A Lisdoonvarna musician is part of an Essex-based céilí band that has won a regional Fleadh Cheoil competition in London and qualified for the All Britain finals later this year.
Bríd O’Donohue-Hoctor, a fiddle player and daughter of Pat and Frances O’Donohue, is a member of St Cedd’s Céilí Band, which was formed in 2026 through the Chelmsford Irish community in Essex.
The band took first place at the London and Southern Fleadh, a regional competition within the Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann structure, bringing together Irish traditional musicians from across Britain. The result secures qualification for the All Britain Fleadh finals this summer.
St Cedd’s Céilí Band brings together musicians primarily from across Essex, along with Hertfordshire, Kent and London, and has quickly established itself on the regional traditional music scene.
Named after St Cedd, the 7th-century saint closely associated with Essex, the band reflects a strong connection between local identity in England and Irish cultural tradition. Although Anglo-Saxon, St Cedd was trained in the Irish monastic tradition and is understood to have spoken Irish, reinforcing that shared heritage.
Chelmsford Irish, the community organisation behind the band, has developed a wide programme of activity in recent years, including regular traditional music sessions, Irish language initiatives and the establishment of St Cedd’s GAA club. The céilí band has emerged from that wider grassroots effort.
Elaine Finn Davies, Secretary of Chelmsford Irish and co-founder of St Cedd’s Céilí Band, said: “It is a great result for the group and for the community. The band came together recently, bringing in musicians from across the area, and there has been a real level of commitment behind it.
It shows what can be built locally when people come together around music.”
While based in Essex, the group reflects strong Irish roots, with Bríd’s involvement highlighting the continued strength of Clare’s traditional music heritage among Irish communities abroad.
The band will now go on to represent their region at the All Britain Fleadh finals this summer.
Members of St Cedd’s Céilí Band are:
Elaine Finn Davies (button accordion), Bríd O’Donohue-Hoctor (fiddle), Michael Linane (fiddle), Mary Linane (keyboard), Timothy Logue (banjo), Carol Woods (fiddle), Conor MacMahon (flute), Ciaran Farrell (drums), Michael Sheehy (piano accordion), and John Paddy (flute).