlers posing, photographers composing at the 1:30pm call for the traditional photo and tunes session at the Patrick O’Keeffe monument in the square in Scartaglen for World Fiddle Day. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Castleisland native and film-maker Shaun O’Connor was strolling through the World Fiddle Day celebrations with photographic intent on Saturday. ©Photograph: John Reidy

A boy with a banjo snuck into the mix of fiddle players at Saturday’s World Fiddle Day celebrations in Scartaglen. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Camera phones aloft as matters take a turn towards music during the World Fiddle Day celebrations in Scartaglen on Saturday. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Brigitte Froissart, Millstreet and Tralee (left) pictured with Cara O’Driscoll, Ovens, Co. Cork and John Daly, Mallow at World Fiddle Day celebrations in Scartaglen on Saturday. ©Photograph: John Reidy

The heady mix of great local music, very fine weather and a crowd of people in top form – and there to enjoy themselves – all helped to usher World Fiddle Day Scartaglen 2025 into the history books as one of the best attended and most appreciated.

Here, organiser, P.J. Teahan provides an insight on the whats and the whys the weekend stood out from all those since the event was founded back in May 2014.

The Organiser’s Verdict

“You never know until the last minute how many will attend an event and you wait all day nervously.

The first good news of the weekend came when Mary Brosnan Borgeat of Scartaglin Village walked down to the Heritage Centre with a message bag of cassettes, reels to reels and

manuscripts for the Handed Down Sliabh Luachra Archives containing magical names like Jerry McCarthy, Johnny Dennehy and Dave Dan O’Sullivan for example.

Our special guest Jackie Daly pulled in the gate around 4.pm and asked for help in getting two big boxes out of the boot of the car, Jackie then said ‘I am giving you all my cassettes – they are yours for the archives.’

The Night Flew From There

The night flew after that and eight different groups of young and older musicians payed tribute to Jackie Daly before himself and Paul De Grae took to the stage to play us out.

Saturday morning 6am bright and early at 5.45 am I headed to Scartaglin to prepare for World Fiddle Day, set up the fiddle case exhibition in the hall and put up signage for the café.

Expectations for the day was good because people really enjoyed Friday nights concert and promised to attend on Saturday. By 9.30 am there were cars parking and youngsters walking

around and practicing for Aidan Connolly’s Workshop part of the Sliabh Luachra Music Trail.

Music could already be heard in Lyons Bar at 10.30 where Kate Mulcahy launched WFD 2025 in the company of many great musicians.

Best Attendance of Fiddlers Ever

The annual World Fiddle Day group photo proved right when a head count showed this was the best attendance ever of fiddlers , watching on were box-players, flute, concertinas and more.

Nickie McAuliffe as always played a blinder introducing the great fiddle player John Carty who led the annual Fiddle Day Recital.

In Scartaglin on Saturday it was a pleasure to watch the world go by knowing we were in good company, in great weather and at peace with life for one day at least.

Time for Thanks

My thanks to the Culloty brothers from Currow, the O’Driscoll sisters from Ovens, Co. Cork; Tomàs MacUilleagóid, Mossie Butler, Maureen Fleming, Eleanor in the Cafe, Cormac O’Mahony on sound and Conor O’Mahony on promotion and computer duties.

It couldn’t have happened without Kerry Co Arts, Kerry Community Support Fund, Castleisland Chamber Alliance, Bridge View Kennels, Cllr. Charlie Farrelly, Cllr. Fionnán Fitzgerald, Den Joes and Riverside Kennels,” P.J. concluded.

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