A CHAMPION mouth organist from Bournemouth managed to overcome his nerves to win a national competition.

Irish-born Patrick Healy, who lives in Northbourne, won the prestigious All-Britain Fleadh in Preston at the end of June – taking first place for playing the mouth organ and second for the melodeon.

This means he has qualified for the All-Ireland Fleadh Championship, which will be held in August and see him competing against contestants from all over the world.

The 53-year-old, who has been playing instruments his whole life, said: “My main problem with last year’s competition was with the nerves. I’m able to play it well – it’s just different when there are people watching, especially in a world championship.”

All ages can compete in the championship, the categories are: under 12s, 12-15, 15-18 and senior, which is what Patrick competes in. In the senior competition, each competitor has to play a minimum of four tunes from categories including a reel, a jig, a march, a slide, a slow-air or a barn dance.

Each year, they have different adjudicators who are ex-champion players; they all look for different things which make it more difficult for competitors.

Patrick said: “I used to really want to win all the time but now I just like to go and play for enjoyment, that’s really what it’s about.”

Hosts of the competition, Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, is the largest worldwide organisation devoted to the promotion and preservation of Irish traditional music, song, dance and language.

In Britain there are more than 20 branches spread throughout the country each with its own story and dynamic interpretation of Irish culture.

Patrick has 11 medals, five of which are gold and most have been won playing the melodeon. He enjoys taking his mouth organ out with him and playing it on a field on a sunny day, sharing his love for music with the public.