ONE wag remarked, after the spectacular success of Sunday's Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann opening ceremony at City Hall, that "we should do this every week".

And while all our readers would likely raise a glass to that prospect, we do realise logistics and resources would be, let's just say, a significant obstacle to staging this Irish music extravaganza every week.

But what Belfast can do, as it has clearly shown since Sunday, is maintain phenomenal levels of positivity and energy which are the envy of Ireland. 

Indeed, that tremendous celebratory troika of TradFest, Féile an Phobail and Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann demonstrate not just how far Belfast has travelled but also how keen our citizenry is to travel even further.

The days when Féile was involved in a battle a day to receive funding from City Hall, when St Patrick's Day was a non-event as far as officialdom was involved and when the city centre was effectively off-limits to any demonstration of Irish culture have been consigned to the dustbin of history.

In place of yesteryear's narrow, puritanical and dour culture of a monochrome (and truncated) Ulster, Belfast now boasts an exuberant kaleidoscope of arts, dance, music and song which befits Ireland's only Unesco City of Music. 

And, it turns out that the world and its mother is only too keen to step out lightly with the people of Belfast to celebrate this upturn in our fortunes. The shot-in-the-arm for our hospitality trade is not to be diminished but the real winner is Team Belfast and Brand Belfast which is resplendent globally once again.

In light of recent racist attacks, the city needed a reset which would showcase the very best of Belfast. And Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann has done that — in spades.

While, at the time of writing, the elusive Ed Sheeran has not made an appearance, there have been other VVIPs, to use the jargon, who have made a beeline to Belfast. Most notable, of course, is An tUachtarán Catherine Connolly who has boosted local spirits, not just by being present but by, in her visits to every corner of the city, exhibiting the spirit of inclusion and mutual respect which Belfast is crying out for.

Among other notable visitors this week are President of the 1.4 million member International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Sean O'Brien (America's preeminent trade union leader), and Massachusetts Port Authority CEO Rich Davey. Their presence shows us that steadfast allies in our global family are rooting for Belfast's success. 

At a difficult political juncture, the presence of so many luminaries in Belfast should remind us that too much progress has been made to allow the never-never-never brigades on any side to hold us back. 

In that respect, kudos to Belfast City Council and to Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, the joint partners who have made this momentous event possible, for ensuring that the band music emblematic of our unionist community was also showcased on the Fleadh stage. 

So, while we may not be able to host a Fleadh every week, there is no excuse for not trying to hit those high notes of rebirth and reconciliation every day of the year.