In the light of CCE's constant complaint that they should be getting the lion's share of Arts Council funding, perhaps this article from today's Irish Times puts this and the Clontarf affair into context,
Jim Carroll

TRADITIONAL MUSIC BODY ACCUSES FG OF VENDETTA' OVER FUNDING CLAIMS

EOIN BURKE-KENNEDY and STEPHEN COLLINS

COMHALTAS CEOLTOIRI Eireann (CCÉ), the agency that promotes traditional music, has accused Fine Gael of conducting "a vendetta" against it in claiming its State funding lacked transparency.
The organisation's director general Senator Labhras Ó Murchú (FF) said he was astounded by suggestions from Fine Gael's arts spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell TD that secrecy surrounded the millions of euro given annually by the State to CCÉ. He said their accounts were externally audited and certified by the relevant government departments and he could not understand why Ms Mitchell was "politicising what is essentially a voluntary cultural movement".
On Sunday, Ms Mitchell said it was astonishing no one in Government even seemed to know how much CCE was getting with one Minister stating it received €5 million in 2007 and his predecessor saying that that figure was €7 million.
She welcomed the promised transparency for CCE accounts as they will soon have to be made publicly available, but called for equal clarity from the Government.
"When the Charities Bill becomes law later this year, Comhaltas Ceoltóiri Éireann, as an organisation that will enjoy charitable tax exemption under the terms of the Bill, will be obliged to publish its annual accounts."
Ms Mitchell said she had long been seeking information on behalf of the public about how the considerable State money CCE received was actually spent but neither the organisation, nor the Minister dispensing the funds, had been willing to give any such information or to publish their accounts. "This kind of secrecy surrounding public money is unacceptable and particularly so when the organisation is headed up by an elected representative of the ruling political party. It is a pity that it takes a change in legislation to enforce the kind of transparency that is in everyone's interests," she said.
But Mr Ó Murchú said the figures were published in the annual accounts which are made available to all 400 units of the organisation in the State. Copies of those accounts are sent to government departments and management reports were made to the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs on a quarterly basis, he said.
He called on Ms Mitchell to withdraw the suggestion of secrecy and apologise to CCE members and to him personally. In her statement,
Ms Mitchell said CCE branches throughout the country and abroad did important and vital work promoting Irish music and culture but that did not obviate the need for transparency in the use of public funds.
"Last year the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism gave €6 million and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs gave €1.9 million."The Department of Foreign Affairs also funds some activities abroad and other public monies may also find its way to Comhaltas
Ceoltóiri Éireann but, without any publicised accounts, we simply don't know. In replies to my parliamentary questions, Minister [Martin] Cullen stated the 2007 funding was €5 million but his predecessor the late Séamus Brennan asserted he had given them €7 million," she said.