Eligibility: The Mid-Atlantic Fleadh Cheoil is open to competitors who live in the Comhaltas Mid-Atlantic US, Northeast US, Southern US, and Canada East Regions. A competitor in the Mid-Atlantic Fleadh may not compete in any other qualifying Fleadh in 2010.
1. Though all competitions are open to any competitor, qualified by age, they are aimed at those willing to travel to Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. Only those who have secured first or second prize at the 2010 Mid Atlantic Fleadh are eligible to compete in Cavan Town, County Cavan, Ireland, 15 - 22 August 2010.
2. Only Irish traditional music will be accepted in all competitions. Competitors may not use written words or music while competing in any competition. The prompting and coaching of competitors during the course of the competition is prohibited.
3. Competitors shall play each tune twice only. In the case of a reel which is played singly a competitor may play such a reel three times (AB AB AB). Competitors who play extra tunes e.g. two jigs or two reels in lieu of one shall be adjudicated on the first tune of the selection only and shall be penalized by the deduction of two marks for each extra tune attempted. No penalty shall be levied on a competitor in the Slow Airs Competition if he/she plays the air through only once.
4. A satisfactory standard is necessary for awarding first or any other prize.
5. No ties for First, Second or Third places.
6. In accordance with the Comhaltas Fleadhanna Cheoil Rialacha (Rules Applicable to All Fleadhanna), entry forms and fees must reach the Fleadh Secretary not later than May 4, 2010. A Late Fee of $10 per entry will be charged for entries received after that date. In the discretion of the Fleadh Committee, based on the individual merits of each case, entries may be accepted at the Fleadh itself and the decision of the Fleadh Committee will be final.
7. The Fleadh secretary may require proof of age for competitors in the under 18 classes.
8. The adjudicators are the sole judge of merit and in all other matters and the decision of the Fleadh Committee shall be final. Any complaint must be lodged with the Fleadh Committee before the close of competitions on the day of the fleadh and accompanied by a $25 fee; refunds will be at the discretion of the Fleadh Committee. Complaints will be reviewed by the Fleadh Committee immediately following the Fleadh.
9. No communication with the adjudicator is permitted before or during the competition, except through the Stewards.
10. Competitors shall, as far as possible, compete in the order in which they are called by the Call Steward. A competitor who fails to present himself when called for a specific competition, and who has not notified the Call Steward on duty of a just cause for his absence, shall be disqualified from the competition. The Call Steward shall
11. terminate a competition after the completion of the performance by the last available competitor, unless he/she has been previously notified that the missing competitor is ‘held up’ in which case the competition shall be shall open for a maximum of fifteen minutes. Once the Call Steward has closed the competition it cannot be reopened.
12. A copy of the completed adjudication sheet for the competitors own entry only, is available at $1 per sheet and must be requested at the Fleadh.
13. In duets and trios, full names and addresses of all participants must be listed on the back of the entry form. Having qualified, no substitution is allowed.
14. In solo competitions, a competitor must compete in own age group only. In duets, trios, ceili bands and Grupai Cheoil, a competitor may compete only once in any age group of any of the aforementioned competitions. A competitor may also compete in a higher age group, provided that he/she changes his/her instrument.
15. Including competitions for miscellaneous instrument, competitors are allowed to compete on one instrument only in any one competition.
16. Audio tape recording is not permitted unless approved in advance by the Fleadh Chairpersons. Each approval is for one individual in one competition. A release must be obtained in advance from any competitor to be recorded. No video recording is permitted.
17. Practice sessions or rehearsals are not allowed in or near the competition rooms. Entry or exit to competition rooms is not allowed during a competition. Spectators are required to be silent during competitions.
18. In competitions for duets and trios, all members must at all times play the melody of the tune.
19. In duets - over 18, two different instruments and only two must be played, and in trios - over 18, at least two different instruments must be played.
PROGRAM FOR COMPETITION
Classes of Music
Air (slow or lively), Reel, Polka, Hornpipe, Jig (double, single, slip), Slide, Set Dance, March, Mazurka, Planxty, Fling, Barn Dance, Schottische, Clan March
Grade (Age as of January 1, 2010)
a = Under 12 years old
b = 12- under 15
c = 15- under18
d = 18 or over
Solo Competition
Grades "a" & "b": One tune from each of TWO music classes. Grade "c": One tune from each of THREE classes. Grade "d": One tune from each of FOUR classes, but must include a Slow Air in the case of fiddle, tin whistle, concert flute, and uilleann pipes.
1. Fiddle a/b/c/d
2. Two Row Button Accordion a/b/c/d
3. Concert Flute a/b/c/d
4. Tin Whistle a/b/c/d (6 hole penny-whistle styles only)
5 Piano Accordion a/b/c/d
6. Concertina a/b/c/d
7. Uilleann Pipes a/b/c/d
8. Harp a/b/c/d
9. Mouth Organ a/b/c/d
10. Banjo a/b/c/d
11. Mandolin a/b/c/d
12. Piano a/b/c/d
13. One Row Melodeon (old style) a/b/c/d
14. Bodhran a/b/c/d
15. Big Pipes (Píob Mhór) a/b/c/d
16. Miscellaneous Instrument a/b/c/d (any instrument not
listed above)
17. Ceili Band Drummer a/b/c/d
Solo Slow Airs
In all grades competitors shall submit a list of slow airs to the adjudicator/s as follows:
· Under 12 - two slow airs; 12-15 - four slow airs; 15-18 - six slow airs; Over 18 - eight slow airs.
· In the Under 12 grade each competitor shall play one slow air selected by the adjudicator from a list of two submitted.
· In the 12-15 grade each competitor shall play two slow airs, one selected by the adjudicator from a list of four submitted and the other selected by the competitor from the remaining three on the list.
· In the 15-18 grade each competitor shall play two slow airs, one selected by the adjudicator from a list of six submitted and the other by the competitor from the remaining five on the list.
· In the Over 18 grade each competitor shall play three slow airs, two selected by the adjudicator from a list of eight submitted and the other selected by the competitor from the remaining six on the list.
18. Fiddle a/b/c/d
19. Uilleann Pipes a/b/c/d
20. Concert Flute a/b/c/d
21. Tin Whistle a/b/c/d
Ensembles
Duets and Trios: Grades "a" and "b", one tune from each of TWO classes. Grade "c". One tune from each of THREE classes. Grade "d". One tune from each of FOUR classes.
Ceili Bands: (Minimum of 5 members, maximum of 10) Grades "a" and "b": One tune from each of TWO classes. Grade "c": Two reels in succession, plus one tune from each of two other classes. Grade "d": two reels in succession, plus a maximum of two tunes played in succession from each of three other classes listed above. In the event of a recall in Grade "d" (Senior) a Band may not repeat any of the tunes it has played in its first performance.
Grupai Cheoil: (Minimum of 4 members, maximum of 20 members) Own choice of music for a maximum of 6 - 8 minutes but with a limit of ten minutes on stage. Whistlers and lilters may be included, as well as players of bodhran and bones, but piano and drums are not permitted. Efforts should be made to play tunes other than jigs, reels and hornpipes, e.g. slow airs, set dances, old marches, harp music etc. Attention should also be given to instrumentation arrangements and presentation of the music. A list of music pieces in the order to be played, e.g. slip jig, march, etc., shall be submitted by each group leader to the adjudicators prior to the performance.
Accompaniment: This competition is restricted to the following instruments: piano, harp, guitar, bouzouki-type instruments. The adjudication is on the accompaniment only.
22. Duet a/b/c/d
23. Trio a/b/c/d
24. Ceili Band a/b/c/d
25. Grupai Cheoil a/b/c/d
30. Accompaniment a/b/c/d
Solo Traditional Singing
In competitions for solo traditional singing the following are required: Grade (a) two songs of his/her own choice - slow & lively. Grades (b) and (c) - two songs from a list of four submitted (two slow and two lively) - one his/her own choice, the second a contrasting song to be selected by the adjudicator. Grade (d) two songs from a list of six submitted (4 slow and 2 lively): one of his/her own choice, the second a contrasting song to be selected by the adjudicator. In all lists of songs, the lively songs must be clearly denoted.
Newly Composed Ballad - must not previously have been sung at any fleadh prior to the current year. Lyrics for newly composed songs must be submitted in writing with entry and must accompany results to All-Ireland level. Songs in waltz time should be avoided.
31. Irish Singing: Ladies a/b/c/d
32. Irish Singing: Men a/b/c/d
33. English Singing: Ladies a/b/c/d
34. English Singing: Men a/b/c/d
35. Whistling a/b/c/d
36. Lilting a/b/c/d
37. Newly Composed Songs: Irish a/b/c/d
38. Newly Composed Songs: English a/b/c/d
Competition Fees
$20 per entrant for one solo, Duet or Trio, competition; $5 for each additional solo, Duet or Trio competition.
A family will not have to pay more than $60 in fees
The fee for Ceili Bands is $50.
The fee for Grupai Cheoil is $3 per member.
The deadline for entry is May 4, 2010. Entries received after that date will be charged a $10 late fee.
Membership in Comhaltas is also
available at this Fleadh and information
is available from the Fleadh office.
