Nameless Observer
"give Paddy a pint and he'll play all night"
No, I do not want to return anywhere; I want to see that what is happening now to Irish music will continue to happen, and the only way to ensure that is even-handedness and openness as far as national funding is concerned.
Ireland now has a National Music Archive which is the envy of the world; the Irish Folklore Department houses one of the finest collections of music and song in Europe, if not the world; regional archives and music centres are beginning to appear; music and singing schools and festivals are springing up like mushrooms. Arguably the most influential event in the teaching of Irish music, The Willie Clancy Summer School (the formation of which Labhras turned down the invitation to participate in because the organisers refused to include competitions) is celebrating its 37th year next month. All this, and much more is happening without Comhaltas, yet they remain the recipient of the largest (by far) amount of public money and they continue to hold the support of the politicians.
When Minister Éamon O'Quiv promised financial support to The Michael Coleman Centre in Sligo, then had a change of heart and insisted that the money be handed to CCE, Labhras had no hesitation in taking over the centre. His report to Oireachtais, his opposition to the Arts Council policy which followed and the dirty deal with IMRO was totally about money and the control of public funding. Sligo and Clontarf appears to have been about the acquisition of property. The question of the ownership of Bru Boru has yet to hit the fan.
In all this Comhaltas still continues to play an invaluable role; its real strength and contribution to Irish music lies, and has always lain with its branches and in the work of its teachers, yet it is precisely these people who are being treated with contempt by the leadership.
Ireland appears to be heading for an economic downturn. If this is the case, we know from experience that in such circumstances it is always the arts that are first to suffer, and the traditional arts will be invariable in the front line of any cuts. I understand from a friend on this thread that this is already beginning to happen and that her own work is being curtailed by the developing situation.
If we have anything less than even-handedness, all the work done by the people who set up ITMA, WCSS, The Coleman, Padraig Okeefe, Seamus Ennis Centres..... etc, will have been undone - that will guarantee us a return to the Dark Ages of Irish Music.
Jim Carroll