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PASSENGERS WHO TRAVELLED on a late-night train to Newry from the Fleadh arrived back to a locked station.

Belfast is hosting Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann for the first time and the week-long event comes to a close tomorrow.

Visitor numbers were estimated to have topped one million by Friday evening, already exceeding the 800,000 expected by Sunday, with music and the tapping of Irish dancing filling the city centre streets.

In anticipation of the large number of visitors, Northern Ireland’s public transport service Translink announced additional late night services.

One of these additional services is a late-night train to Newry.

It departed last night from Belfast’s Grand Central Station and arrived at Newry Train Station at around 1.20am overnight.

However, a group of around 30 passengers arrived at a locked station that had already closed for the night.

They were stuck at the shut station for around 45 minutes.

One of the passengers, Anne Greer, told BBC News NI: “To our surprise the entire station was closed, so we couldn’t exit.

“So we’re all trapped on the platforms for over 40 minutes.”

She said the train crews “helped as much as they could, but there was nothing they could do”.

“They were completely gobsmacked as to why they’ve arrived to a completely closed and locked train station,” Greer added.

Shortly before 2am, a worker arrived at the station to let the passengers out.

In a statement, Translink said: “A group of passengers experienced an operational issue exiting Newry station after the arrival of the last train at 1.20am this morning, we’re looking into the incident and apologise to the passengers affected.

“The train crew remained with the passengers to ensure their safety while the issue was resolved.”

Meanwhile, the success of the first Fleadh in Belfast has been described as a “dream come true” for organisers.

President Catherine Connolly, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Bryant, First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly are among the hundreds of thousands who have attended the Fleadh this week.

Niall McClean, chair of Ards Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCE), the host branch for Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Belfast, said it’s been “been absolutely unbelievable, way beyond our expectations”.

“The crowds from the very start have exceeded all we thought, we’re over the moon, and there is still two days to go,” he added.

“I’ve been going to Fleadhs for 40 years and the atmosphere is always good wherever you go, but I’d been maybe a little bit sceptical with it being a complex city that it would work still – but it’s been extraordinary, the streets are full of music.

“It’s getting busier and busier and then the last day is always the highlight to see the Ceilidh band finish at the Gig Rig, so I think Sunday will be even bigger again – we don’t know where we’re going to put everyone.”

In terms of the Fleadh returning to Belfast next year, McClean said there are always lessons to learn, but that generally events have exceeded all their expectations.

“This will be hard to top when you see what has happened this week. The second year of the Fleadh is always bigger again, so I think Belfast is going to have to get an extension,” he added.

-With additional reporting from Press Association

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