U - Comhaltas Archive

President Mary McAleesevisits Dun UladhPresident Mary McAleese visitedDun Uladh as part of her whistlestop tour of Tyrone in January.President McAleese visitedCookstown, Killyclogher,Carrickrnore and Fintona as sheenjoyed a tour of Tyrone onThursday 18 th of January.At the Dun Uladh CulturalHeritage Centre in Killyclogher,where the GAA, Comhaltas, andBunscoil are located, thePresident expressed her delightat visiting, 'A Place where Irishculture is so strong and the pulseof the future can be felt.'The Ballinamullan site is uniquefor housing three aspects of Irishculture together. She applaudedthe work that went into buildingthe Dun Uladh centre, which hasmade, 'Irish culture accessible,reachable and showcased.'The President described thespread of Irish speaking primaryschools, in Tyrone as'extraordinary', creating 'ageneration who will know what itis like to live in an Ireland wherethe focus is on making it the bestIreland for everyone.'The President was entertainedby the Killyclogher Scar balladand set dancing groups, withmusic provided by membersof Comhaltas. Speaking on behalfof the Comhaltas group, HughQuinn said that the Dun Uladhcentre 'secured the longevity ofculture, creating pride in allaspects of Irishness.' MaryMcAleese is the first IrishPresident to visit the area.New found ConfidenceAddressing the large audiencegathered in Dun Uladh, thePresident spoke of Ireland's newfound confidence, and the impactit would have on futuregenerations.''Confidence can change Ireland.We need to take the chance onourselves to make this future thebest we can make it, wherechildren immersed in culture aregrowing up in a world wherethere is 'a community'.Using experience from her ownprivate life to talk about thecurrent political debates in thenorth she urged those involved indecisions about power sharingand policing to, 'Take a chanceon one another because thelandscape we want to get to issuch a wonderful place.Mulligan Quinn BranchWould you be so kind as to publish the enclosed picture in an issue ofTREOIR. Pictured with Saint Patrick keeping watch over them, fromthe Mulligan Quinn Branch Long Island New York, are Pat Kearneybranch chairman with last year's service recognition award winnersDenis O'Sullivan and Lily McEvoy. It is because of dedicated memberslike Denis and Lilly that Comhaltas has grown and spread around theworld in the past fifty years. I would also like to give some of thatcredit to the rest of the branch for selecting and supportingoutstanding members like Denis and Lily.- Pat Kearney, Chairman Mulligan QuinnBranch, CC£.