Cap'n,
"I am surely entitled to keep an open mind, until I see a response from the people in CCE who have dissolved the Clondarf branch."
And if they don't respond........? They certainly have had enough time to do so - how long are you prepared to give them?
As far as I'm concerned, Breandán has presented the official line clearly enough for me to draw a conclusion.
Nerd,
Re charities. point taken, misinterpretation on my part, not deliberate. My point on transparency and accountability remains valid, I think.
It seems clear to me that the nub of this dispute is whether the leadership of CCE should be answerable to the membership - or vise versa. I have to say that Eileen O'Connor's description of the 'dressing down of Clontarf Branch echoed perfectly the West London experience and leaves me in no doubt who should be responsible to whom as far as 'them upstairs' are concerned.
Whether the participants in this discusion are members of CCE or not is totally irrelevant; anybody interested in Irish music, or traditional music in general, and is concerned about its future has a view worth listening to, as far as I'm concerned.
In the same way, any Irish resident has a right to be assured that money coming from the public purse is being handled responsibly and openly and in the interest of Irish culture as a whole.
Jim Carroll