Craic, Ceoil agus COVID-19: the impact of ‘Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann’ on presentations to the local emergency department

Fleadh Cheoil Na hÉireann, the world’s largest Irish music festival, was held in Mullingar in August 2023, gathering a crowd of nearly 600,000 people. Our aim was to assess the impact on presentations to the local emergency department (ED).

We performed a retrospective case analysis on all presentations to the ED at Regional Hospital Mullingar (RHM) from 23/7/2023 to 02/09/2023. We also collected data on COVID-19 swab results processed in our laboratory.

There was a 10% increase in ED attendances during the 2 weeks of the Fleadh. There was a statistically significant increase in COVID-19 presentations when compared to national positivity rates.

Our study shows that the Fleadh led to an increase in all-cause ED visits as well as an increase in COVID-19 cases. Our study plays an important role in informing health service preparation for future host towns of the Fleadh.