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www.celtic-connection.com
OCTOBER 2002
COMHALTAS CEOLTOIRi EIREANN
Keeping the Flame of Irish Culture Burning
"Take Comhaltas out of the equation, turn back the clock and contemplate Ireland without Comhaltas and the sheer scale of what we owe you is revealed. " - Remarks by the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Comhaltas
By KEVIN McFADDEN
ANCOUVER - Much of the success and vibrancy of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann can be credited to the relevance it holds for people, the place it holds in their hearts and the extent of local community
involvement.
That link back to where we came from, the people we came from and their unique stories told through music, could so easily have been lost, for the forces ranged against it were formidable; but the forces for it were more formidable still. We are here and are growing (ac/ fas).
The goals of the local branch (Tara Branch) in the Lower Mainland are to maintain the standards set by such members as Thomas Standevan, an uileann piper extraordinaire, who unfortunately has passed away, and to maintain the Gaelic language skills as demonstrated by the late Bill O'Malley Forbes.
Our aim is to organize funcUons
and raise funds, with the proceeds going towards the training of local aspiring tradiUonal Irish musicians and Gaelic scholars by sending them to colleges both here in Canada and in Ireland.
The Tara Branch of C.C.E meets every second and fourth Friday of the month to teach the Gaelic language and to hold music sessions afterwards. Classes start at 7:30 PM.
Contact phone numbers are Kevin McFadden (604) 538-9594 and Kathy King at (604) 536-7723. The meeting place is the Elks Hall, 1469 George Street, White Rock, B.C. Tar isteach go Comhaltas. Maith thu. Caoimhin Mac Phaidin.
Kevin McFadden, President of the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann Tara Branch in White Rock with Entertainment Manager, Kathy King and Vice-President, Frank Evers.
JIM AND BERNIE ROCHFORT celebrated their forty-fifth wedding anniversary at the Western Comhaltas Conference.
Western Comhaltas Conference: A Feast of
Flavours and Music
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
WHITE ROCK - On the weekend of September 20 and 21, the Tara Branch of the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann hosted the Western Conference at the Elks Hall in White Rock.
Delegates came from as far away as Kingston, Winnipeg, Calgary and Saskatoon. It was a weekend of ceili music, storytelling and Irish dancing.
On Saturday evening there was a dinner featuring wild west coast sockeye salmon and all the trimmings. Afterwards, there was dancing to Le Ceili (Sean and Marie), who provided music for all tastes and kept the dance floor full all night.
In between sets, the full house audience was treated to a display of Irish dancing by the De Danaan Irish dancers along with the Youth Fiddle Orchestra.
These young dancers and musicians were a big hit with the audience. The Comhaltas musicians and various other singers were also on hand to round out a very enjoyable evening.
New Irish Genealogical Website
With over 20 million people of Irish descent in the United States alone, interest will be high in a new genealogical service. The new product offers a family history writing service as well as other genealogical details. Internet surfers can meet other researchers and post and answer genealogical queries at www.irish-ancestors.com.
Professional genealogists investigate the archives in Dublin to extract the relevant genealogical information. Irish Ancestors also offers clients the option of creating a website where they can publish their family history details for relatives - including those they haven't met yet - to read and enjoy.
TRADITIONAL Irish dancers with the De Danaan School, along with members of the Youth Fiddle Orchestra, were a big hit with the audience.
PEGGY KENDELLAN formerly of the Kendellan School of Irish Dance in Ottawa, Ontario and Ann McConnell of Kingston, Ontario who is the president of the Canadian Branch of the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri. Both Peggy and Ann are originally from Galway, Ireland.
VOLUNTEERS working at the Western Conference of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann: Levelle Coppinger, Martin King and Mary Cooper.