Competition may not have killed Irish dance, but for those who follow the Comhaltas path it has put it in a straightjacket and re-invented it so it bears little resemblence to traditional dancing.
When I lived in the UK I witnessed hundreds of youngsters forced into competitions by doting parents who then ran a mile from the music as soon as they were old enough to say 'no'. Ireland is at present enjoying renaissance in Irish music, but it is taking place without, and often in spite of Comhaltas and it's competitions.
I agree totally, NO, NO, NO.
The battle for and against selling C# House was fought and lost years ago (I mean both sides lost). It was bitter and underhand and at one stage the police were called in to investigate a break-in when ballot sheets were tampered with.
For me, the situation is now as it was then, only worse.
The House a horrendously expensive white elephant, totally inadequate for the purpose of serving folk music and dance. It is unwelcoming and unfriendly - is there anybody who would claim they would be happy to introduce it as the headquarters of taditional music in the UK? It cannot even house a book/record shop The jewel in the Society's crown - the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, is full to capacity and is now turning away valuable collections because it has no space to house them. The majority of the people who use the building have nothing whatever to do with traditional music. It seems to me that it is kept open solely for the benefit of a rapidly diminishing handful of London based dancers and a handful of privileged researchers who can afford the time and the fare to travel to London to use the library (I say that as somebody who lived in London for thirty years).
I believe now, as I believed back then, that the building should be sold, the Society should find an administrative centre and the Library should be re-housed elsewhere (there have been a number of offers in the past where it could move to, retain its individual nature and have the space to expand as it desperately needs to). Outside premises could be hired to hold singing and dancing events and the Society could concentrate on making its activities truely national rather than a Capital based body.
It didn't happen at the time of the split and I suppose it won't happen now, so it will continue to go down the tubes. Now, I'm off to a wedding - were's me albatros!
Jim Carroll
P S Enjoyed your 'undesirable' comment Liz - think that's what must have happened to the Government over here - the Charlie Haughey scam just hit the papers!