Sorry Captain,
I didn't sign up to tilt at windmills, especially huge stone-built ones that don't move when you try to push them. I think that you will find that in the case of both organisations their policy is writ in stone and is protected from above. Neither strike me as democratic organisations which bend readily to the will of the membership.
You might like to recall what happened to the West London branch of CCE in the 70s (supported by catholics, protestants and heathens like myself - I wasn't a member). The leadsership decided to collect money for a plaque commemorating Pearse, the branch said they didn't wish to raise money for a political cause, the leadership disagreed, the branch was expelled en masse, became the West London Irish Traditional Music Association and ran highly successful sessions which included Bobby Casey, Roger Sherlock, Raymond Rowland, P J Crotty, John Bowe, Tom McCarthy - the cream of London Irish music.........
The Willie Clancy Summer School is the most successful Irish music event in Ireland. From the beginning Comhaltas declined to participate because the founders refused to hold competitions! The truth is that Irish music no longer needs Comhaltas.
A whole generation of young musicians has now sprung up and are doing very nicely thank you without the need of Comhaltas, many of them taking teaching students themselves and ensuring that the music will survive for at least another generation (and not a competition in sight).
That the leader of CCE is a state senator is not a million miles away from the fact that his organisation has ready access to large amounts of funding.
Now maybe if an EFDSS member could be elected MP - now there's a though....
Jim Carroll