The problem with criticising any organisation is that when you do you end up having to explain that you are not criticising the whole membership.
I have the greatest respect for people like Malcolm Douglas who obviously work hard and make a contribution. Comhaltas is full of such people who devote their lives to teaching and passing on the music.
On the advice "why don't you join and try to make a change", I became a member of EFDSS years ago. I soon found that I was spending more time in meetings, "trying to make a change" than I was working at the music.
I abandoned the idea when I arrived at the conclusion that the leadership had their course set in a certain direction and they had no intentions of letting such an insignificant thing as a membership change that direction.
I think the clincher for me was "how can we concentrate more on song; we receive our money from the sports fund".
Jim Carroll