ENNIS FLEADH NUA - Comhaltas Archive

BOSTON TO HOST CONFERENCEOn the 8/10 April next year theHanafin-Cooley Branch of Cornhaltas inBoston will host the 1988 NorthAmerican Conference of the movement.Up to 300 delegates and other representativesfrom the 30 branches throughoutthe United States and Canada willconverge on Boston for the week-enddeliberations and musicamaking.Down through the years Boston hasplayed a big role in the development ofCornhaltas. Under the leadership ofGalway-born fiddle player LanyReynolds, Boston was one of the earliestvenues in the now highly successfulannual Concert Tour of North America.Boston can boast of a vibrantGaeltacht community - particularlyfrom Connemara - which ensures astrong commitment to the IrishLanguage and sean-nos singing. Fiddleplayer Seamus Connolly and othermusic teachers have helped to pass onthe Irish music tradition to youngergenerations, some of whom havefeatured at Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann.In a short number of years the NorthAmerican Conference has evolved intoan impressive event. It has been awatershed for the structuring of Comhaltasin North America. This year -after years of painstaking endeavourunder the guidance of North AmericanCo-ordinator Bill McEvoy and his diligentcolleagues the movement on thisvast Continent has reached RegionalBoard stage, just one step from ProvincialCouncil status.LaITY Reynolds has all the necessaryexperience and expertise to make the1988 Conference another importantmilestone in the fortunes of Cornhaltas.Reports to date suggest that plans arewell advanced for the Conference.Music, comfort and accessibility will bethe key-notes!The 1987 Conference, which washeld in New York last April under theleadership of Clareman John Whelan ,was regarded by all who attended as anoutstanding success and all here vowedto make the cultural pilgrimage toBoston.Bill McEvoy said that the unanimQusselection of Boston as the venue for the1988 Conference is a measure of theesteem in which this enclave of Irishnessis held. "Larry and his committee aredoing a great job of preparation, " Billdeclared "and they will have the fullsupport of the movement right acrossNorth America. We are all eagerly lookingforward to the Boston get-together."Pictured at the 1987 North AmericanComhaltas Conference Banq uet in New' York(I-r) BILL McEVOY who was Guest ofHonour; JOHN WHELAN, formerly of Cq.Clare, Conference Chairman; LABHRAS 0MURCHU, Ardstiurth6ir; PAUL KEATING,Set-dance Instructor; and ' LlLY McEVOY.19