HATS off to those two momentous summer celebrations, the World Cup and Mayo's All-Ireland victory, branded by sports fans and media commentators alike as unsurpassed moments of unbridled joy.
But we think Belfast bested both and made it a hat-trick of seasonal successes with Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, a spectacular manifestation of the power of music to uplift and transform entire communities and cities — and perhaps even bend the arc of a country's future.
Hyperbole? We don't believe so. Certainly the media interest was immense: It's reported that two billion people were exposed to our Fleadh frolics on social media while the 'world's newspaper', the New York Times, devoted a full page to our festivities.
Tourism chiefs must be licking their lips at the prospect not just of the Fleadh return in 2027 (and, perhaps, 2028) but also at the fact that they have finally cracked the reluctance of our Southern brethren to stay overnight in the 'Dark North'.
That work of easing the path for visitors from the South was enhanced by the marvellous live coverage by TG4 from their Castle Street marquee — surely an investment of at least €1m by the national Irish language broadcaster which has always given Béal Feirste a fair craic of the whip.
In short, this was a Fleadh like no other.
And, for Belfast, an event like no other.
Only the optimism and sheer joy around the historic ceasefire of August 1994 could compare to the atmosphere in Belfast during the eight days of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.
Indeed, there is a straight trajectory from the end of the years of warfare and the arrival of the Fleadh for the peace made this momentous musical extravaganza possible.
Success they say has many fathers (and mothers) but failure is an orphan. In that regard, there may be much wrangling over who exactly originated the idea of a Belfast Fleadh and then delivered it. For us, however, three individuals did play pivotal roles and deserve to be acknowledged: Belfast City Council CEO John Walsh who has been labouring at the Fleadh coalface since before COVID, Sinn Fein councillor Ciarán Beattie who marshalled the votes from the nationalist benches to ensure the Fleadh was properly resourced by City Hall, and DUP councillor Tracy Kelly who travelled to Wexford last year to accept the Fleadh handover and whose leadership helped seal the cross-community buy-in to the event.
But the greatest praise must go to the people of Belfast who rolled out the red — or was it green — carpet for the visiting legions.
For, from the Shankill Young Defenders, whose delight at being spotlighted at the Fleadh is reported elsewhere in these pages, to Cumann Ceoil na Fuiseoige from Twinbrook, who got to introduce their set in Irish from the City Hall stage, the message of a united Belfast struck a chord with the Fleadh visitors.
The challenge now is to ensure this spirit of unity and determination to show our best face to the world continues for the next 51 weeks — until Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann returns again.
