TRE - Comhaltas Archive

Iml 37 Uimhir 4 2005 I SS No 790 004XTRE,/ ris Oifigiuil Chomha/tas Ceo/toiri EireannThe Book of Traditional Music, Song and DanceDesigned and typeset by Graftr6naic, Co. Kerry, Ireland.Macalla na hEireann,A Huge Hit 2 20 The Great Fursey 262 Back to Letterkenny 3 21 Memories of Camp Life 273 A Tale ofTwo Johns 3 22 Chicago to HostTrad4 Owen Kelly 3Extravaganza 295 Th Association of Irish23 Clann a bhi Dilis d'Eirinn 30Traditional Musicians 3 24 Comhaltas Fly the Flag for Ireland6 Government Funding Welcomed4at Major EU-China Summit 317 Irish Music Feile in25 Fleadh Memories 32the American South 5 26 Others will Reap the Harvest 338 Padraig is Toast ofTion61 6 27 Comhaltas at Crossroads9 Echoes from the Past 8of the World 3410 John Cowley's28 McDonaghs of Ballinafad 35'On Brosna's Banks' 11 29 Jim McAllister is to Blame 3611 Ant6in Mac Gabhann: The 30 The Lovely River Finn 36Master Musician of Mullahoran 1231 High-Flying Dancer 3712 Music Making is Passport32 My Coleen by the Shore 37to Enjoyment 1733 Best ofTrad in the Deep South3813 Stepping it out in Cork 2034 The Fleadh in Sligo 3914 Fortune Favours the Merry 2135 The Village Sings 3915 The Bodhran Playing BusinessSupremo: Gerry Whelan36 New Music Catalogue 39Remembered 22 37 Forgotten Pipers of Tipperary 4016 Within a mile of Kilty 23 38 A Salute to Genius and Service4117 Bruach na Carraige 39 A Fond Farewell to John 42Summer Camp 2440 A Spectacular Memory 4218 Coleman Remembered 2541 Lichfield Irish Weekend 4319 The Sligo Maid 2542 All-Ireland Winners 4543 Fleadh Amhran agus Rince 4544 Welcome to Exiles 46TREOIR (ISSN 790 004X) is published quarterly by CCE,32 Belgrave Square, 110nkstown, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Single 45 Albam Nua d'Amhraincopies €5; Subscription Rates: Ireland and Europe €14; Chomhaimseartha i nGaeilge 47Britain £10; Australia and New Zealand $25; US andCanada $20 US. USPS 062790. Periodical postage to be46 Craobh Droichead Atha 47paid at Hillsdale PO and at additional mailing offices. USPOSTI1ASTER: Please send address changes to TREOIRAdminstrator, PO Box 14, Hillsdale, NJ 07642 USA as wellas any inquiries about US and Canadian subscriptions.

TREOIRThe Associationof Irish Traditional MusiciansCumann CeoltoiriSean Nos,no hEireannAre you a member?The Association of Irish Traditional Musicians (AITM) is the onlyTrade Union dedicated solely to Irish traditional musicians.singers and dancers. It is one of the oldest music trade unionsin Ireland. having been founded in the 1950's and was formany years guided by the late John Keenan.For further information contact: AITM.32 Belgrave Square. Monkstown. Co Dublin. Tel: 01-280 02953

TREOIRIrish Music Feilein theAmerican Southfrom its own resources.The Development Programme willplace particular emphasis on the IrishLanguage. This will respond to thegoodwill, which now exists for Irishand the opportunities presented bythe new Language legislation at homeand abroad and the official workingstatus for Irish achieved in Europe.Education is one of the main planks inthe Comhaltas crusade. There are1,000 classes weekly and up to 25,000traditional performers come throughthe validation network annually. Inaddition, the organisation has 650teachers qualified through its TTCTDiploma course, directed by formerChief Music Inspector with the Deptof Education Mfcheal 6 hEidhin.The Scoil Eigse (Summer College)accepts up to 800 students each year- most of them on scholarships. It isintended to expand the educationopportunities in urban and rural areasunder the Development Programme.With 44 Fleadhanna Cheoil annually,the organisation provides a uniqueconduit with the community. This,together with the Seisiun nationwideentertainment scheme, will bedeveloped into an integrated packagewhich will coalesce with the multielementDevelopment Programmeand which also has tourismimplications.Thtn and now and tht futurr: An Taoistach Jack Lynchwith Itnator Ilamus de Brdn and Labhris O/lurch'; atCuitfJrlann Ra hEirrann. An Taoiseach is briefed on the newThtatrr extension to the CuitfJrlann which was planntd attht time and which has since become a rrality.looking to the futurr: singer Tadhg /laher (Ardchomhairlemember); fiddle player Gary lynch (Comhaltas HQ); andflautist Aisling /lcPhillips (Ardchomhairle member).Atlanta, Georgia, home of ScarlettO'Hara and Peach Capital of theSouth. will now claim anotherdistinction. the first southern cityto host an Irish music feile. TheAtlanta Irish Music Competitionwill be held Saturday February 4.2006 under the adjudication ofMarie Reilly of New York andSeamus MacConaonaigh of Spiddal.Co. Galway. Registration beginsonline December I , 2005 atwww.AtlantalrishMusic.com.Solo competitions will be held forall ages in the followinginstruments: fiddle. flute. whistle.uilleann pipes, concertina. pluckedstrings (banjo, mandolin. guitar,bouzouki, harp), miscellaneousinstruments (piano accordion,piano, button accordion. melodeon.cello) and song (Irish or English).with awards being sponsored andpresented by The Irish Chamberof Commerce USA.Though not a sanctioned Fleadh.competition rules will mirrorfleadhanna guidelines. As a specialnote, I would like to thank KathleenNesbitt and Sean O'Driscoll whothis summer at the Culturlann, overstrong tea and sausages, helped meconceive this idea as a way ofextending 'the tradition' withinreach of young Irish musicians in theAmerican South.Katherine Irwin ThomasRecent HeT graduateMember of Irish Music TraditionsAtlanta, Georgia USA5

TREOIRSeamus l1ac Cormaic making a presentation to Padraig6 Oufaigh on behalf of the Connacht Council of ComhaltasComhairle na Breataine make a presentation to Padraig(I·r) joan Burke, Seamus Brogan, l1ary I1cAndrew andSeamus 6 TeimheainBishop Fiachra 6 Ceallaigh and FrTony Cahir celebrated Mass in Irishfor all those present.Padraig 60ufaigh receiving the Gradam an Chomhaltaistrophy from Uachtaran an Chomhaltais SeamUl 6 TeimheainPcidraig 6 Dufaigh, and his wifeVirginia and family, expressed theirappreciation of the warm welcomeand friendship, which theyexperienced at the Tion61. It will godown in folklore as one of the greatoccasions at the Culturlann in its 30year history.Leo RowsomeIn the 1970s An Taoiseach jack Lynch greets ArdchisteoirPadraig 6 Oufaigh and fiddle player joe liddy. Thisphoto was taken at CultUrlann na hEireann

TREOIRfildlClItIC)n newspapers~rin2 reports as well. Thesea few of the many welcomesDttElIldtw back in the early years.Satisfied with the amount of progressbeing made here. the Ardchomhairlein Ireland felt that North Americashould move toward Provincial status.A$. It turned out this took several's_IDGU'Iltilon. lt was decidedvlslt to Arlington~_~'J\ to the graves of President~.Ji_18dY and his brother Robert.To try and list all who were therwll~body and spirit would fill pages.more space than Treoir can

TREOIRJohn Cowley's'On Brosna'sBanks'Deirdre CowleyI1rs Cowley at the launch of her late husband's JohnCowlel's book of Poetry 'On Brosna's Banks,' pictured withBill I1cEvoy who launched the book and Helen Gannon ofSt Louis Irish Am who sponsored the publicationThe book, Daddy's Book, we hadbetter get organised and put all thispoetry in order. That has been thecant in our house for at least the lastfive years since my father's death inAp ril 1999. Readers will have knownour father better as Sean Cowley,AnSeanchai, member of ComhaltasCeolt6iri Eireann, local wit andraconteur who lit up the room withlaughter. A small man in stature but alaugh that would rouse a crowd, infact you most always heard himbefore you saw him. A favourite sayingof his own was There's one thing Ican't stand and that's a small man',this was generally thrown out at lads6ft and above, very brave to say theleast considering he was only 5 ft 2'.He was and is a wonderful father,husband, grandfather and father-in-law.I say 'is' due to the fact that in timesof confusion we as a family still drawfrom his wisdom and try to ascertainwhat fountain of knowledge he mightenlighten us with on any given subject.Needless to say, as the years passedon we made a few attempts to put inorder his many writings and jottings.These were all kept in a battered oldsuitcase, which he stored under thebed. The suitcase had seen better days- but the treasure of writing it held -well in my humble opinion - waspriceless. It is not until latter yearsthat the beauty of this work has sunkin for me personally. When you spendyour life growing up with a talent asextraordinary as his - for you itbecomes the norm. As a child youthink everyone's father writes or tellsyarns or takes to the stage, not untilthe wisdom of age do you realiseits uniqueness.So we needed a leader to urge us on.He phoned out of the blue oneSummer Sunday in 2005. His name BillMcEvoy. He had a project he mustcomplete, a re-print or new print ofSean Cowley's poems and stories.There was a deadline, about threeweeks. He had organised a sponsor,St Louis Irish Arts Group, St LouisUSA. Helen Gannon was the ladywith the purse and she was morethan willing to spend her money onthis project. There was to be a nightin Culturlann Dublin in September.Well there's nothing like a deadline toput a group into action and so thefaithful old suitcase came out but thistime in earnest. Mammy and thefamily got to work and a selection ofhis writings was discussed, organisedand drafted into thepublication we havetoday. There weretears and laughterduring thecompilation as oldfavourites we foundand his take on locallife or old characterswere renewed for us.There was the sadnesshe portrayed when ourbeloved sister Carmelpassed away, that was hard for us tovisit again. There was his latest workjust before he passed away The Littlepiece of Ireland'.So it's done, it's printed, it looks great.Thank You Bill McEvoy and HelenGannon of St Louis Irish Arts. Thankyou from the bottom of our heartsfor your heartfelt kindness anddedication and sponsorship of thisbook. Thank you Labhnis 6 Murchuand your team for the wonderfulnight on September lOth inCulturlann. Our thanks to the busload of Comhaltas members fromCastletown-Geoghegan for yoursupport and most of all thank youDaddy for your talent, your friendshipand your love.Due to the fact that many membersof our immediate and extended familyhave been touched with cancer allprofits from the sale of 'On Brosna'sBanks' go to the Irish Cancer Society,the cost is € I 0.00.You can contact us direct on 04426106,044 26113, 044 26883 oremail us onseancowleypoems@hotmail.comIf you feel this is a worthy causeand would like to contribute pleasepurchase.11

TREOIRFiddler of O riel in Monaghan, antOireachtas and an tOireachtas CoirnCrotty (fo r previous winners of antO ireachtas). This abundance ofwinnings shows how much Tony'smusicianship and style had developedin the previous years due to theinfluence of those he played with.Those musicians that he played within Dublin and London also had a greatinfluence on Ant6in's repertoire. Hisrepertoire is built from Dublin, Clare,the North and London, and spans thefiddle tunes of the North and the 'bigtunes' to the rhythmic Clare settunes. He spent lots of time playingwith Tyrone and Fermanagh fiddlerssuch as John Loughran and others inthe Pomeroy/Ballygawley/Cappaghareas of Co Tyrone and the Nugents,Gallaghers, Mick Hoy, Francie Quinn,and John McManus in Co Fermanagh.He also had a friendship with theAntrim and Derry Fiddler's Association,adjudicating at their competitionsthroughout the '70s and building afriendship with many of the musicians.His Clare connections come from hiswife Bernie, a native of the county.Through her he kept company with theKilfenora and Tulla Ceili Bands.Mullahoran ConcertIn 1969, Ant6in was in his final year ofstudy in UCD.At that time, therewere six priests from Tony's nativeparish, Mullahoran, who worked onthe missions, especially in Africa. Oneof those was Fr. Tommy Smith,Ant6in's brother, working in Kenya.Apostolic workers formed to supportthe natives of the parish working inAfrica. Ant6in offered to hold aconcert in Mullahoran to help. Herounded up all his musician friends inDublin. Along with a crowd ofsupporters, they hired a bus and wentup to Mullahoran. The concert wasmeant to be a once off, but thirty-sixyears later, it 's still going strong. Tonysays, " It just continued". Paddy Fallonwas the Fear an T f at the firstconcert, even though at that time hewas not very well known. Tony knewhim from the Clontarf Comhaltassession and asked him to be MC forthe concert, which he was every yearuntil the time of his death, thirtythreeconcerts later.The concert has always been a goodshow of traditional music, singing,dancing and storytelling with nomodern set-ups, an approach thatTony is obviously very partial to.Singers are always unaccompanied,and all is in ordinary traditionalperformance style. Many of Ireland'sgood traditional performers havetaken part in the concert over theyears, including Joe Ryan, TommyPeoples, Jimmy McGreevy, John Regan,Michael Tubridy, The Harper family,Frank Kelly, Pauline Sweeney, NoraButler, Vincent Broderick, Paddy Ban6 Broin and hundreds more. PatsyHanley, Clann O'Raghallaigh and someothers have played there almost everyyear. Some supporters who come onthe bus from Dublin, like set-dancerPaddy King and Brid Brody have beenthere almost every year and may haveonly missed one or two concerts inthe thirty-six years.The concerts were originally held ona Sunday night in March. Traditionally,concerts were held during Lentbecause there would have been nodances being held. As the years wenton and work became more importantin people's lives, supporters wantedto be home earlier for work onMonday morning, so the concert wasswitched to Saturday night. A fewyears ago, however, a Sunday eveningmass was held to commemoratePaddy Fallon. The concert was heldafterwards, and the whole thing wasso successful that they changed theconcert to Sunday evening. TheSaturday night concerts would startby 9pm and sometimes run untilI :45am, and now the Sunday eveningconcert begins at 6pm and finishessoon after I Opm. This timing ispopular and the hall is always full.The concert is long because there areso many performers willing to play.Each participant plays only once, andonly plays two selections of tunes. Somany musicians come that it hasbecome a meeting place for them toget together and have a tune. Over theyears there was always a good sessionhappening underneath the stage at thesame time as the concert. It is only amatter for Tony to go down under thestage and bring up each performer. Hecontinually ensures a good mix ofmusic, singing and dancing and humourthrough the concert.The Apostolic workers always give akind welcome to everyone at theconcert. All those who journey therewill always be given tea andsandwiches on arrival, and again after13

TREOIRunder the direction ofTony andRfona. In 1994, Rfona died. Hermemory is kept alive by a SummerSchool held every year, at which Tonyhas taught a number of times.Around that time, there were anumber of young musicians in theAshbourne area, and Tony saw theneed for a CCE branch there. It hassince built up to have one of thebiggest youth memberships in thecountry. It is gong from strength tostrength, with many prize-winners inboth solo and group competitions atSI6gadh, Fleadhanna Ceoil (nahEi reann) and Siansa. Tony is stillheavily involved in all aspects of therunning of he branch.Another establishment Tony hashelped set up in Ashbourne is Gaelscoilna Cille. It was founded in 1981 andTony was Cathaoirleach of theorganising committee and of the Boardof Management. It was quite unusualfor a lay person to hold this position,and even today, it is usually held by theParish Priest. The school has grown andprospered and is now a ten teacherschool. It moved into its new buildingin I 994.The new school building has alarge hall, provided by the fundraisingefforts of the parents, and this is thehome of the weekly junior musicsession and regular concerts of theAshbourne Branch of Comhaltas.Lamh ar LamhIn 200 I, an anonymous sponsor,impressed by the young musicians inAshbourne, approached Tony with thesuggestion of making a CD forcharity. They originally intended justone CD, but it grew to become Lamhar Limh, a double CD and a concert.Both Tony and the sponsor wanted tochoose a charity connected to themusic. Padraig Mac Mathuna, piper,and son of Ciaran Mac Mathuna,works with the Mater HospitalGastrointestinal Unit. He hadpreviously organised a session forcharity where reels were played fo ran hour non-stop. Aware of theseefforts, Tony and the sponsor chosethe Colon Cancer Research Unit inthe Mater. The connection betweenthe music and the cause can alsobeen seen in some of those that havebeen lost to cancer, including Tony'sbrother, Hugh, and Riona Traynor.Tony brought about the project usingan unprofessional approach. The ideawas to utilise unrecorded goodmusicians and the wealth of music inthe Ashbourne and Trim area. The CDprovided a platform for the youngtalented musicians of the Ashbournearea. Ceolt6iri 6ga CiII Dheaglain andthe Naomh Padraig Ceili Band featureon several tracks of the CD. Ant6indrew up a list of forty-five of hispupils from the fiddle classes thatwere still actively playing. Thirty-threeof them (including myself!) respondedand played together as Many Stringsfor the CD. It was also decided to usesome prominent names in thetraditional music scene, such as SeanKeane, Liam O 'Floinn,Arty McGlynn,Noel Hill, and others to help sell thealbum. The tracks for the CD withthese musicians were recorded instudios, but the rest, the majority,were recorded in Tony's house inAshbourne in one weekend in April,with the Mac Gabhann traditional livehousedance on the Saturday night.Alongside the music the rhythmicsound of the dancers' feet, occasionalcheers and spontaneous IiIting fromthe audience can be heard. Two familyrecordings can also be found:Tonyand his four children, and Muintir UiRaghallaigh from Rathmoloyn. Thereare three Connemara singers amongstthe music, Paddy Alien, Colm 6Meal6id and Nollaig Ni Laoire, allunaccompanied. A favourite part formany people is the tremendous liltingof Seam us Fay, which was recorded atthe house dance. Most of the tracksare 'one take', including those of thehouse dance.The first CD is called Cairde anMhater and includes the studio tracks.The second, An Damhsa Ti, is thehousedance. It was decided not to sellthe CD in the shops because of taxes,profits and distribution costs. All costswere covered by the sponsor, whichmeans that 100% of sales go to the15

Kalie I1cNamara. KerryTREOIRlnd enjoyment, sessions,and festivals all out there,for You to be part of - it's abuzz, so don't ignore it.Andso here we are at IDM reaching outfrom this page - Hey You! Yes IrishDance lovers that you are, there's amuch better than 50/50 chance thatyou could be a very good musician.' "1"1'_'" ,'~''!!'''''''''!''' t''from people In the.~~ change your life!SO lef:'lnlltlt. bit serious now;want to waste your time.Fact: - If you have the manualdexterity in your limbs IfIid'-LlI

Bodhnin: The coolest tool of all.Time was, it was thumped in a ratherloud, crude manner. Seamus Ennismaster musician once suggested thebest stick to beat the bodhr4n withwas a penknife! Now it's a musically'tune-able' instrument and played witha cipln that's as delicate as aconductor's baton.A vital and delightful part of modernIrish music making.

TREOIRPffiR HORANGERRY HARAINGTONSinger Lena 6 Se and Larry l1ason. Lena was theinstigator and organiser of the Comhaltas 'Heroes of Cork'pageant in the City Hall, Cork, as pan of the EuropeanYear of Culture Programmeto the counties young traditionalmusicians as many went on tocelebrate their talent with wonderfulachievements in Letterkenny.Theamazing potential of Craobh Duglaismember, nine year old Mairead Ni Idbrought her first place in both theFiddle and Fiddle Slow Air competitionsunder 12 just days after wowing theinternational in Cork City Hall.Another medal for Douglas came inthe Tin Whistle Slow Airs 12-15 withJoanne Quirke who, along with anotherCork champion, banjo player GrainneNic Mhathuna of Newcestown, playedat the Saturday night gala concertbefore heading for Scoil Eigse.Sean 6 Ceitinn headed from asuccessful festival in Youghal toanother success on the Uilleann Pipes;Ath a' Caoire celebrated the successof Marian Collins, Caitrfona NiBhuachalla, Sean 6 hArrachain,Caitrfona Ni Choileain, D6nal6 Coileain and Douglas Burgoyne;congratulations to Bantry membersFionn Mac Sheamuis and EibhHsNi Shuilleabhain; Mainistir Ban hadmultiple medals through Oisin6 Corragain; while Denise NiChonghaile and Eamonn 6 Murchuof Nead were also successful.The Cork International Folk DanceFestival celebrates much of the soulof Comhaltas Ceolt6iri Eireann anddevelops the sharing of folk cultureas promoted by the organisation forover twenty years. I believe thefestival was a huge success andstretched the possibilities for a festivalof folk culture, and dance in particular,within Cork City and throughoutCork County.It highlighted the ability of variousdiverse groups and branches ofComhaltas Ceolt6irf Eireann to worktogether on a shared initiative.The Cork International Folk DanceFesitival allowed for the diffusion ofculture throughout the county, notonly to place regularly selected tohosting cultural events but also tosmaller communities who greetedthe opportunity with addedenthusiasm. The unique event that wasthe Patrick Street Folk DanceExtravaganza celebrated not only thewonderful cultures on display butalso the spectacular surrounds thatis Cork's main thoroughfare. It was awonderful way to celebrate the tenthanniversary of the festival and providesa platform for future development.21

TREOIRmany years. In 1967 Gerry waschairman of the committee thatbrought the first Fleadh Uuladh toCootehill. This very successful eventturned the tide of bad publicitysurrounding an Fleadhanna, helping togive them a positive image andrestoring Comhaltas to its properpride of place in Irish society. In 2000,Gerry saw the tenth successful FleadhUladh hosted in Cootehill.While playing and celebratingtraditional music was a major part ofhis life, Gerry was passionate aboutthe music being passed on to futuregenerations. One way he believed ofachieving this was to teach music toyoung people. He was involved insetting up music classes in Cootehillthroughout the years and wasinstrumental in setting up St Michael'sMarching Band in Cootehill in 1967.The band won a lot of majorcompetitions and his proudestmoment was when they won the AII­Ireland Marching Band competition in1972. But his interest in marchingbands didn't stop there. In the 1980she was part of a committee set upto rationalise and re-organise the bandcompetitions. This committee had adifficult task, but it succeeded inpromoting the competitions andattracting large attendances at county,provincial and all-Ireland fleadh cheoils.In 1985, Gerry's company (The WhelanBoot Manufacturing Company)undertook sponsorship of the AII­Ireland Marching Band Competitionsand presented a set of perpetual cupsand plaques. At the All-Ireland MarchingBand Competitions in Letterkenny atthe end of August, one of his formercolleagues told me that the last timeGerry attended the competition, in2000, the year before his death, heremarked that the trophies would bestill around when he was not. It wastherefore a great privilege for me topresent them on his behalf in 2005, 20years after he first did so - and toknow that the bands receiving themwould treasure them so much.Gerry gave unstintingly of his energy,vision, drive and commitment to therevival of traditional music and thedevelopment of the Comhaltasorganisation and network in manydifferent ways. It was therefore greatto see so many people turn out toremember him in Cootehill on July 8.Despite the fact that he was a verysuccessful businessman, in musiccircles he was always the unassuming'Gerry Whelan' who loved to play thebodhran and melodeon and meetpeople from all walks of life. Iattended sessions with him from earlychildhood, and the end of the nightalways needed "one tune for theroad". Two days before Gerry died, hisgreat friend Vincent Tighe visited andplayed a few tunes on the buttonaccordion for him.After one set oftunes I asked if he would like somemore music. Barely audible, Gerrywhispered "one for the road". Vincentplayed 'The Bucks of Oranmore',which will stay in my memory foreveras, "one for the road".I would like to thank all the peoplewho attended the event on 8 th Julyand all the musicians who played topay tribute to Gerry. Thanks also toCatriona O'Reilly arts officer, CavanCounty Council (www.cavancoco.ie)and official sponsor, WranglerFootwear for their support.From my own perspective, my feelingsabout my father are summed up inthe some of the words from the songwritten for Ted Furey by his family:He was more than just my Father,My teacher, my best friend.And he'll still be heardin the tunes we play,When we play them on our ownMay he now be enjoying the eternalmusic in Heaven. Slan leat, a dhuineuasal.Ar dheis De go raibh a anamGeraldine Whelan-O'MearaThe NYAH group will be making 'GerryWhe/an Remembered' an annual eventin the musical calendar. Information maybe found at www.cavanmusic.com23W ithin am ile of KiltyTraditionalIrish M usicfrom NorthLeitrimI, .". i, ..... .-, "r:-..: .-~. '-- .~. '''.This recently released CD from Cia lar­Chonnachta features fiddle players Ben.Charlie & Maurice Lennon. Seamus Quinn,Brian Rooney and the late John Gordonwho all come from the Kiltyclogher (Kiltyin the CD title) area of North Leitrim.With such a venerable line-up it's nosurprise that this is an outstandingrecording. The Lennon fam ily could bedescribed as a "Leitrim musica l dynasty"with Charlie's performance andcomposition skills. his brother Ben 'sperformance and teaching achievements atvarious Summer Schools and festivals andnow Ben 's own family w ith Maurice, afounder member of the super trad group,Stockton's Wing in 1977 and also a prolificcomposer in his own right. Father SeamusQuinn needs no introduction totraditional mUSIC aficionados not only as agreat solo performer but also hiscollaborations with flute player, ReverendGary Hastings. A lthough from theKiltyclogher area, Brian Rooney moved toEngland in the 1960s and is a highlyrespected musician on the Londontraditional scene. His recently releasedsolo album, T he Godfather, was widelyacclaimed in traditional mUSIC Circles.John Gordon (1 928 - 2002) from Cashel.Co. Fermanagh brings a very archivaldimension to the recording as his playingevokes memories of fiddle music from thelast century, particularly his beautifulrendition of the Enchanted Lady on Track3. T he album is a splendid example of thestyles of the North Le itrim/Fermanagharea and nowhere is thiS more eVidentthan In the driVing rendition of the G irlthat Broke my Heart on the opening trackof the CD.T he use of the Viola brings anotherdimension to the music and MauriceLennon uses this instrument to greateffect In the Lark in the Morning pg andalso Larry Redican's and DairY Maid reelset. Accompaniment throughout the CD isfirst-rate. but then what else would youexpect With C harlie Lennon on piano IOther musiCians on the recording wereC iaran Curran (Clttern), Noel O'Grady(bouzoukl), Frank Kilkelly (guitar) andGabriel McArdle (concertlna).- Brlon Prior

Ag Deanarnh CeoilDance music tunes submitted by Brian PriorSongs from Comhaltas Song PublicationsTreoir continues to feature music from the Tutorials broadcast weekly on the InternetbasedComhaltaslive programme (www.comhaltaslive.ie). Tunes are played by well knowntraditional musicians at both slow learning and normal speeds. Programme details areshown for the benefit of anyone on Comhaltaslive who might have missed the tutorials firsttime around and wishes to down load the recordings.Will you come downto Limerick?Slip JigProgramme 111(Week 13 th to 20 th June) - Tutorial was presented by Ennis-basedmusician and accordion maker, Martin Connolly. 'Will you Come Down to Limerick' isone of two slip jigs recorded by Martin at Fleadh Nua 2005. Another setting of this tunecan be found in 'O'Neills 100 I' collection, listed as Number 41 S. The F naturals in bar 2 ofPart I and bars 3 and 4 of Part 2 give the tune a very distinctive flavour m\lking it aparticularly pleasant slip jig.,- B P 1 DJ J J J J ~ 1 DJ nJ \ J P 1 DJ J J J ill m 1 [rJ DJ :11,- E£E r F r r P 1 &1 r r r CU 1 Ei1 \ F r F f P 1 Ei1 q [ rJ ~ 1,- [Ej' rr r 0 1 cU rr r ctf 1 f to F Ef r P 1 [rJ ~ m,- 11: ill J]l J J J 1 ffl EH DJ 1 iJ1 qj m 1 J}J E rJ DJ :11Come upstairs with meSlip JigProgramme I I 1 (Week 13 th to 20 th June) - This tutorial was presented by MartinConnolly on the same Comhaltaslive programme. Another setting of the slip jig 'ComeUpstairs with me' can also be found in 'O'Neills 100 I' collection, listed as Number 442.---- -......'la; 1 Jp ill ELf 1 CU DJ ffJ 1 Jp ill ELf 1 cU [{Er r :11,I-------------~ 1 f rJ f P [rJ Etf 1 DJ DJ 1 [rJ r P [ rJ 1 F U [f Err P 1" f rJ f P r CJ' 1 CU ill J n 1 J P fJJ tU 1 r El [Fr r

___________________________ T REO I RAbair AmhranCailleach an AirgidThe songs selected for this issue of Treoir have been taken from the Comhaltas publicationAmhniin Rithimiula (Lively Songs). This booklet contains a collection 27 well known songs 'asBearla' agus 'as Gaeilge'. A CD also accompanies the booklet and the complete package can beordered from Comhaltas for €21 (this includes postage and packaging). Orders should beforwarded to Comhaltas Ceoltoirf Eireann, 32 Belgrave Square, Monkstown, Co. Dublin.Loinneog:'5 f do Mhaimeo f 's f do Mhaimeo f,'5 f do Mhaimeo f, 'sf cailleach an airgid'5 f do Mhaimeo f,o Bhail' lorrais Mhoir f,Is chuirfeadh sf coistf ar bhoithre Co is Fharraige.Da bhfeicfea-sa 'n 'steam' ga'l siar T oin Uf LoingIs na rothaf gha'l timpeall siar 0 na ceathrunafChaithfeadh sf'n stiuir naoi n-uair ar a cui'5 nf choinneodh sf siul le cailleach an airgid.LOinneog: '5 f do Mhaimeo 7r1 .. ...'Measann tu 'bposfa, measann tu 'bposfa,'Measann tu 'bposfa cailleach an airgid?'Ta's a'm nach 'bposfa, ta's a'm nach bposfa,Mar ta se ro og agus d'olfadh se'n t-airgead.LOinneog: '5 f do Mhaimeo 7rl. .. ..Cloisim go bposfa, cloisim go bposfaCloisim go bposfa beirt ar an mbaile seo,Cloisim go bposfa, cloisim go bposfaSean Sheamais Mhoir agus Maire Nf ChathasaighLOinneog: '5 f do Mhaimeo 7rl. ...Coil/each an Airgid is also commonly played as a double jig and is a very popular session tune.

Coleman RememberedThe 25 th Anniversary of the establishment of the Coleman Traditional Societywas celebrated at the Coleman Memorial Cenotaph. This memorial toIreland's greatest traditional musician, Michael Coleman is located at MountIrwin some miles outside Gurteen near Coleman's birthplace of Knockraine. Itwas recently repaired and renovated. Reconstruction of the memorial wassponsored by the Markievicz Memorial Committee, Ned O'Shea, SeamusDuffy, Paul Con boy and Margaret Gormley.Seamus Duffy of MidwestRadio conducted theproceedings. Fiddler VincieHarrison and piper NeilyMulligan paid musicaltributes. Vince Hearns readthe Roll of Honour of theColeman Traditional Societyfounding fathers who havepassed away since thememorial was erected. The23 rd psalm was read byFather Doherty PP Gurteenfollowed by a decade of theRosary. Flags were lowered and two minutes silence observed in memory ofColeman and the great musicians of the Sligo countryside.Seam us Duffy paid tribute to piper Johnny Gorman and his influence on theColeman brothers: 'It was just to our right hand in an old lock-up forge andacross a steely grey anvil, in the early 1900s, that piper Johnny Gorman passedon this ancient tradition in music to young boys Michael and Jim Coleman.The stones of that old forge are memorialised and were buried deep in thefoundation of this Memorial Cenotaph when it was erected and unveiled in 1974.Another place deep in the Killavil countryside, the now ruined home of Laddand Phil O 'Beirne at Ballineck Bridge, will always be remembered as the placewhere Michael and Jim Coleman learned how to play their fiddles.A wreath made up of wild flowers, heather and foliage from the mountain,bogs and fields of the Coleman countryside was then placed at the monumentby Cathleen Mc Keon mother of Peter Mc Keon founder member of theColeman Society. Speaking of the great Sligo musicians Seamus Tansey in anoration declared that, 'As the Autumn Winter's leaf falls to earth they shallforever remain golden in our memory'.In a grand finale the fields and meadows of the Coleman countryside echoedto the sound of pipes, fiddle and accordion as the proceedings came to an endwith a musical seisiun. Participating musicians are household names today inSligo and in the wider world of Irish Traditional Music: Peter Horan, Killavil;Una Devlin, Newry; Philomena Cunningham, Bunninaden;Vincent Harrison,Leitrim; Paddy Sweeney, Leitrim;John Gara, Killavil; Eamonn Duffy,Aughamore;Padraig Kearns, Riverstown; Seamus Tansey, Gurteen; John Regan, North Sligo;Tommy Grehan,Arigna; Mary Corcoran, Dublin; Catherine McAvoy, Dublin'- Joe Mc Gowan

TREOIRMemoriesof Camp LifePadraig Mac SuibhneI began my working life in Britain inone of the great camps scatteredaroud the country housing workersinvolved in many projects for the wareffort. My firstcamp was two milesfrom the vilalge of Stone Leigh andeight miles from Coventry. The campwas set in the heart of thecountryside and anyone interested inagriculture will know that where wewere billeted is now the headquartersofThe Royal Show.There were eight hundred of us in thecamp, almost all young Irishmen fromevery corner of Ireland. We lived inwooden huts reminding me very muchof Finner Camp in my native Donegalwhere I had two spells during my LDFdays.Across the fence was a hugeAmerican Camp with 5,000 soldiers.We were brought to work in fleets ofcaoches and on the way we paeesPrince Thorpe Boys College. Little didI know that many years later I wouldbe visiting Prince Thorpe whereComhaltas ran a very traditinal Tion61and for the past few years has beenthe venue for the Midlands RegionalFleadh. I can assure you that camplife was nothing like the Gresham orShelbourne.There were twenty men to each hutwith a row of two tier bunks, eachside a table, some chairs and a smalllocker. The heating was a coke stoveand the job of the last man to bedwas to stoke up, but by three in themorning the fire had died and theplace was like a fridge. It wasn'tpleasant pulling on freezing clothes inthe month of January. There were twosmall rooms inside, one with awashbasin and the other with a toilet.The main toilets and shower roomswere outside with no heating andagain it wasn's pleasant having ashower in mid-winter. I'm afraidsome of us went without.We had little by way of entertainmentexcept a film show every two weeks,which was usually war propaganda.Fortunately there were lads whobrought their instruments, mainlyfiddles,m flutes and whistles. Theywould often come together on a longsummer's evening and play until dark.There is no doubt at all that it helpedus to overcome our loneliness, mostwinter nights however, were devotedto playing twenty-five. I lived in hut 17and I will always remember a mannamed Paddy Jones from Enniscorthy.He was one of the few men whowere aged around forty and over theyears had been coming and going toEngland. Every night at ten o 'clock wewould kneel down and Paddy Joneswould give out the rosary. At thattime many of us wore the brownscapular and the miraculous medaland our rosary beads were hung onthe side of our bunks: my God, howthings have changed. Paddy Jonesknew a host of stories and was an27

Paddy RyanIn traditional Irish arts. eachgeneration mentors the next. and thefuture grows richer for it. TheComhaltas community is blessed witha number of artists whose talent anddedication inspire others. At the 2006North American ComhaltasConvention Weekend in Chicago. April20 -23. you will have the opportunityto learn from a number of theseindividuals. in workshops and ceilithe.From Ireland. the esteemed PaddyRyan will present a program on theregional fiddle styles of Sligo. Clare.and Donegal.As a young child in CountyRoscommon. Paddy Ryan had a solidstart in traditional music. inspired byhis grandfather Pat Murphy and uncleTom Murphy. who were both fiddlers.He joined Comhaltas in 1956. andwas founder member of the KillinaCeili band in 1957. which continuestoday. He has continually expandedhis service to the Irish musiccommunity. through trainingadjudicators. involvement in the TTCTdiploma course for traditional musicteachers. and the Comhaltas' ScoilEigse. the annual summer school oftraditional music. song and dance.Since 1986. Paddy has servedComhaltas as Oifigeach Cheoil (MusicOfficer).At the Comhaltas Weekend.you can meet Paddy Ryan and enjoyinsights from a generous teacher.Also from Ireland. the masterful PatMurphy will lead workshops for ceiliand set dancers. as well as ceilithe.As a youth in county Tipperary. PatMurphy's family also gave him an earlystart in traditional music and dance.Sets were danced often at home.Learning accordion from his fatherJack. Pat's career took a turn at a setdance competition one night when hewas tapped to come down from theband and fill in for an injured dancer.His set won; and Pat was invited tostay with the set.Through dance mentors Jack Slatteryand Connie Ryan. Pat embarked onteaching set dancing in many places.His career so far has spanned everypart of Ireland (including two weeklongsummer schools annually).England. mainland Europe. the NorthAmerican Comhaltas Convention. theMilwaukee Irishfest. Japan. Moscow.Australia and New Zealand.Pat's credits also include two booksand a growing list of instructionalvideos.These are just two of the teacherswhom you can experience at the2006 North American ComhaltasWeekend. There will be many otherworkshops for musicians. dancers.singers and their companions too.Young musicians will also be offered aspecial workshop and session. Thesessions. banquet. and ceilithe alsopromise a special time for all.Rory Chole. step-dancer. accordionplayer. drummer and young son of theComhaltas Weekend co-chairs. Kell andMike Chole. was asked for his views ontraditional Irish arts. Rory responded."It's fun - you meet new friends - thelife skills stay with you your whole life.My family has taught me and a lot ofother people about music; and thatmakes me happy." His is one of manyyouthful voices who bode well for thefuture of traditional Irish music.Reflecting on all of this. DirectorGeneral of Comhaltas. SenatorLabhras 6 Murchu. offered thisperspective. "The story ofComhaltas reflects the story ofIreland and her native culture. Inevery generation there arededicated people who give of theirtime and talents to promote andenhance those culturalcharacteristics which single us outas a distinctive nation."For more information on theComhaltas Weekend. please visit theMurphy Roche Branch's web site:www.murphyroche.com29

TREOIRComhaltas founding member the late Willie Reynolds with hispiping friends at a Comhaltas Tionol in Gormanstown CollegeRinne an bheirt comhra gairid sachillin. Sular fhag sf slan aige, thug Mairepaidrfn do Thomas agus bhf se aigecupla uair a chloig ina dhiaidh sin aguse ag dui i lathair an Tiarna. Fuairtheasan paidrfn tar eis an lamhaigh agus cuidde na clocha seidte de.I 1924 d'fhoilsigh Maire leabhar beag.Seard a bhf ann na bailiuchan descothdhanta Thomais. Chaith sf a saolag saothru ar son na hEireann agus arson na mbocht. Bhf conaf uirthi igClochar na Carthanachta i gCeapach,Fhionnghlas, ar feadh na mblianta.Fuair sf bas agus aois sach mor aici imf an Mheithimh 1954.Sean an duine deireannach den chlanna d'eag - Sean, dluthchompanachThomais, a rogha thar nadearthaireacha uile, a throid laimh leisi Monarcha Jacob Seachtain na Casca.Chaith se treimhse i bPrfosunKnutsford i Sasana da bharr. Thuill sedil mhor mar dhramadoir. I measc achuid dramaf bhf 'The Irish Jew' agus'Weeds'. Chaith se blianta fada i mbunleiriuchain i Raidio Eireann. Bhf baintaige le cursaf scannanafochta freisin.Saothar beag da chuid, 'An LasachEireannach', roghnafodh e mar mhfrden scannan 'Mise Eire'.Ar na scannain a raibh baint aige leemar Stiurthoir bhf 'Willie Reilly and hisColleen Bawn' agus 'Wicklow Gold'.Fuair se bas i mBaile Atha Cliath ar angcead la d'luil 1961 .Mar aduirt me i dtus na haiste seo, isbeag clann a sheas chomh daingean sinriamh le cu is na hEireann agus a sheasmuintir Mhic Dhonncha.Ba choir go mbeadh sceal a ndflseachtaar eolas ag pobal uile na tfre.31

TREOIRThe author traditional singer Garry HcHahon (former All·Ireland Kerry football champion). with singm Siamus HacHathtina and Councillor Ann Brolly (Dungiven. Co. Derry).preparing for a Comhalw Concert Tourorder from the previous Fleadh givingfirst place to Rory and second placeto brother Mick. Fraternal love wasnot evident when the result wasannounced!The prize winners' concert that nightin Nash's Hall was memorable indeedand Rory gave a speech from thestage which to this day remainsengraved in my memory. 'I could drumanything from the seven deadly sins tothe litanies.' He declaimed.I well remember two underagewinners of that Munster Fhtadh. theywere Matt Cranitch and SeamusConnolly of Killaloe n9W Professor ofMusic at Boston University. Both ofthese violinists made it to the top oftheir profession.The fairs were stili being held in thestreets at that time and It is a storyoften told that 'The DubUners' paid usa visit on the Sunc:lJty ohhe Fleadh.Some of group who si., overnight incardboard boxes under a Rlatform inthe Square were rud!Wy awakened onMonday morning by ~oWf9I cattlewith the fair of NeWCiSdlln full swjp.&around them!I make no apology for the ~aevoked in this little articfe as I teiIIthat tribute should be paid to th6.sepeople who stood by their traditionand espoused Duchas at a time whenit was not fashionable to do so. Un_the Comhaltas aegis standards h~happily improved to an extraordinarydegree, as exemplified by the masterydisplayed by the youth of today on avariety of instruments, so much sothat it can be said that the future ofIrish music is assured forever -buiochas mar le Dia.Ar aghaidh leis an gceol agus rath Dear an bhFleadh!33

TREOIRchanges taking place in Ireland. It wasobvious that a network of classes wasthe answer and it can now berecorded that we have one of themost extensive education networks ofits kind in the world. Virtually allexponents of traditional music in thisgeneration came through these classes.In its extensive programme of activities,the most important work ofComhaltas has been in the field ofeducation. it is now generouslyacknowledged that but for thispioneering work the phenomenalgrowth in the playing and appreciationof out native music would not havebeen possible. Today there are in theregion of I ,000 classes involved in thisimportant work. Other elements in theeducation programme include nCTTeachers' Course (650 qualified);validation at Fleadhanna Cheoil (25,000candidates each year); validation in SCTexams; Scoil Eigse - Summer Collegeconducted by the 'masters',Performance Certification Course.Traditional music is the music of allpeople wherever they forgather -young and old and without any tag ofdistinction. President Mary McAleeseexplained it thus:'Whether we hear it in the world'sfinest concert halls or the localcommunity centre, the pub, the kitchenor the street corner during a fleadhcheoil, something in the music goesbeyond simply pleasing our ears. It linksus to each other, across all the barriersof age, gender, class religion, or politics- it speaks a language of wide and blindembrace. It blinds us inextricably to thisthing we call Irishness. It is a vital partof the badge of identity that we holdso dear.'Ni feidir e sin a sharu agus go raibhrabh De ar ar saothar amach anseo.35

TREOIRHigh-Flying Dancer•'Soaring across the skyline of his native Chicago as he invents new ways todance. Michael Flatley displays the athleticism and creativity that made him theworld champion Irish dancer in 1975 at age 17. He was the first non-Europeanto win the title. His flying feet have carried him to stages all over the globeand his flamboyant intricate steps have invigorated the art of Irish dance.'The profile comes from the prestigious National Geographic magazine in apiece about Flatley whose Irish dance and music talent are mesmerizing. Hehas won the All Ireland flute championship three years in a row, at FleadhCheoil na hEireann and is recognised as the world's fastest tap dancer; 28steps a second.'I'm a competitor: he says.Flatley, the son of Irish immigrants, was 10 and living in Chicago when he firstsaw Irish step dancing. 'It seemed so masculine: he says, 'it got my attentionimmediately. A Truly great Irish dancer: says Flatley,'looks as if he's floatingacross the stage and reaching down to touch it.'Michael toured with Comhaltas. His parents Mike and Elizabeth wereprominent in Comhaltas in Chicago.

TREOIRhome and spent each night on drinkwhatever money he made by day.Drunk or sober, he had a strong localreputation for putting a demoralisedset of pipes in good order. Intemperanceled to ruin of a good career asa piper in the case ofTempletuohytavern-keeper Timothy Shelly whodied in the poorhouse in IB70.In Emly, a piper of good repute named'Ned' Fraher flourished before themiddle of the nineteenth century:unlike many of the others who areforced by physical disability to make aliving out of music. Fraher was in fullpossession of all his faculties, at leastearly on in his life. After leading theordinary life of the professional piperfor many years, he went to England,where he is said to have won 'fameand fortune'. At any rate, no onecould contradict him when hereturned with a splendid instrument,which he claimed to have got fromthe Royal Family in appreciation of hisstyle. When he was stricken withsudden blindness his bad luck wasattributed to the fairies.The Hogans of CashelThe Hogans of Cashel were a wholefamily of famous musicians of the lateI BOO's. The father and three sonswere noted Union pipers, while twoother sons were distinguishedfiddlers:Thomas, the eldest son wasaccomplished at pipes, flute and violin.A tall, dark complexioned man, hisneat and well-dressed appearancesuggests a well-earned prosperity. Heinspired as well as entertained, andwhen the author visited Cashel at thebeginning of this century, he reportedmeeting a son of Tom Hogan's whowas a splendid fiddler in his own right.Ned Hogan, another of the brothers,was reputed to have been helped by aDublin benefactor, who fitted him outwith clothes and pipes and sent himto perform in London, where he isclaimed to have been awarded asilver mounted set of pipes by thePrince Consort.Michael and Larry meanwhileconcentrated on the violin and werenoted travelling fiddlers.Information about Templetuohy piperPat Spillane is sketchy: threeauthorities of his time describing himas an outstanding performer. Thoughborn in Tipperary, he spent some timein France and Cork, where he diedabout the turn of the century.O 'Neill's credits the Cork PipersBand with a far reaching influence inthe revival of music and dancing inIreland, and credits John SmithwickWayland with responsibility for settingit up in IB9B. Wayland was founderand first vice-president of the club andtraced out pipers, whose instrumentshad lain unused for years, encouragedthem to practise and gave them publicrecognition. Wayland and his clubhelped to raise travelling expenses forimpoverished musicians so they couldcompete in annual feiseanna.For the first time, women wereencouraged and the first band ofkilted war pipers in modern days wasorganised and equipped at theinstigation of the club's founder.Wayland was born in Clonkelly.Cashel, in IB74, the youngest of tenchildren. Irish music enthusiasts inAustralia invited him to come andperform there and the irrepressibleWayland set sail for Perth n 1912,stopping at ports of call in theMediterranean and entertainingresidents in Naples, Toulon and Egyptto traditional Irish Culture.Other musicians of the IB60's andIB70's who came back to life inO'Neill's book include WilliamHennessy of Ballingarry and laterUrlingford. Patrick Duanne ofKilbraugh. Coolbrook and the Higginsbrothers of Killenaule.- Treoir Vol 23, 1991A Salute to Geniusand ServiceIt is gratifying to learn that present-day Chicago (and byextension all of North America) saluted a number of prominentpeople - some of whom have gone to their Eternal Reward -for their exceptional contribution to the cultural heritage ofIreland. Comhaltas Ceolt6iri Eireann worldwide would wish tobe associated with this very worthy commendation.The names of Capt Francis O·Neill. Pat Roche.JohnnyMcGreevy. Martin Byrnes. Michael Flatley (senior). TomMasterson and Bertie McMahon are all synonymous with thefortunes of Irish traditional music and native Irish culture ingeneral. Each. in his own particular way. has left an indeliblemark on that music and culture. which flowered from virtualextinction to its present-day worldwide blossoming.Those who honour those noble Gaels in Chicago are not onlyexpressing appreciation of their service to the Irish nation athome and abroad but are also expressing a commitment tocontinue this work into the future. The greatest monument toany man or woman is the perpetual respect and admiration ofcompatriots.The Irish nation has a glorious history of challenge. survival andrenaissance. Those who made that history inspired us to greatereffort and rekindled in us a pride in our distinctiveness amongthe nations of the world. Those whom you honour on thisoccasion have created a momentous chapter in that history.From its modest beginnings in 1951 Comhaltas is noworganised on five continents but none is more important oraffectionately regarded than North America. Here was acontributory source - a well - spring - that helped shape thefinal outcome. The Honourees in Chicago were central to thatstory - that success. They will forever be spoken about withpride wherever the welfare of Ireland and her cultural identityis paramount. We salute them and their families and we arepleased to be numbered among their beneficiaries.41

TREOIRLichfield I rish WeekendAn outsider's look-in on set dancing.We escaped the grey rainy afternooninto the baronial splendour of theGuildhall, lichfield - two set dancingnovices looking forward to aninteresting and active afternoon. Wefound John Holian, quietly, courteouslyand persistently encouraging a mixedgroup of people in the arts and skillsof this magic dance. With unrelentingpace he taught us about steps,formations and eventually thesubtleties of various regional dancestyles. Tirelessly he explained anddemonstrated until our vocabularywas widened to include new meaningsfor the words three quarter house,half seven. ladies chain and advance.Set Dance Ceili, The Guildhall,8 o'clockAs we entered, the hall was full ofpeople dancing gracefully to the musicof O·Carolan. played by the LichfieldCeilf band. That was followed by themore energetic Ballyvourney Jig Set,during which we more or lesssucceeded in practising our newfoundskills. In the course of ourmanoeuvrings a ladies pop socksuddenly appeared on the floor in themiddle of the dancers and causedmuch amusement and quizzical looks.After the dance John lifted it up andposed two questions"What is this?" and "Whose is this?"No brave soul offered to answer thesecond question.We watched for a bit as the expertsenjoyed sliding, stepping and glidingeffortlessly through sets like TheBallyduff and The Caledonian. A majordifference between us novices and theexperts seemed to be economy ofmovement. We ended up red faced andgasping for air at the end of each set.They barely had a hair out of place!And the music continued. Fast, expertrenditions of jigs, reels and hornpipesfilled the hall with a beautiful balancedsound. John noticed us sitting outenjoying the scene and approached."Do you want to try something wedid this afternoon?" he offered. Sokind of him, but I wasn't sure I couldremember anything I had done in theafternoon. I must have looked blank."We'll try the Corofin:' he said."That's an easy one"He quickly refreshed our memories."First circle in, set, swing, half seven,full seven cross, home, three quarterhouse, ladies chain, pass out left.house around then swing. Got id" Imust have looked blanker still. "Right.I'll stand and talk you through it". Themusic started up. Off we went in thewrong direction. John appeared, mikein hand, issuing perfectly timedinstructions, which someone whoknew their right from their left wouldhave no trouble at all following. Iwasn't doing very well, obviously, assoon the other six dancers in the setall began offering help. "Cross now:'"In 1,2,3." We kept going. We enjoyedit. They all seemed to enjoy it! Theband was certainly enjoying playing. Somany helpful people. New friends.Tolerance. Brilliant music. That'sanother part of the magic of thisdance. You don't have to be able to doit to do it!- Submitted by Barbara Ross, Uch~eldCCl, Photographs submitted by lanBradshaw, Uch~eld cctThe Traditions alive inthe city of Lady Godiva!Nestling in the heart of the Midlands,the industrial City of Coventry haslong been a haven for Irish cultureand it was in 1971 that a dedicatedband of traditional music enthusiastsformed Coventry CCE; to encourageand promote Irish Music and Culture.The branch seisiun is always wellattended by musicians and otherbranch members. Instruments playedare button key accordion, whistle andlow whistle; flutes, fiddles, banjo,guitar, bodhran and we had a visitfrom an uilleann pipe player. Tunes anddances from last week's branch Ceilfwere to the fore.The branch meets on a Tuesday nightfrom 8.00 pm at The Four ProvincesClub,Allesley Old Road, Coventry.Lessons are taught on the ButtonAccordion, Whistle, Bodhran, Banjoand Fiddle.A monthly seisiun is also) .. ~Coventry CCt. enjoying themselves at the FridayNight seisiun, Hughie McGovem Weekend.Letterkenny 200Sheld on the firstTuesday of each month.The aim of the branch remains similarto that at its inception in 1971: toencourage and pass on musictraditions to adults and children inCoventry. However, the maindifference today is that more thirdand forth generation Irish arediscovering their native culture.Coventry musicians each April visitLetterkenny. Co. Donegal for ScoilEarraigh Hughie McGovern, which is a43

TREOIRFleadh Amhran agus RinceCaislean a'Mhuilinn 2005TorthailResultsOamien Mullane, West Landon CCE. - All IrelandSenior Melodeon & Buttan AccordionChampion 2005dancing from them during the evening.London's singers were also out in forcew ith great renditions from Seam usBrogan, Fursey Kelly, Mary Farrell andHelen Roche.After a few words fromComhaltas na Breataine Chairman,Vincent Jordan, the evening ended witha rousing selection of tunes from bothyoung and old musicians.- Submitted by Marian Gill,West London CCE.ULSTER COMPETITIONSCOM6RTAS: FULL SET - LADIESFe 12: 1st Warrenpoint, Down ; 2nd; Kilcoo, Down 15 - 18: 1st; Kilcoo, DownCOM6RTAS: FULL SET - MIXEDFe 12: 1st Kilcoo, DownCOM6RTAS: HALF SETFe 12: 1st Kilcoo, Down 15 - 18: 1st; Kilcoo A , Down 2nd ; Kilcoo B, DownNATIONAL COMPETITIONSCOM6RTAS: FULL SET - LADIESFe 12: I st St. Helena's, Clare;2nd Ardagh, Limerick; 3rd Newport, Mayo12 - 15: 1 st St.Carmel's Clare; 2 nd Causeway, Kerry; 3 rd Elphin, Roscommon15 - 18: I st St. Ciara's Clare; 2nd Kilcoo, Down; 3rd Atha Caoire, CorkSENIOR: 1st Ballybunion, Kerry; 2nd Trfoha Tri Skerries, Dublin; 3rd Carrickcruppin A,ArmaghCOM6RTAS: FULL SET - MIXEDFe 12: 1st St.Mary's ,Clare; 2nd Ballydonoghue, Lisselton, Kerry; 3rd Kilcoo, Down12 - 15: 1st St Kervin's, Clare; 2nd Ballinrobe, Mayo15 - 18: 1st Beanntrai, Cork; 2nd Cappaghmore, LimerickSENIOR: I st Leitrim; 2nd Carrickcruppin,ArmaghCOM6RTAS: HALF SETFe 12: 1st Kilcoo, Down; 2nd Elphin A, Mixed, Roscommon; 3rd Elphin B Girls,Roscommon12 - 15: 1st Elphin B, Girls, Roscommon; 2nd Elphin A, Girls, Roscommon; 3rd NewportM, Mixed, Mayo15 - 18: 1 st Kilcoo A, Down; 2 nd Atha Caoire A, Cork; 3 rd Kilcoo B, DownSENIOR: 1st Atha Caoire A, Cork; 2nd Ballyroan, Laois; 3rd Ballybunion Half Set, KerryCOM6RTAS: 8 HAND CE/LfFe 12: 1st Manorhamilton, Leitrim; 2nd St. Peter's Warren point, Down15 - 18: 1st Atha Caoire, Cork; 2 nd Beanntrai, CorkSenior: I st Leitrim; 2nd Atha Caoire, Cork; 3rd Drumaness, DownCOM6RTAS: 4 HAND CE/LfFe 12: I stManorhamilton B, Leitrim; 2nd Manorhamilton A, Leitrim; 3rd St. Peter'sWarrenpoint, Down15 - 18: 1st Atha Caoire A, Cork; 2nd Atha Caoire B, CorkSenior: I st Leitrim A; 2nd Leitrim B; 3rd Drumaness B, DownNATIONAL SOLO TRADITIONAL1st Miriam McEnery, Ballybuniuon;2nd Gavin Sharkey, Leitrim;3rd Rosie Ferguson,Armagh45

47TREOIR

www.comhaltaslive.ieA Perfect Christmas Gift for yourOverseas Friends & Relations !!Give S07neone you know a 6 months subscription to this Internet-Based TV Showand allow them to experience the best Traditional Music & Song from the comfortof their own h07ne. Just complete the registration form below and return toComhaltas with the sign up fee.What you get with Comhaltaslive:* Highlights from the All-Ireland Fleadh* Senior Ceili Bands and top trad musicians in action* Traditional Sessions & Concerts* Archive Material* TutorialsIn addition to its entertainment value, Comhaltaslive is a highly useful educational resource and is invaluable for musicstudents and in particular those taking the SCT examinations.NameAddresslelE-mailSend form with subscription fee (EU €29, Non EU €2S payable to Comhaltaslive) to Comhaltas, ]2 Belgrave Square, f1onkstown, Co. Dublin(Registration will occur within 10 days - an ID and Password will be e-malled to the user)

To order, please complete the section below and send to: Ainm Music Limited, Unit CID, Wicklow Enterprise Park, The Murrough, Wicklow Town, Co Wicklow, Ireland.NameAddre ss __________________________________________________________________________ __TelephonePayment - choose from the following options: DVD 0Vol 1 €15.00 (inc/ P & P) 0 Vol 2 €15.00 (inc/ P & P) 0E-mailVideo (VHS) 0Vol 3 €15.00 (inc/ P & P) 0All Three €40.00 (inc/ P & P) 0Cheque 0 made payable to Ainm Music Limited Credit Card: MasterCard 0 or Visa 0DODO DODO DODO DODOExpiry date:DODOSignature_________________________________________________________ ~e

Welcomefor ExilesOn August 25 an informal gatheringof exiles and members of theMilltown Social Club in New Yorkand representatives of the localcommunity took place in the WestClare Resource Centre. It was forthe unique tribute and appreciationto the former officers of theMilltown Social Club and theirfriends in North America for theircontribution to the development ofthe Resource Centre and thepromotion of Irish music, song anddance in the USA.A sUitably inscribed framedphotograph of the official naming ofthe centre by President McAleeseon May 6, 2004 was presented toJack Whelan and Michael O'Malley,son of the late John O'Malley. BothJack and the late John O 'Malley whowere former presidents of the clubwere present in the centre on thatmemorable date. In making thepresentation to Jack Whelan,Michael Mahoney a co-founder ofthe centre, said it was a singularhonour for him to recognise hiswork in different roles on behalf ofComhaltas Ceolt6irf Eireann inNorth America over the years.Muiris 6 Rochain, Stiurth6ir Scoilunselfish efforts of the late JohnO 'Malley and his family for thebetterment of Irish Culture at homeand abroad in New York.Christy Curtin MCC who acted as'fear a' d' acknowledged that £3,000donation from the Milltown SocialClub of New York in 1996 was thesingle voluntary subscription whichgave the necessary impetus to thedevelopment of the centre at acritical stage. He added that it willalways provide a 'cead mile failte' toits members and friends when theyreturn to Ireland and he recalled thepresence of Gerry Tarsnane in thecentre in early summer when agroup from the EU were attendingon a fact finding mission.Packy Hynes, also a formerpresident of the club was presentedwith a copy of the book ThePeerless Tom Malone' to markthe occasion.The staff of the Day Centre Cait,Bridget, Catherine and Teresa werecomplimented for the receptionwhile the music of Michael Mahoney,Michael Falsey and Sorcha Curtinwas fitting and revived manypleasant memories of other timesfor the visitors.HAMILTONPRACTICEFLUTESLEARN YOUR BASICS ONA PRACTICE FLUTEHOLE SIZESAND SPACINGAS STANDARD FLUTEALUMINIUM TUBE,DELRIN HEADAVAILABLE IN D & GPRICE €70(SPECIAL RATES FOR CLASSES)CONTACT NOIRIN :tel : 026 45209e-mail : hammy@eircom.netsee photos atwww.hamiltonflutes.com

S COMHALTASweekend of Traditional Music, Song &Dance in memory of HughieMcGovern. Ran by the LetterkennyCCE which always proves to be a veryenjoyable occasion where Coventrymusicians mix with musicians from allover Ireland in a celebration of all thatis good about our music.For further details of Coventry CCEplease view the branch website on:http://coventrycomhaltas.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk- Submitted by Syl CuI/en, Coventry cctBritain's Comhaltas n n6.hi the high noteComhaltas na n6g are the ProvincialYouth Council of Britain. This yearthey gathered musicians from all overBritain to form a Youth Orchestra,Ceolt6iri na Breataine. This was adifficult task as members of the grouplived many miles apart and it couldn'thave been done without much hardwork from Katie Jordan theChairperson, Katie Boyle theProvincial Youth Officer and manyother committee members.On Monday the 22nd of August. manyCeolt6iri na Breataine memberstravelled to Letterkenny in CountyDonegal to take part in Scoil Eigse, afive-day music school. During theweek we had great classes withfantastic tutors, we made friends withyoung musicians from all over Britain,Ireland and even from America. It wasa fantastic week with classes for mostof the day and sessions all night - andinto the small hours of the morning!Despite the late nights, everyone wasup and out first thing each morningfor the start of the classes.The Youth Orchestra, organised byComhaltas na n6g, were invited toperform on the Youth Gig Rig on theFriday night. Even though eachmember had a busy timetable, theyshowed their commitment byrehearsing at lunchtime each day. Thiswas essential, as we could not managepractices before this week asmembers were from all over Britain.On the Friday evening we met anhour before our performance to gettuned up. Our 20-minute spot wentvery well, there was a massiveaudience even though the weatherwasn't great. Everything wentsmoothly and we all loved playingeven on a damp gig rig!Let's hope Ceolt6irf na Breataine getlots more gigs with such anenthusiastic audience. More detailsabout the work of Comhaltas na n6gcan be found on our websitewww.comhaltasnan6g.co.uk orcontact Katie Jordankjordan_katie@hotmail.com orSinead Brogansinead3hino@hotmail.com- Submitted by Co/ette Hunter, PRO(or ScotlandThe Northampton SessionNorthampton Comhaltas first Irishsession for the autumn was a livelyevent with musicians and dancersfrom far and wide including Bedford,Cambridge, Coventry, Huntingdonand Northampton. There was asuperb display of irish dancing fromthe professional dance troop 'UpAgainst the Buchalawns' and a widerange of instruments including:Steafan Hannlgan with his new set ofuilleann pipesliz York on the HarpFrank Corr & Robbie Thomas on theBanjo and GuitarStephen Greenwood and HollyNorton on the FiddleEileen & Andy Wilson on the Fluteand Bodhnin. Pippa Sandford & Jeff44King on the Concertina and BoxLousie Burbridge with the unusualbowed psaltery.Our thanks to all whom came alongand gave us such a great musicalevening.The new venue of St AndrewsHospital Social Club proved anexcellent choice (our thanks to GerryHewitt for finding this for us),providing a friendly, warm atmospherein a central location.The branch is now becoming moreestablished with a good followingattending the regular monthlysessions held on the third Sunday ofthe month.We are always looking for moremusicians; singers and storytellers sodo come along and spread the wordto family and friends.Music classes for the fiddle and thebodhran are still running at theNorthampton College, for furtherdetails contact Steafan Hannigan on01604 734249 (daytime), rememberyou're never to old to learn!- Submitted by 8ernadette McKeogh,Northampton cctWest London CelebratesThere was plenty to celebrate in WestLondon recently when Damien Mullanewon the Senior Button Accordion andMelodeon competition at ReadhCheoil na hEireann in Letterkenny.At a special evening Damien's family,friends and fellow musicians weretreated to an outstandingperformance by the new champion.Taught by Emmett and Marian Gill, atjust 20 years of age Damien is awonderful example to everyone ofhow hard work and dedication canachieve such great honours.There was also a special presentationto four of London's well-knowndancers, Kathy Flannery, Ciara Gill,Patricia Ward and Carly Adams. Thegirls have participated in theComhaltas Tour of Ireland andeveryone enjoyed a vibrant display of

Cl) COMHALTASA Fond Fare1Nellto JohnPadraig Mac SuibhneAlas John Durkin is no longer with us.The news of his death in Manchestersaddened his family and many friends.John was born in Dawross, Co Sligoand passed away a few days before his99 th birthday. His life spanned thetwentieth century and he livedthrough many of the great events ofIrish History, which he rememberedand could recall to his last days. It wasmost interesting to listen to him talkabout the 1916 rising, the black andtan regime, the civil war and thesigning of the treaty, the first Deiil andsomething, which he said always,saddened him, the mass emigrationfrom Ireland in the forties, fifties andsixties when the best were leavingmany never to return.In his youth John was a tall finelooking man and in the early days ofthe Garda Siochana he was called fortraining but decided to remain athome to look after his parents on thefamily farm. This was his occupationfor a lifetime.It was fascinating to listen to him talkabout his life as a farmer workingfrom dawn until dusk through thehard times and the poor prices. Johnalso had a great knowledge of thecures for the sick animals, the localrecipes, tales of the banshee and thefairies and he also had a great recipefor making poteen.He was a man of great wit andintelligence, very interested in folkloreand history and could talk about avariety of subjects.When John's wife passed away, hecame to live in Manchester with hisdaughter Mary and her husband MickDoyle from Kerry who is chairman ofSt Wilfred's Branch of Comhaltas. Itmust have been difficult for himmoving to Manchester so late in hislife but he settled well and was mostInterested in the Irish sceneparticularly in the work of Comhaltas.He never missed a monthly session ofthe branch, the annual dinner and thethree great provincial conventions,which the branch hosted; he was alsoa regular attendee at the KerryAssociation functions.He took great pride in seeing hisgrand children Patrick and Ann comethrough the ranks of Comhaltas andbecome fine musicians, singers anddancers especially Ann who won anAll Ireland in 2003.When John passed away he waswaked in his daughter's houseattended by his family and manyfriends. It was a real Irish wake withall kinds of food and refreshments andthe rosary at twelve o'clock. Thefollowing evening St Bernard's churchwas filled for his requiem mass andthe following day his body wasbrought back to be buried in hisnative Sligo.Speaking to his daughter Mary aftermass she said 'Oad Is happy now he isgoing home'.John Durkin came from a class ofpeople and a way of life, which is sadlydisappearing. a staunch supporter ofall things Irish and true to his faithand the family life. We sadly miss himnow that he has gone to his eternalreward.We sympathise with his family andfriends, may he rest in peace.Ni bheidh a leitheid arls ann.42

S COMHALTASForgottenPipers ofTipperaryFintan DeereNo Class of Irish worthies has beentreated with less consideration thanminstrels and musicians in biographicalliterature. So wrote Captain FrancisO'Neill in 1913, when he sought to putmatters right and give Irish musicianstheir recognition in a book entitled'Irish Minstrels and Musicians'. Despitehis efforts, most of those listed in hisbook have since disappeared again intooblivion and Mercier Press revivedtheir memory through the republicationof O'Neill's book.O'Neill recounts the stories ofharpers, pipers, fiddlers, flautists, folkmusicians and dancing masters whohave combined to ensure thattraditional Irish music survived throughto this century. Not alone those whoenjoy this type of entertainment butindeed all who approve of thepreservation of unique elements ofIrish culture owe them a debt.Tipperary is well endowed with suchpeople but for the most part they gounrecognised for their contribution.One such was William Talbot, born inRoscrea in 1780 and blinded by anattack of smallpox at the age of 15.He devoted himself to music andtravelled the country in great demand.He moved to Dublin, opening a tavernin Little Mary Street and played eachevening in another hostelry in CapelStreet. His leisure hours were spenttuning and stringing pianos andorgans, quite a feat given his loss ofeyesight. His reputation spread sowidely that he ended up playingbefore King George IV andentertained the audiences at severalLondon theatres. He was once quotedas saying: 'If we forget our own oldmusic, what is there to remember inits place? - words, alas!' This commentprobably summed up the purpose towhich he dedicated his life.Native of CahirEdmund Keating Hyland was born inthe same year as Talbot and alsobecame blind. Hyland, a native ofCahir, is credited with havingcomposed The Fox Chase' with itsdescription of the horns, the tallyho,the hounds in full chase and the deathof the fox, when he was a youthful 19.This, if correct, would suggestextraordinary precocity, because hehad not even studied musical theoryat the time. Like Talbot he 'wascommanded' to play for King GeorgeIV in 1821 and His Majesty is reputedto having ordered the piper a new setof pipes costing fifty guineas. Hylanddied in Dublin in 1845.Also from Cahir was ThomasO 'Hannigan, born in 1806, who yetagain went blind in his teens.O'Hannigan served an apprenticeshipof four years to various Munsterpipers and following the example ofothers of his profession who reachedcelebrity status, went to Dublin toearn a living. He performed to muchdelight at the Adelphi and AbbeyStreet theatres and later earned thecoveted distinction of playing beforeQueen Victoria and at an OxfordUniversity commemoration. He died'from a stroke of apoplexy' in Bray.In the early nineteenth century, apiper named Jack Rotchford achievedsome renown in his nativeSlieveardagh. In the absence of hardfacts, it is not surprising that legendsabout his life survive. One storyconcerns a neighbour of Rotchford'scalled 'Old Butler' ofWilliamstown.Butler was visited one day by a friendand the two of them had a bet as towhether Rotchford or a musicianacquaintance of the visitor was thebetter performer. To decide the issue,both pipers were summoned toperform right through the night.The judge could not decide betweenthem but the bet was settled when askylark landed on the windowsill andtapped and sang approvingly whenRotchford played, but remained silentwhile the other contestant performed.Drunk or SoberAnother piper from the same areawas James Coady, who travelled thecountry, much to the annoyance of hiswife, according to stories related byO'Neill. The wife said that he gave herno money during his periodic visits40

With a touch of poignancy, the silverhairedgentleman lashed into the songthat made him famous years beforemany of his tour mates were born ina last night's reverie that closed outthe 2005 Comhaltas North AmericanTour on Sunday evening.In the Harp Irish Pub in an Atlantasuburb, the pride of Ballylickey, Co.Cork, Sean 6 Se, regaled all thosewho remained for the session aftertheir final concert with a slightlymore animated version of 'An Poc ArBuile' which was featured in theearlier concert.That song was a hit way back in 1961when 6 Se first linked up with Sean6 Riada and his seminal CeoltoirfChualann ensemble that eventuallygave rise to the Chieftains. Hispresence alongside so many musicianson tour who were a couple ofgenerations younger was as nostalgicas the CCE tour itself in itsmissionary attempt to bring its brandof traditional music, song and danceto the fledgling CCE southern regionof the US.Over 30 years ago when the NorthAmerican tours first arrived on theUS and Canadian shores, theysparked a traditional music revival anda branch network that has grown toaround 50 clubs and a province that isthe equal of the four in Ireland andGreat Britain put together.Fifteen performers accompanied 6Se, who served as compere or MC onthe latest edition including the colorfulCavan box player Martin Donohoeand Wexford piper Padraig Sinnott.They were both on the tour 20 yearsago offering a veteran presence to theyoungsters, for whom many weremaking their first visit to America.In a coach decorated with scenes oftraditional musicians on the outsideby Tourism Ireland and Delta AirLines, who served as sponsors of thetour along with the newly organizedCulture Ireland program of the Irishgovernment and Waterford Crystal,the aim was to provide a night oftraditional Irish entertainment in 10cities on the itinerary.A great crowd turned out for thefinal show at the Roswell CulturalArts Center north of Atlanta to viewthe performance enhanced by thelovely theater, lighting and sound asthe artists enjoyed their last night onthe American tour with memoriesthat will stay with them for a lifetime.The link to the O 'Riada legacyalongside the well-recognizedComhaltas training of young people intraditional music characterized thecurrent tour.Appearing along with 6 Se, Donohoeand Sinnott were Niamh Denmead(Dublin) on harp, Erin McGeown(Armagh) on fiddle,Aisling Campbell(Tyrone) on banjo and song, ClareQuinn (Tipperary) on fiddle,JanineRedmond (Dublin) on accordion, RoryMcMahon (Clare) on concertina,James Mahon (Dublin) and AislingMcPhillips (Fermanagh) on flute.Two modern stepdancers, CathalMcGarrigle (Offaly) and AineO'Dwyer, were contrasted with abrother/sister duo, Irene and BrianCunningham, from the Connemaratown of Clifden who stepdanced inthe Sean Nos style.38

Jim McAllisteris to BlameWell jim McAllister of head office staffmay be to blame but we thank him forit.jim suggested at Comhaltas Congressthat under the Athnuachan venturebranches may consider twinning withanother branch at least 100 miles away.At the South Birmingham branch ofComhaltas we had already becomefriendly with some of the officials fromthe Roslea branch in Fermanagh. Wemade arrangements for a visit from thebranch and had a very busy and fulfilledweekend in Birmingham. However. thereturn visit is what I will report on here.10 branch members from SouthBirmingham flew in to Belfast CityAirport where they were greeted by jimMcCague the proprietor of the RosleaArms pub. jim took us in his luxury minibus to Roslea where there was a warmwelcome for us at the Roslea Arms ledby Sonny McDermott. Of course asession followed with music fromMichael Curran (button accordion).Melissa and Sabina McCague (Fiddles).Mairead Sheridan (whistle fiddle). AislingMcPhillips (flute). Gary Lynch (Fiddle andmain man). Tom Beagan (singer). andjimmy Callaghan (singer) along with usfrom South Birmingham. We were alsojoined by jarlath Brennan a br illiantbanjo player from Sligo who now livesand works in Dublin.From then on the session seemed tojust keep going for the whole weekend.Our lodgings were in magnificentholiday apartments in Knockatallon.Co Monaghan. where in the spaciouskitchen/living area sessions of music andsong would take place. We even had abroom dance performed by our ownDaniel O ·Connor.On Saturday we were shown around theRoslea Heritage Centre. seeing forourselves the history and social/economic fabric of the locality. In theevening we were taken to Clones for alovely meal. which was followed bymusic and song. More music at home inKnockatallon before retiring for thenight in a very tired state. I was wokenearly in the morning by the sound ofTommy Boyle (drummer with theSruleen Ceilf band) playing the 'Boys ofLough Gowna' jig on the accordion. Fairplay Tommy a nice tune well played.Tommy does not like to play the box infront of any audience. large or small . sowe were very lucky to hear him play.although it was a bit early in themorning. Tommy was brought up inFivemiletown in Co Tyrone. whereMichael Curran and his family r un apub. It was very appropriate for us tovisit Fivemiletown with Tommy for himto show us around. A quick andwelcoming drink in Michael's pub.before heading back to Knockatallon.More music and song on the Sundayafternoon as we watched the All IrelandFootball Final on the television. We weretreated to some captivating music fromMelissa and Sabina who are indeedclassy musicians. Then jim arrived withthe mini bus and all too soon we wereheading back to the Airport having saidour Goodbyes to our friends in Roslea.The hospitality. fun and friendship weexperienced in Roslea will not beforgotten. Thanks Roslea. we arelooking forward to having you backin Birmingham soon.

'Take Comhaltas out of the equation,turn back the clock and contemplateIreland without Comhaltas and thesheer scale of what we owe you isrevealed.'This fulsome tribute was paid toComhaltas Ceolt6iri Eireann byPresident Mary McAleese at acelebration to mark the 50 thanniversary of the Irish Traditionalmusic movement in the MansionHouse, Dublin, on the 29 thSeptember 200 I.'Generations of Irish men, women andchildren.' The President said, 'havetapped their feet to the lilt of Irishmusic that's been made by Comhaltas.So often when we listen we fail tounderstand the extraordinary legacythat tradition gives us .'W!>1r.known personalities withrisiJ;IG yaung stars at aComhaltas Tunaion in Britain'We are proud of that ancient artform, once the preserve of firesideand local crossroads and which todayenjoys such widespread popularity atthe global crossroads of the modernworld.' The President concluded.The challenge presented to thefounders of Comhaltas at theinaugural meeting held in Mullingar in1951 was accepted withdetermination and imagination.The native music and other nativetraditions were in danger of beingignored.In the intervening years, thousands ofpeople who supported Comhaltashave helped to propagate andinvigorate these traditions. They havebeen brought centre stage at homeand abroad. Through the readyavailability of classes young peoplehave been given the opportunity toknow and appreciate Irish traditionalmusic, song and dance. This is nowregarded as a cultural phenomenon.The 400 branches of Comhaltasworldwide are the hallmark of themovement's success. These branches, in15 countries on 4 continents havecome into existence and have beencultivated by selfless service on thepart of many. It is the work of thesebranches at local level, which is themain contribution of Comhaltas to thecultural life in Ireland.The efforts ofthe unsung heroes in these branches,who go about their work quietly andconsistently, have helped to ensure thatmany a young musician, singer ordancer has been brought to national -indeed international - prominence.These same unsung heroes haveexposed whole communities totraditions, which might otherwise haveremained obscure. This will be thelegacy of these fine people - this willbe their monument.It is particularly gratifying to knowthat the cultural traditions of Irelandare so revered and practised in faraway branches of Comhaltas in Tokyo,Sardinia, Moscow and so many more.Music is, indeed, a universal languagethat recognises no boundaries.Up to 2m people attend Comhaltasevents each year. Fleadh Cheoil nahEireann in Clonmel attracted 250,000with 10,000 performers. The sameweekend the pop festival in Slaneattracted 80,OOO!The interesting thing about this newcultural revolution is that the vastmajority of participants are youngpeople. From its earliest years,Comhaltas appreciated the necessityof passing on our traditional arts tothe younger generation.The social scene was changing in Irelandand the same opportunities for youngpeople to be exposed to native musicmaking and dancing were disappearing.The house-dance and crossroadsdancewere giving way to the many34

9 COMHALTASFleadh MemoriesGarry McMahonHaving the Fleadh inNewcastle West thisyear brings back manypleasant memories ofa County Fleadh and aMunster Fleadh, whichwere held in the townin the years 1963 and1965 respectively. I came to WestLimerick in 1961 and within a fewmonths convened a meeting to founda branch of Comhaltas In town.Sylvester MacConmhaighe and hisgood friend Connie Ryan fromCappawhite came to our first meetingto provide us with support andadvice. Sylvester was a wonderfulcharacter and a man who had a deeplove of our language and music aswell as being one of the earlyNational Presidents of Comhaltas.They say that bad ink is better than agood memory so it is no harm,perhaps, to enumerate some of theearly supporters and foundermembers of this now defunct branch.Michael Lynch, Manager of theProvincial bank (the red brick buildingon the eastern side of The Squaregoing towards Bishop Street) was atremendous enthusiast and lover ofIrish music and introduced me toO'Neill's and also to the violin whichat one stage I attempted to learn,without any great success. I mightadd, as I had little staying power.It was reputed that If things were notgoing too well In the Bank Mlchaelwould retire to the back room andfind solace and escapism by playing afew tunes on the fiddle. The latePadraig Collery and Eddie O'Connell,teachers at the Technical School,proved to be enthusiastic supportersand indeed all our early sessions wereheld there. It proved to be a verysuitable (rent and alcohol free) venue.My good friend Dominic Aheme, anative ofTournafulla and atremendous organiser and supporter.was always ready and willing to give ofhis considerable talent in theorganisational field of all our activities.Other early members and supporterswere Donnacha O'8rian TO, MaureenRaIeIgh,Jim Hackett, Pat o'Connor,T1m"" SulIIvan and John Joe Hartnettof Strand, Patneen Aherne, pm 8rosi1an.Sean Magner. and of course theinimitable Sheehy brothers. theundisputed kings of the bodhrin. nslad go l6ir Imlthe ar shlf na flrinneanois agus ag seint cheoillns na FIaithfs.I have been trying to wrack my brainto know if there are any others alivetoday who were part of that earlyhardy band and I can only think ofSeamus Hunt, Ned Dwyer and JimO'Brien ofTempleglantine as well asNed Dore all of whom are happilystill with us. The Cussen family ofFeohanagh were also to the fore atthe start. I have little doubt but myfailing memory has blotted out manyother of the early pioneers of theNewcastle West branch of Comhaltasand no doubt following this article itwill be pointed out to me. The onlyexcuse I can offer is advancing senility!I was the Secretary of the branch andof the Fleadhanna and it was on mysuggestion that we held the first AllIreland Bodhran playing Championshipin the town. My late father, BryanMcMahon, Judged the Countylimerick Fleadh in 1963 and as far asI recall it was held in the Courthousein the town. It was won by MickSheehy and his brother Jim (Rory)filled the second place.In 1965, in conjunction with theMunster Aeadh the competition washeld on a platform erected in Nash'syard alongside the Desmond Casdeon a ctorlous sunny Sunday.Excitement was at a fever pitch whenthe adjudicator (none other than thelate Sean 6 Riada) reversed the32

9 COMHALTASClann a bhiDilis d'Eirinnromi! l1ac OonnchaIs beag clann riamh a bhf nfos dflse dochuis na hEireann na clann MhicDhonncha as Cloch an tSiurdanaigh igCo Thiobraid Arann. Nforbh e antogail be Ghaelaf ar domhan afuaireadar mar, bfodh narbh seoinfnf(sa ghnathchiall, ar aon nos) iad adtuismitheoirf, ba dhaoine iad narchuir droch-staid na hEireann isteachna amach orthu ro-mhor. Nformuineadh Gaeilge na tfrghra dochlann og Mhic Dhonncha ach inadhiaidh sin rinne beirt dfobh ar alaghad Tomas agus Seosamh, a gcionfein ar son na teanga ar ball agusbhfodar siud agus beirt eile denchlann i bhfach le cuis na saoirse.Seisear ar fad a bhf i gclann MhicDhonncha Tomas, Seosamh, Sean,Traolach, Maire agus Helen. Nfor ghlacTraolach na Helen aon phairt, gobhfios dom, i ngluaiseacht na saoirseach bhf a bheag no a mhor de bhaintag an gceathrar eile le cuis na tfre.Nf ga dom moran a ra anseo faoiThomas Mac Donncha, an te ba shineden chlann. Rugadh e ar La le Brfde,1878. Laoch den scoth a bhf ann.Eiseamlair!Fear a sheas go heag le tfr agusteanga! Duine barruil brfomhar ardhuirt Brian 6 hUiginn faoi i ndan dachuid: 'MacDonagh's laugh rings downthe years'Ba fhile cumasach each bfodh gurchum se roinnt bhearsaf den scoth -taim ag smaoineamh ach go hairithear leitheidf 'John-John' agus an t­aistriuchan fforoilte a rinne se den'Bonnan Buf' - is ffor annamh aSean Ua Cearnaighfeictear aon chuid da shaothar snaleabhar filfochta na laethanta seo.Ar na danta tfrghrach a chum se, taiomra ach go hairithe ar an gceannbeag seo:'His songs were a little phraseOf eternal song,Drowned in the harping of laysMore loud and long.His deed was a single wordCalled out alone,In a night when no echo stirredTo laughter or moan.But his songs new souls shall thrillThe loud harps dumb,And his deeds the echoes fillWhen the dawn is comeFuair Tomas Mac Donncha bas, mar iseol duinn, i dteannta an Phiarsaigh agusTomas 6 Cleirigh ar 3 Bealtaine, 1916.Agus a dhearthaireacha agus adheirfiur a sheas ar son na hEireann.Ta ait faoi leith ag Seosamh MacDonncha i sceal na saoirse. Cosuil leTomas, d'fhoghlaim se an Ghaeilgeagus bhf se dfograiseach in a bun.Chaith se treimhse ghairid marardmhaistir ar Scoil Eanna tar eis EirfAmach na Cas ca.Bhf se ina phrfosunach i gcarcairMhoinseoigh i 1917 nuair a fuairTomas Aghas bas. Go deimhin, bhfMac Donncha orthu siud a bhf arstailc ocrais taca an ama sin.Le linn do a bheith i bPrfosun BhealFeirste an bhliain dar gcionn ghlac sepairt mhor sa chead raic a d'ardafodhsa charcar ud. Mac Donncha fein agusAibhistfn de Staic a bhf i gceannas nabhfear san eachtra seo.Sheas Seosamh Mac Donncha doShinn Fein i dtoghlach ThiobraidArann ag deireadh 1918. Toghadhe agus chaith se treimhse i nDailEireann agus e ar feadh tamaill inaAire Eacnamafochta.Sheas se go daingean ar son naPoblachta nuair a bhf an Treaty' a phlesa Dail. Leis na Poblachtaigh a sheasse freisin nuair a bhris Cogadh nagCarad amach. Ghabh lucht antSaorstait e agus e ar tf dui goMeiricea ar ghno nach raibh baint arbith aige le cursaf polaitiula. Buaileadhgo dona tinn e le peireatoinfteasagus e i bPrfosun Mhoinseoigh.T ogadh chuig an ospideal eachbhf se ro-dheanach.Fuair se bas La Nollag 1922, agus ganan da scor bliain fein saraithe aige.Ba f Maire Nic Dhonncha, no antSiuir Francesca de chuid Ord naCarthanachta, an t-aon duine dechlann Mhic Dhonncha a rinnecomhra le Tomas dfreach sularcuireadh chun bais e. Tamall gairid tareis an mheanofche, breis bheag agustrf uair a chloig sular marafodh e,seoladh Maire isteach i gcillfn Thomaisi gCiII Mhaighneann. Is beag nar thit sfi laige nuair a chonaic sf an cillfnsuarach in a raibh a dearthair. D 'iarr sfar oifigeach airithe roinnt uisce asholathar ionas go mbeadh Tomas inann e fein a nf. Diultafodh df, Mach.30

S COMHALTASauthority on hurling. Many a longnight he would tell us stories aboutgreat Leinster, Munster and the AII­Ireland finals but he always said hismost memorable was the thunderand-lightningfinal of 1939 betweenCork and Kilkenny. It was point topoint, everyone soaked to the skinand Terry Leahy pointed a 70 with thelast puck to give victory to Kilkenny.My first Christmas was sad and lonelybecause we were nearly all away fromhome for the first time. It is difficultto describe but for a few days a greatfeeling of sadness seemed to hangover the camp.By the end of 1943 air raids weremainly confined to London and theSouth of England, however, at fiveo'clock on Christmans night the airraid sirens sounded and we all had to dash to the shelters. Christmasdinner was timed for six but we hadto remain in the shelters until nineo'clock when the all clear came. eventhough there was strict rationing thecooks did a fine job. We had turkey,stuffing, roast potatoes, twovegetables, Christmas pudding andcake. Unfortunatley, because of theair raid the food was slightly overcooked, but when you are hungryyou don't grumble!Another memorable event was ourfirst St Patrick's night. Naturally, incamp life there were always groupswho came together as mates and fiveof us were no exception. Jerry Learyand Jerry Lehane from Cork, PaddyMurray from Limerick,Tom O'Donnellfrom Mayo, and me from Donegal,that was a good mix and the five ofus went everywhere together. Asthere was no entertainment in thecamp we decided to go to the villageof Bubbenhall four miles up the road,which was nothing to walk in thosedays. In Bubbenhall at that time, therewere two pubs, one called The Foxand the Goose and the other TheMalt Shovels both very popular withthe Americans and lads from thecamp. We went to the Malt Shovels. Itwas an old style village pub with acorridor down the middle, two roomson the left full of Americans and oneon the right full of Irish. EddieLenighan from Mayo had brought hisfiddle and Jimmy Greene fromRoscommon his flute so we listenedto some lovely music. Paddy Moranfrom Mayo, a fine singer, sangBoulavogue. Halfway through the songan American came to the door andstood listening, when the song endedthere was the usual applause and theAmerican said, 'I say you guys, thatsong is only a load of horse s ... t'.There was a complete silence andall eyes turned on him. Sat on a stoolat the American's feet was a fellownamed Paddy McNally from Mayo.I can still see the punch today, itstarted at the floor and came up toland flush on the American's jaw andflattened him in the corridor. Well hisnates took exception and chargedinto the room, tables were knockedover, beer was spilled, glasses werebroken and it resulted in a generalbrawl. Peace was restored by thearrival of the American MilitaryPolice; because everything wasrationed a pub landlord couldn't goout and simply buy a supply of pintpot and glasses so he went to seethe head of the camp. There alwaysseemed to be plenty of jam so heprocured a couple of dozen emptyjam jars, brought them back to hispub and for a few weeks, until he gota supply of pots and glasses he servedhis beer in jam jars and since thenthat pub was known as the Jam Jar.If you went to the village ofBubbenhall today and you asked fordirections to the Malt Shovels youwould probably be told you mean theJam Jar, the Paddy's Pub. Many yearsafter I attended the thirty years of theCoventry Branch of Comhaltas and Itold this story, two young peopleinformed me they had heard thestory from their Grandfather whohad also lived in Stone Leigh Camp.So there in the heart of rural England,in perhaps one of the most Englishsettings that you can find, is a pubthat had its name changed by thesinging of Boulavogue.28

9 COMHALTASThe GreatFurseyCaoimhghin () BrolchainMervyn Wall, who died in 1997 aged89, was the last of that generation ofgreatly gifted Irish writers, whichincluded Flann O 'Brien, Francis McManus and Se an 6 Faolain. AnotherCivil Servant, he scribbled away in hisspare time and produced three Abbyplays and several novels - but his wifeFanny Feehan (who died in 1996)regarded him as being slothful andhad to bully him into finishingwhatever work he was engaged on ata particular time. She would abandonhim in remote spots until he ranghome t announce the completion ofanother chapter.Born Eugene Welpy in Dublin to awell to do family, he was educated atUCD and in Bonn. He spent 14 yearsas a depressed Civil Servant until hewas rescued by MacManus, thendirector of features at Radi6 Eireannand spent nine happy years beforebecoming secretary to 6 Faolain'sdirector at the fledgling Arts Council.During this time he master-mindedthe tax exemption scheme whichmade the reputation of CharlesHaughey, Minister of Finance in 1969.It is said thatthough he wasbrave on behalf ofthe Arts, he wasnevertheless avery cautiouscharacter, and avoided taking partin council discussions - preferring toremain the 'power behind the throne'.'I knew that in the event of trouble,the Taoiseach would sack thechairman, he would sack the secretary.'If there is one book, which never failsto delight on reading and re-readingit, is his The Complete Fursey(Wolfhound Press, Dublin, Re-pub1985) - which in itself is acombination of two earlier works TheUnfortunate Fursey (1946) and TheReturn of Fursey (1948). I canpromise you that this is probably themost enjoyable piece of Irish writingthat you are likely to come across. I'mwell aware that this is a 'valuejudgement' and as such is there to beshot at, but if you can track it down(maybe your library can help), I haveno fear but that you will heartilyagree with me.What we are presented with is thestory of a simple-minded monk, thelovable Fursey, in the monasticsettlement founded by St Killian atClonmacnoise. For centuries, theevident sanctity of the place had keptthe hordes of hell at bay, but at last FrKillian who had charge of themonastery brewery became aware ofa hideous demon, sitting on the fence,'and it chewing and eating red hotcoals and other dangerous matterswith its teeth.' It is thecommencement of an invasion whichrapidly leads to Fursey's cell becomingthe refuge of the devil and his legionswho commence plaguing the monkswith an infestation of infernal fleas ...Poor Fursey is driven forth by hisfrantic holy brethren to wander thecountry.26

TREOIRAbair AmhranTandragee(The Rollicking boys around Tandragee)Good luck to all here now, barring the catThat sits in the corner there smelling a rato wheesht your philandering girls and behaveAnd saving your presence, I'll chant you a staveI come from the land where the pritties grow bigAnd the girls neat and handy will swirl in a jigAnd the boys they would charm your heart for to seeThose rarin' fine fellows in Tandragee.Chorus:So here's to the boys who are happy and gaySinging and dancing and tearing awayRollicksome, frollicsome, frisky and freeWe're the rollicking boys around Tandragee.No doubt you have heard of Killarney I'm sureAnd sweet Innishowen for a drop of the pureDublin's the place for the strawberry bedsAnd Donnybrook Fair for the cracking of headsHave you e'er seen an Irishman dancing palltogHow he faces his partner and turns up his brogHe shakes at the buckle and bends at the kneeThey're wonderful dancers in Tandragee.ChorusNow the oul' jaunting-car is an elegant joultAnd Derry's the place that is famed for a houltAmong the green bushes that grow in TyroneAnd the County Fermanagh for muscle and boneBut for feasting and dancing and fun at the fairSure there's no one can match with the Rakes of KildareGreen Erin my country's the gem of the seaBut the gem of oul' Ireland is TandrageeChoruso where is the man, either Christian or TurkCould equal the boul' Robert Emmet or BurkeOr where is the lawyer can speak up like DanThe divil another, bad luck to the wanAnd where is the singer can sing like Tom MooreWhose melodies charm all dull care from our dureBut we'll beat them all yet boys, and that you will seeFor we're raring fine fellows round Tandragee.

TREOIR ______________________________________ __Bill Collin's JigSlip JigThis selection of jigs is from the Comhaltas Session sets published in Foinn Seisiun Book2. The tunes have been recorded on Foinn Seisiun CD2 and are on Disc No. I, Tracks 40,41 & 42. Foinn Seisiun Books I & 2 together with accompanying CDs, containing 220 tunesarranged in 74 session-ready sets, can be ordered directly from Comhaltas in Monkstown.Books are priced at € I 0.00 while CDs are € I 5.00 - a concessionary price of € 20.00applies when both items are purchased together.~iB Old j J J 1 C F J r 1 r r r r ~ 1 E CJ e [J1 2~ 1 ~I ------~il Et] miC rJ r 1 r E r r ~ 1 EO r jl :11 EO r D~illl: E Di E FJ: 1 r r F f' 1 r r r r PIE [1 e r J 11 2~ 11 ~ ---------~1i[1J m 1 EU r 1 r E r FP 1 EO FP :11 EO r jl 11The Kilmovee Jig(also known as Larrisey's)~i H) 1 j J J j J J 1 ill El J 1 iD J E d 1 r r F E EJ1 2~11. f'" 1 er r fJ] 1 DJ ai i cO j :11 tU E§'~i E: r r r ca 1 t] J fJ 1 1 E El r p 1 F Dj F Fl1 ~2 ____ __~I ffl QJ 1 ill n J 1 DJ cd i ctJ ill:l! ctJ j 11The Cobbler(also known as Dan the Cobbler)

Jack RocheThe Rockchapel branch of Comhaltasagain organised their annual twoweeksummer camp in August. Thecamp, which was confined to 30children between 9 and 15 years, wasdirected by Donna Mulcahy.The camp started each morning at9.30 with a game for 15 minutes andcontinued with music lessonsfollowed by singing and ceili dancinguntil lunchtime. After lunch there wasa baking or cooking session againfollowed by singing, music and ceilidancing until 3pm when the cookingor baking of the day was eaten.The camp also included a day's outingto some of the important locations inSliabh Luachra such as CathairChrobhdhearg at the base of the twinmountains of An Dei Chfch Danannwhich was the seat of Tu at ha DeDanann and where historians agreewas the first place in Ireland to bepopulated, and is still regarded as thecentre of Sliabh Luachra.The tour also visited Meentoguesthe site of the birth place of thecharismatic Gaelic poet Eoghan Rua6 Suilleabheiin who composed somany popular songs in Irish including'An Maidirin Rua' which he composedafter a fox took some geese from thewife of his employer in Kiskeam. Healso composed the poem 'Rodney'sGlory', when after being forced tojoin the British Navy in 1782 he wasinvolved in a battle on a BritishWarship named 'The Formidable'under the command of AdmiralRoderick Hudson who was known asAdmiral Rodney.He later put music to the poem, anda travelling dancing master calledMooreen composed the dance (fulldetails and the poem are available inwww.sliabhluachra.comThe outing also took in Cnoc naGaoithe where on the 28 th ofDecember 1896 a bog slide killedCon Donnelly, his wife Kate and sixof their seven children, as well asGlountane cross the home andschool of Sliabh Luachra's mostfamous musician Peidraig 6 Caoimh.The outing finished with a visit toMuckross House and gardens inKillarney where a music classwas conducted.On the final day of the camp localman Pat Mulcahy brought along hispony and creamery cart completewith milk churn and the participantsenjoyed trips through the village andEileen Keating performed 'Rodney'sGlory' on the cart which was atradition from the past when floorswere no good for dancing and whendancers often danced on creamerycarts or half doors and on top ofwooden barrels.At the end of their most enjoyableweek beginners were able to playthree tunes, sing four songs, as wellas being able to dance The Siege ofEnnis, The Walls of Limerick, TheBridge of Athlone, The Haymakers Jigand their favourite The Waves of Tory.Those already playing picked up to8 or 10 new tunes.Due to demand for this summercamp the branch are now looking toextend it in the years ahead to caterfor more children.24

9 COMHALTASThe BodhranPlaying BusinessSupremoGerry Whelan Remembered1918 - 2001On July 8, 2005, musicians and friendsof the late Gerry Whelan gathered inthe Errigal Country House, Cootehill,Co Cavan to pay tribute to one ofthe true friends of music, musiciansand music lovers. Gerry was amusician and founder member ofComhaltas in County Cavan whopromoted the organisation andtraditional music in the Cavan areaand beyond. The event was organisedby the NYAH group that is made upof: Marian Crowe, Seamus Fay, PhilipClarke and chairperson MartinDonohoe, the renowned buttonaccordion player from Cavan andgreat admirer of Gerry's. Twelve yearsago, Martin had the foresight to makea video recording of Gerry tellingstories about his life and thedevelopment of traditional music inhis lifetime. The original videorecording was done by Pat Lee andwas transferred to a DVD andlaunched at the event. It will be thefi rst DVD in the County CavanTraditional A rchive Collection.The DVD was launched by MartinGaffney, the National PRO forComhaltas, who brought special wishesfrom fellow Cavan man and ComhaltasPresident,Jim Teevan, also a great friendof Gerry's. Martin paid tribute to Gerryand other like-minded musicians andtraditional enthusiasts: the people whoestablished the network in the early'50s that we know today as Comhaltas.He described the creation ofComhaltas as an important milestonein the preservation of Ireland'straditional folk arts and quoted Gerry,saying, "The music was nearly gone atthe time. If CCE wasn't set up foranother decade, it could have beengone for keeps!"Following the launch of the DVD aconcert of music, song and dancetook place with some of Gerry's greatmusic friends playing such as VincentTighe button accordion and AntoinMacGabhann fiddle. The Breffni JrnCeili Band, Philip Clarke pianoaccordion, Michael McDonald banjo,Seamus Smith piano, Seamus Fay IiIter,Paddy Kelly songs, H P Donohoebanjo,John McEntee buttonaccordion, Laura & Collette Beagonfiddles, Peter Leddy button accordion,Martin Gaffney flute and many otherfriends and local musicians fromCootehill, Cavan and Monaghan alsoplayed: a fitting tribute to Gerry and acelebration of the contribution hemade to traditional music over theyears. Words of tribute were also paidby Comhaltas friends: Pat Beagon,Chairman of the Ulster Council fromMonaghan and Sonny McDermott,from Fermanagh, the only remainingmember of the marching bandcommittee set up in the 1980's.Gerry was born in 1918, a few milesoutside Mohill, County Leitrim. Hewas from a family of 14, four girls andten boys; he was the youngest of theboys. His father, who died in 1927,played the fiddle and people makingmusic, ceiling in their house at night,was part of his introduction to Irishmusic. He grew up with a great loveof music, a love that he carriedthroughout his life. Gerry startedlilting and singing at the age of three.By the age of six he could lilt at least60 reels and jigs and sing quite a fewsongs. When he was seven years oldhe played his first tune on the mouthorgan. Later he progressed to playingthe melodeon and at the age of 17acquired his first Hohner buttonaccordian. His idol growing up wasthe Rev Fr Peter Conefrey of Cloone,who encouraged and helped to keepthe music alive in the I 920s andearly 1930s.Gerry's life took many different turns,in Ireland and England. Yet throughoutthe good and bad times he maintainedhis love of music. During his brief timein England he joined up with a ceiliband in Weybridge, Surrey and playedevery week at dances and events.When he moved back to Ireland andset up business in Cootehill in 1939,he sought out people who shared hislove for music. He organised a"Sessiun" in Rice's front room, wherehe and four or five local people fromthe town played music every week, ata time when there were noFleadhanna or sessiuns in pubs.With the founding of Comhaltas in1951 , Gerry said the music he knewand loved was injected with new life.Gerry got actively involved withComhaltas at the organisation'sinception and was President of theUlster Council for a period of 30 years.It was perhaps fitting that he still heldthe position of Honorary President atthe time of his death, on 28th February,200 I, and which occurred on the 50thanniversary of Comhaltas.Gerry was at the first all-Irelandf1eadh in Mullingar in 1951 andattended them for the next 50 years(all except one, due to a death in thefamily). In addition to his annualpilgrimage to the all-Ireland f1eadh,Gerry's musical calendar includedcounty f1eadh's, provincial fleadh's,sessiuns at home and away and theTionol Ceol held in Gormanstown for22

Daithi KearneyAg Rince ar na sraideanna ag Fleadh 2004 i gC/uain l1eala(Photo: Ann Finneagan)My shoes were wearing thin! Notfrom poverty. I should add. butwealth; the wealth of culture thatbrought me onto the dance floo r atthe Cork International Folk DanceFestival. The co-operative effort of anamazing fifteen Cork branches ofComhaltas Ceolt6iri Eireann sawrepresentatives dance troupes fromthirteen nations perform throughoutCounty Cork this August.The festival broke new ground thisyear as part of the European City ofCulture celebrations. which allowed itto increase its profile and number ofperforming groups. From Youghal toCastletownbere. Crosshaven toRockchapel. branches of Comhaltashosted concerts and events thatcelebrated European Folk Culture.The finest Irish traditional musicians.singers and dancers in the County.All Ireland champions among them(some leading for glory inLetterkenny shortly after). tookto the many stages for the event.Craobh Duglais CCE and TheOwenabue Valley Traditional Grouphosted groups in Cork City where agroup from sister city Rennesrepresenting Brittany. Polish groupWalbryzch who went on to be guestsof Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann. Dutchgroup De Pierrewaaiers. Cornishcousins Asterveryn and Sardinianvisitors Citt' di Sennori stayed. SeanNorman. the inimitable box playerand lilter superb also stayed with histalented Leinster group. Gleann na Ri.The East Cork towns ofYoughal.Midleton and Cobh were also hoststo a variety of exceptional groups.Micheal de Buitleir was proudlyshowing off Bru na Si. newly builthome of Ceolta Si and Youghal CCEto his Sicilian visitors. VecchiaGirgenti. The Midleton branch tookpart in events alongside the ImokillyDancers and their guests fromScotland. the Strathspey Fiddlers.A phone call some months from aCorkman abroad had alerted us tothe fantastic Croatian group. Lisinski.who were hosted by the emigrationport of Cobh.Christine O 'Shea of Nadd CCEwelcomed a group of Danishdancers from Faarup complete withaccordions. to her Teach Cheoil andis rumoured to have played away thenight with great energy. Tunes werealso shared in Newcestown. wherethe local branch hosted the HannoverMinstrels of Germany. while the townof Clonakilty welcomed theLithuanian representatives. Vetra.Branches of Comhaltas in Bantry.Glengarriff. Ath a' Caoire. MainistirBan and Dunmanway all chipped inwith a tune or a dance. song or storyin an eventful week demonstratingthe strength of Comhaltas withinthe County.The weeklong events culminated in anextravagant display of fol k culture inCork City on Friday and Saturday. t he19 th and 20 th August. City Hall wasthe spectacular venue for Irish andvisiting groups to demonstrate andshare the wonderful dances of theirindividual cultures. Highlights incl udedperformances by Fuschia. Corks fastmoving new trad band and SiamsaTire. The National Folk Theatre ofIreland. whose performance wasdedicated to the late dancing masterJack Lyons and reminiscent of hisperformance at An Fleadh Nua inCroke Park more than thirty yearspreviously.Saturday 20 th August was a day toremember for Comhaltas as the CorkInternational Folk Dance Festivalclosed Patrick Street. the city's mainthoroughfare. to allow thedevelopment of six open-airperformance spaces. The street wasthronged as musicians and dancers.young and not so young.demonstrated the richness of folkculture in Ireland and throughoutEurope. The atmosphere of thisEuropean Fleadh will be savouredfor years to come.The festival proved no disadvantage20

l'Io11onEIY, Chieftain's genius, hasgone anywhere in SO years_II"U,,,. this little passport in hisinside pocket - he's been responsiblewith his mates for all night sessionsfrom the White House to the SydneyOpera House that captivated peopleand turned them on to trad forever.away with you, it's amusic might need

9 COMHALTASMater. It was sold by direct means,and the generosity of people selling it.As part of the launch of the CD, Tonyand the musicians from Ashbournetravelled to an tOireachtas inCastlebar, Co. Mayo. They had beenasked to play a piece in a concert.Aswith the nature of the festival, it wasafter 12 midnight before the groupgot to play. As they began some livelyreels, several of the Sean N6s dancersspontaneously got up to dance. As itturned out, nearly every Sean N6sdancer in the country was presentand also wanted to do their bit! Themusicians had to play reelscontinuously for the dancers andwere exhausted when they finally gotto finish.Antoin, centre back, enjoying Taoiseach Jack Lynch~rendition of 'The Banks'A dedicated concert was also held inthe National Concert Hall in Dublinto coincide with the launch of theCD. Again, the sponsor covered all thecosts so that all proceeds would godirectly to the Mater. The concertfeatured those also on the CD. It wascompered jointly by Ciaran MacMathuna and Kieran Hanrahan.There was no stage rehearsal beforethe concert. A rehearsal was held inthe Gaelscoil in Ashbourne the nightbefore, but, unsurprisingly, only aboutone third of the musicians showed up.It ended up being more of a meetingrather than a rehearsal. During he'meeting'Tony made a comment thatsummed up the whole project"We'renot an orchestra, and we're not goingto act like one!" On the night of theConcert, the performers got a quickpep talk through the show on thenight, backstage, during the first half ofthe concert while Noel Hill was playingon stage. The programme of tunes wasstuck on the back of each fiddle andeveryone just went out and did it.The climax of the concert was thefinale, a re-enactment of thehousedance, with over seventymusicians playing together on stage,with three half-sets in front. Therewas also several vivacious Damhsa aran Sean N6s and a spirited brushdance to the many reels played.Overall, it was a "colourful and lively"stage performance, everyone wearingmulticoloured t-shirts embellishedwith the Lamh ar Umh logo.The night ended with a standingovation from the audience of overI ,000, a fitting tribute to the hardwork and generosity of Ant6in, thesponsor and the participants.Cape Breton ConnectionsThe first Irish emigrants arrived inCape Breton, Nova Scotia, over threehundred years ago. Irish culture hassurvived there quite strongly. Tony andBernie have visited Cape Breton manytimes since 1985 to visit friends theyhave there: Donnie and MargaretGillis. Tony met the Gillis' while theywere holidaying in Ireland and lookingfor a session in Dublin. Tony broughtthem to a session and a lastingfriendship developed. The Gillis' areactive members of the Cape BretonFiddlers' Association; Donnie is afiddler and Margaret a dance teacher.Tony has visited them in Cape Bretonand played at the Cape Breton FiddleFestival.TonyTodayTony teaches not only at his home inAshbourne, but in Mullahoran,Glasgow, and at various festivals andworkshops. Over the years he hastaught at Feile Riona Traynor, BostonCollege, West Virginia, the Lorientfestival in France and others. Hetravels on many concert tours, whichhave included Na Ridiri World Tourand the Comhaltas Tours of Britain,the United States and Canada. He hasalso performed on a number ofoccasions in Japan.Ant6in is a purist when it comes totraditional music, fiddle-playing, Irishlanguage and culture. He has atremendous respect for the oldtraditional musicians, whose music hesays is much more distinctive than thefast style of music we hear today. Theolder musicians learned their musicwhile growing up with it; thus itbecame inherent to them, a part oftheir very nature. Musicians todaylearn from a much wider variety ofsources, and have a completelydifferent style of playing.Ant6in is a continuously activepromoter of fiddle-playing, traditionalmusic, Irish language and culture. Heis extremely keen to see it passed onto new generations, "6 gluin go gluin".His attitude is traditional, yetrefreshing;Tony is an ambassador ofour culture.16

S COMHALTASthe concert before heading home.This is given free of charge, as is theuse of sound equipment. (Paddy Ryanalso usually records the concert forShannonside Northern Sound.) Themusicians and supporters pay for thebus to Mullahoran themselves. All ofthis means that 100% of the takings atthe door go to the missions; there areabsolutely no expenses.HousedancesBy 1976, Ant6in and his wife Berniewere living in Baltrasna,Ashbourne,Co. Meath, where they still live. Thereis always music in the house, andevery year they hold a traditionalhousedance. Their four children, Sean,Aine, Bernadette and Caitlin Brid allplay music, and the three girls aredancers. The dancing comes fromBernie's side of the family. Bernie hailsfrom Ennistymon, Co. Clare. Herfamily was a dancing one, and in theearly I 960s, her father MichaelMurphy, aunt Josie Murphy, Paddy Kingand Joe Crowe set up a Clareman'sClub for music and sets in Bridge St.(now gone) in Dublin.At the club,they taught and danced the Plain andCaledonian Clare sets, and it is worthnoting that this was all before the setdance revival. Josie always held ahousedance in her home onLongwood Ave, South Circular Rd. onthe first Saturday of every year. ThedanCing took place in her very smallback kitchen, with the door taken offfor extra room. There was only roomfor one set and two musicians at atime in the kitchen, so everyone elsewould cool off and wait their turn todance in the front sitting room. Teawas made all night, and there wasnever any drink involved. The scoresof dancers kept dancing the sets allnight until 5am, when the door wouldbe screwed back on, the place cleanedup, and they would make their waydown to 5:30 mass in Merchant'sQuay before heading home to bed.These housedances continued up tothe early I 970s, when Josie becametoo old to hold the dances anymore.By I 976,Ant6in and Bernie had takenup and established the housedance intheir home in Ashbourne. They hadfrequent sessions in the house, andalways had a set to go along with it. Itwas on a smaller scale than Josie'shouse dances, but in time it grew. Bythe early 80s, there were 6 houses inMeath and Kildare holding regularhousedances: Mac Gabhann 's, T raynor's,Frank Kenny, Eileen McNelis, JohnCurtin and Paddy McMahon. Therewas usually about one housedance amonth in one of the houses. The MacGabhann's are the only remaininghouse holding the dances.In 1995, RTf: began broadcasting thehousedances from Ant6in and Bernie'shouse on the first Saturday of everyJanuary. There have been eleven livebroadcasts since and no sign of itbeing brought to an end. RTf: bring asatellite van and also put an aerial onthe chimney for the broadcast. Thereare always over forty musicians forthe housedance, who only arrive juston time, or even a little late. There isnever any time for a rehearsal, andbarely time for a sound check. Tonychooses tunes for the housedancethat are in fairly common currency.then writes names of the selectionson large sheets that are hung fromthe ceiling for everyone to see. Hechooses fresh tunes every year;selections are never repeated.The Mac Gabhann housedance is anauthentic type housedance in thatnon-commercial, ordinary musiciansthat are mostly young always play at it.The dancers, having grown up with thesets, dance them fo r the love of them.The very first Ceil[ Houseprogramme on RTf Radio One of theyear 2000 was broadcast from theMac Gabhann household on the firstSaturday of January. It was decided tomark this special programme, the firstof the new millennium, with thecomposition of a new tune for theoccasion.Ant6in composed a reel andcalled it The Millennium Housedance'.It now opens the programme everyyear. It was also decided to mark thesignificance of the first Ceil[ House ofthe new millennium by opening theprogramme with the most common,known, played, recorded, publishedand danced to tune in traditional IrishMusic, Miss McLeod's Reel. It was thefirst tune played at that housedance"to carry the tradition from the oldmillennium into the new."Music Promotion in MeathAnt6in's held his first fiddle classes inBalbriggan, of whose Comhaltasbranch he was a founder member in1964. He also helped found the SeanTreacy branch in 1970. In 1978 headjudicated the first Fidh~ir na Midhecompetition in Rathcairn. Feidhlim6 Raghallaigh came second in theUnder-14 section. He had no teacher,and his mother. Maire. asked Tony ifhe would take him for classes. And sobegan his stili-continuing fiddle classesat his home in Ashbourne, Co. Meath.At that time, Riona Traynor wasteaching concertina and whistle inSummerhill. Tony and Riona alwaysco-operated and put together GrupafCeoil and CeiH Bands for theFleadhanna.Along with others, theybuilt up Trim Comhaltas branch fromzero. Previously, there were very fewyoung musicians in the area. Trimwent on to have many successes inthe Fleadhanna. the most recent beingthe Naomh P;idraig Ceil[ Band, whowon the senior competition at theAll-Ireland Fleadh in Clonmel in 2004and again in Letterkenny this year. Theband has grown up playing together14

Deirdre Byrne"A rugadh cois lochanna an Chabhainagus ata ag cur faoi ar Mhachairi Riogana Midhe"At the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann inClonmellast year,Ant6in MacGabhann was honoured with a'Gradam Speisialta' or a 'Gradam nahEigse'. lt was not, however,Ant6in'sfirst award of recognition, as he wasmade Cavan Person of the Year by theCavan Association in Dublin in 1985.Both are an appropriate appreciationof his life, music, and work (so far!),which I will explore in this essay.Early YearsAnt6in comes from Kilcogy Upper inthe parish of Mullahoran, Co. Cavan.He was taught to play the fiddle by aneighbour, Terry Smith. He learnedtunes by ear and was soon able tojoin in local sessions. When TerrySmith died he studied music for ashort period with Sister Brigid, whileat secondary school in Granard.In the mid I 960s Ant6in came toDublin to study at UCD.At that time,there was no commercial music scenein Dublin, and a very small musicscene. Musicians played together atdifferent sessions in the city, the CCEsessions, the Piper's Club on ThomasSt, and the Church St. Club. Only twopubs in Dublin were allowing music atthe time, Donohoe's in Merrion Rowand Slattery's in Capel St. These wereplayed in regularly. Every Saturdaynight, Tony went to the localComhaltas session in St Johns Hall inBlackrock, where he met Micheal 0 'hAlmhain, the Bergin family, Joe Liddyand Padraig a' Cnoic (uncle of NoelHill), from all of whom he learned agreat deal. He worked a summer inLondon where he spent his sparetime playing with the Londonmusicians such as Bobby Casey,Tommy McCarthy,Jimmy Power,Mairtin Byrnes, Dick Sherlock andothers. He played in a ceili band everySaturday and Sunday night in theGaltymore Ballroom in Cricklewood.Back in Dublin, Tony began to playwith many more influential musicians,such as John Kelly, Joe Ryan, JohnEgan, Matt Molloy, Tommy Peoples,The Rowsomes, Mick Hand, MichaelTubridy, the Glackins and many more.He joined the Green linnet CeiliBand on formation and played withthem at many ceilis in the city.AII ofthis had a major influence on hismusical development, and it wasprobably the biggest period of growththat he had as a musician.Although not keen on thecompetitive side of traditional music,Ant6in is one of the few musicians tohave taken the Senior All-Ireland titleat the Fleadh two years in a row. Heis also the only one to win it twice inone year. The 1971 All-Ireland Fleadhwas postponed because of thetroubles in the North. It was held thefollowing June in Dublin, when Tonyhad his first win. He won again inAugust that same year at the 1972Fleadh which was held in Listowel.That year he also won the Fiddler ofDooney competition in Sligo, the12

e COMHALTASaccommodate. Many of the presentday Provincial Council Leaders werepart of that historic meeting. HelenGannon,Anne McConnell Strong, LarryReynolds,Jack Pendergast came onboard in 1984 less than a year later.The North East region wasrepresented by the late Paul Curry RIP.New York was represented by ColumMulligan RIP; Kevin Finnegan served asCoordinator for Canada. The currentProvincial Chair Helen Gannonrepresented the Mid West, an area thatstretched all the way to San Franc:isGO.in the two tours being runsimultaneously from October ..to October 23. 1983.The array of high profile talent sentto North America that year wasbeyond compare. Included wereAccordionist Jimmy McGreevy,Roscommon;John Regan, Sligo; Fiddleplayers Rorna Casey, Dublin;Catherine Gavln. Dublin; MaeveDonnelly. Galway; Flautist Marcus6 Murch6. Belfast; John Carlos,Roscommon; Uilleann Pipers Thomq-Keafte. Waterford; Niall Mllllli_n.~; Banjo player' (Ca~!th:aI~j=IJ~~~~=1Tyrone; John Hogan, VIwas well represented by a ver~f;'iQi.All Ireland ChamP II Clo:n:;alii~player Michelle SIsingers were "._._Paddy R.nP'V_~1iIiIGarrihy. a. ....Cronin.naCo Donegal.are that it will be asuccess. Uke the concertpast, it will bring people'ti'JIMtI,.,r in thousands. Many will travelfrom North America to join In thecelebration of our Irishness.As I lookto the future, I can think of no greaterway to finish this article than to quotefrom an address delivered 22 yearsDirector Generalu follows

Bill McEvoyThe early nineteen eighties wereexciting times for Comhaltas here inNorth America. Ten years had passedsince the organisation was founded in1972. It was the beginning of a newand historic era in which we grewfrom branches to regions and finally toProvincial Council April 24-26. 1992Queen Elizabeth Hotel Montreal.In Ireland. it was a great historictime for Irish culture and Gaeldomcombined.The GAA was preparing to celebratethe centenary of its founding. Kilkennyfigured significantly in all of it. FleadhCheoil na hEireann was held inKilkenny in 1983 and 1984. SeamusMac Amhlaoibh also from Kilkennywas President of Comhaltas 1982 to1985. Kilkenny won the All IrelandSenior Hurling Anal in 1982 defeatingCork 3-18 to 1- 13 before anattendance of 59,500 at Croke Park.Kilkenny again won the All IrelandSenior Hurling Final in 1983, defeatingold rivals Cork by 2-14 to 2-12, theattendance at this game was 58,381.But Cork came back again in 1984 tosing The Banks of My Own Lovely Leewhen they defeated Offaly 3- 16 to12, before an attendance of 59,88

... t:lo!\O\\SO'1C_•• uh"o\,,,,,, ,,,, I., '",'''''• ~ tt • I It ~I plf rllb, I 10n;;;I. l) ..... , .... "" ,,,' ~ """t. I .. \If" llo.""Padraig and Virginia with Bishop Fiachra 6 Ceallaigh andFr Tony CahirOn the weekend of September 9Padraig 6 Dufaigh was feted by hiscolleagues and friends in recognitionof his lifetime of service anddedication to Comhaltas and Irishculture. The occasion was Tion61 LeoRowsome at Culturlann na hEireannwhere Padraig was the recipient ofGradam an Chomhaltais 2005.A capacity attendance filled everynook and corner of the old Victorianbuilding in Belgrave Square,Monkstown, Co Dublin, to pay tributeto one of their favourite sons. Padraighas served diligently and effectively atevery level of the Comhaltasmovement and today he occupieswith distinction the prestigious postof Ardchisteoir. He is also a keenGM supporter.Padraig's many attributes andachievements were highlighted byseveral contributors to the weekendfestivities. His quiet, unassumingpersonality combined with a staunch,selfless and committed character have6won the admiration of all thosewho have come to know this proudOffaly man.It is fitting that the Gradam ceremonyshould be an integral part ofTion61Leo Rowsome, which each yearrecalls and honours one of thegreatest uilleann pipers of all time.Leo has affectionately acquired thetitle of Ri na bPiobairi (King of thePipers) in recognition of the uniquestatus, which he enjoyed among hispeers and admirers during his lifetime.The Rowsome family play a centralrole in the Tion61 each year. Leo'sgrandson Kevin gave a brilliant displayon the uilleann pipes while otherfamily members entertained the largeaudience.The Pipers Club Concert at theTion61, presented by MuireannDuignan, was of the usual highstandard. Musicians and dancersfrom far and near paid a combinedtribute to Leo Rowsome andPadraig 6 Dufaigh.

GovernmentFundingWelcomedComhaltas Ceolt6iri Eireann haswelcomed the grant-aid this year of€SOO,OOO provided by theGovernment to kick-start the new 5Year Development Programme of theorganisation.The President of Comhaltas Seamus6 Teimheain said; 'This is greatencouragement for us and it hasalready resulted in impressiveprogress.The € 27m Programme, which waslaunched last year, has alreadyattracted up to € ISm in capital assetsfrom regional interests'.The Development Programme isregarded as one of the most radicalcultural initiatives in the history of theState. The Programme has identifiedimportant milestones to ensure thatcommunities are prepared andresourced to respond effectively toopportunities and challengespresented by globalisation.The first five Regional ResourceCentres, which are at the hub of theDevelopment Programme, will beDundalk, Ennis, Dublin, Gurteenand Cashel.Further centres are being negotiatedin the Midlands and Northern Ireland.The Regions will benefit from adecentralisation initiative byComhaltas under the headings ofeducation/training; performance;archives; information bureau;publishing; networking; merchandising;and community partnerships.Comhaltas now has 400 branches in15 countries on 4 continents andservices up to 2m people each year. Itoperates several hundred majorprojects, which it finances to the tuneof over € 12m annually generated4

Macalla na hEireann, the 2005Comhaltas Concert Tour of Irelandcovered 14 venues from the 9 th tothe 22 nd October. The Annual Tourfeatured the best of traditional talentdrawn from all four Provinces ofIreland. The show was a huge hit withaudiences in the four provinces.Each year the Tour assembles a finemix of established artistes togetherwith up-and-coming young stars.These are blended into a fast movingand colourful show, which appeals toboth the connoisseurs and peripheralfans of Irish traditionalentertainment.This year's Tour, which wassponsored by Foras na Gaeilge andBus Eireann, included the followingtalented traditional performers:Siobhan NI Chonarain (Luimneach) -Bean a' TflFead6g Mh6r; GeraldineO 'Callaghan (Corcaigh) - Fidil; SabinaMcCague (Muineachan) - Cruit;Padraig King (Luimneach) - BoscaCeoil; Seana Agnew (Aontroim) -Fead6g Mh6r; Daire McGeown (ArdMhaca) - Bainseo; Ciara Gill(London) - Rinceoir; Patricia Ward(London) - Rinceoir; McElligotts(Ciarraf) - Fuaim; Nora Butler(Tiobraid Arainn) - Amhranaf; RonanGreene (Gaillimh) - Fidil;VincentJordan (Birmingham) - Cairdfn Piano;Eimear Buckley (Corcaigh) -Consairtfn; Padraig McGovern(Liatroim) - Pfob Uilleann; DonieLyons (Luimneach) - Amhranaf; CarlyAdams (London) - Rinceoir; KathyFlannery (London) - Rinceoir;Brendan Reilly (Laois) - BainisteoirThe venues for the 2005 Tourwere as follows: Monkstown, CoDublin; Kilcock, Co Kildare;Carnlough, Co Antrim; Glenfarne,Co Leitrim; Mullaghbane, Co Armagh;Omagh, Co Tyrone; Ballina, Co Mayo;Ennis, Co Clare; Cashel, Co Tipperary;Mullingar, Co Westmeath; Manister,Co Limerick; Freemount, Co Cork;Gorey, Co Wexford;Abbeyleix,Co Laois.Bhf macallaf a mbaint as ballaf igceithre cinn deag d'ionaid ar fud nahEireann le linn Mhacalla na hEireanni rith na mfosa seo caite. Trf cinndeag d'oirfidigh a bhf pairteach im6rthuras 2005 ChomhaltasCeolt6irf Eireann. Is le tacafocht 6Bhus Eireann agus Foras na Gaeilge abhf idir cheol uirlise, amhranafochtagus rind na tfre seo a laithriu.Sa phictiur tci Eamonn 6 hArgain,Stiurth6ir Seirbhfsf Forbartha Fhorasna Gaeilge, in eineacht le ceathrarden ghrupa 'Macalla na hEireann'2

A Banner Launch forFoinn Seisiun 2 CD , , ,•••Foinn Seisiun 2 CD was launched at Club Fleadh Nua in Ennis on Saturday,28 th May 2005. The launch, performed by well-known musician and broadcasterEoin O'Neill, took place in front of a capacity audience in theTemple Gate Hotel. Over 40 musicians, including most of those on the CDplus others from Clare and farther afield took part in the session whichfollowed and this continued well into the early hours of the morning.Guests at the launch included Sligo musician and singer, Carmel Gunning as well asPaddy and John Tunney (Donegal and Ennis respectively).This double CD has been produced to accompany Foinn Seisiun Book 2 and contains 104 tunes arranged in 35sets (a similar CD for Book I was produced last year); it is hoped that the recordings on the CD will greatly assistmusicians in committing the tunes to memory. The concept of standard traditional tune sets, as presented in FoinnSeisiun, has proved highly popular with musicians both in Ireland and overseas, and is particularly useful for thosenew to the tradition who want to build up a good repertoire, essential in any session situation.Good traditional sessions with their exuberance, camaraderie, sharing of music, respect for fellow performers,absence of generation gaps, etc. are arguably the most enjoyable and significant manifestation of our rich traditionalculture. Whether it's a Comhaltas Branch, Fleadh Cheoil, Festival or Summer School, local hotel or pub,there are always opportunities to take part assuming the musician has a reasonable repertoire of tunes. The COstogether with the Foinn Seisiun Books should assist greatly in this regard.Tunes from the Foinn Seisiun books and COs are played regularly at the Comhaltas Tuesday and Wednesday nightsessions at the Culturlann in Monkstown.There is always a warm welcome for visiting musicians to come and joinwith us on any of these nights.Once again a special thanks is extended to members of the Culturlann session group shown below who gave sogenerously of their talents and time to make the CD possible. We are deeply indebted to Brendan Knowltonwho did such a professional job on recording and mastering of all tracks on the CD. The support and encouragementfrom the Craobh Chualann Branch of Comhaltas and in particular Cathaoirleach, Rosaleen O'Brienand Runaf, Sean Gaughan was also invaluable.Further information on the CD and discounts for bulk purchases is available as follows:Internet Website http:f{www.comhaltas.comTel: (01) 280 0295 Fax: (01) 280 3759COs (price € 15.00) can be ordered direct from:Culturlann na hEireann, 32 Belgrave Square, Monkstown, Co. Dublin, IrelandPlease include P&P (€ I -Ireland; € 2 - UKIEurope; € 3 - rest of world)John Noiomh Colin Anne-Marie Christina Kylie Brian BrendanGaryMarionJoe Rosaleen Emma James Philip Peter Lindsay JaninePaulJoeyS COMHALTASwww.comhaltas.com