A young Laois musician has won a prestigious prize at this year's Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann.

Spink Comhaltas were delighted to announce that their young member William Walsh won first place in the under 12 flute slow airs.

"Spink Comhaltas had a great time at the Fleadh," the group told the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

"As you may know, getting to the Fleadh finals is a bit like getting to the Olympics finals... this is a major achievement in its own right. This is particularly the case for branches competing in Leinster where competition is more  intense than any other region.

Pictured: William Walsh of Spink Comhaltas won gold in the U12 flute slow airs at the Fleadh

"Spink had 2 groups placed 3rd in the Leinster fleadh and unfortunately these 40 musicians missed out by the narrowest of margins (a single point) from qualifying for the All Ireland," they shared.

"However, Spink still had competitors in 6 individual competitions across all age levels. All performed excellently, with one musician, William Walsh taking gold in the U12 flute slow airs."

Spink Comhaltas explained that their ethos is developing young musicians who have music for life, and not exclusively focusing on a narrow area of preparing for competitions only. 

The group were one of the largest groups performing on the gig rig on Thursday, with over 30 musicians taking part. Spink also had eight musicians performing in an elite underage youth orchestra, the Meitheal Folk Orchestra. 

Over 10 of Spink’s musicians were invited to specialist music classes in Scoil Eigse, an intensive music course run over a week.  

One of Spink’s senior musicians,  David Vesey,  is part of the teaching staff at Scoil Eigse and is also a member of the National Folk Orchestra of Ireland.  David launched his debut solo piano album at the Fleadh. 

"David regularly credits Spink Comhaltas' emphasis on a holistic approach to developing musicians as being a critical part of his journey in music," Spink Comhaltas shared.

"He is hugely impressed by the quality and number of young musicians coming through Spink Comhaltas,  and believes this is a reflection of the commitment,  planning and strategic vision of the current committee in Spink."

Spink Comhaltas is celebrating its end of year with a branch event in Abbeyleix House & Farm in September,  and is now taking registrations for the 2025/26 season.

WATCH: Laois Comhaltas group gets crowd moving at Fleadh 2025!