Scairbh
Na
gCaorach
EMYVALE
Launch of Fleadh and Song Book.
The County Monaghan Fleadh for 2011 was launched in Urbleshanny Hall on Friday, June
3rd. County Board Chairperson, Pauline Ronney, performed the official launch of the
2011 Programme and also launched a Song Book. This is the 60th anniversary of the
founding of Comhaltas and a special year for the Fleadh. Master Eamonn Murray, now
deceased, was one of the founding members in 1951 in Mullingar and the Scotstown
Branch of Comhaltas is named in his memory. It is very appropriate then that on the
60th anniversary the Fleadh and celebration be held in Scotstown. The Fleadh proper
is held on Saturday, with a huge programme of competition and then there is a Céili
for the young at 3pm on Sunday.
Together with the programme comes a booklet - Monaghan
Songs of Yesteryear - which has been compiled by Mackie Rooney over 20 years. This
is a wonderful collection of songs which would have been lost to our heritage were
it not for the painstaking work of Mackie and his helpers - Fiona, Shane and Fionnuala.
He explains that the songs in this collection ‘gives us an insight into many aspects
of social history of the area and articulates how a patient people came to terms
with their world. The comic songs show us that their indomitable spirit would not
be crushed by life’s challenges’.
Well done to Mackie for this marvellous work and
this is surely a ‘collectors item’.
At the launch Mackie gave us a thought-provoking
talk on songs and singing and the importance of songs in any language. He then invited
a number of singers to perform some of the songs in the collection - Gerard McQuaid,
Monica Beggan, Peter McKenna, Tommy Beagan, and Mackie himself.
Three people, Pat
McKenna, Benny Maguire and Mary Treanor were awarded Certificates and Medals for
their work for Comhaltas and a special Commemorative Plate was presented to Pat Beagan
who has given sterling service to Comhaltas over the years and stepped down as Ulster
President recently. Well done to them all
Photos of some of the competitors HERE