Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (; meaning "Society of the musicians of Ireland") is the primary Irish organisation dedicated to the promotion of the
music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...
,
song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...
,
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...
and the
language
Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...
of Ireland. The organisation was founded in 1951 and has promoted Irish music and culture among the
Irish people
The Irish ( ga, Muintir na hÉireann or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has bee ...
and the
Irish diaspora
The Irish diaspora ( ga, Diaspóra na nGael) refers to ethnic Irish people and their descendants who live outside the island of Ireland.
The phenomenon of migration from Ireland is recorded since the Early Middle Ages,Flechner and Meeder, The ...
.
Its current Director General is Senator
Labhrás Ó Murchú. Today it has more than 400 branches worldwide, in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, France, Spain, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Russia, Australia and New Zealand.
History
Comhaltas was founded in 1951 in
Mullingar
Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 20,928 in the 2016 census.
The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act 1543 proclaimed Westmeath ...
,
County Westmeath
"Noble above nobility"
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 =
, subdivis ...
by a group of traditional
pipers who felt that the Irish musical
tradition
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
was in decline; it was initially named Cumann Ceoltóirí na hÉireann, changing to its present name in 1952.
Centres
*Áras an Mhuilinn, Mullingar.
*Brú Ború, Cashel.
*Brú na Sí, Youghal.
*Clasaċ, Clontarf.
*Cnoc na Gaoithe, Tulla.
*Cois na hAbhna, Ennis.
*Cultúrlann na hÉireann, Headquarters, Monkstown.
*Dún Uladh, Omagh.
*Dún na Sí, Moate.
*Kilrush Regional Outreach Centre.
*Meitheal an Íarthar/Ceoláras Coleman/Regional Resource Centre, Gurteen.
*Morrison Teach Cheoil, Riverstown.
*Oriel Centre (Dundalk Gaol).
*
Activities
Comhaltas is responsible for organising the annual national Irish music festival and competition called the ''
Fleadh Cheoil
The Fleadh Cheoil (; meaning "festival of music") is an Irish music festival run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ), a non-profit organisation. The festival includes live music events as well as competition. Each year a single town or cit ...
''.
Comhaltas has published a magazine called ''Treoir'' relating to Irish traditional music since 1970.
Treoir
Trinity College Dublin Library
See also
*Music of Ireland
Irish music is music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland.
The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th and into the 21st century, despite globali ...
*Uilleann pipes
The uilleann pipes ( or , ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Earlier known in English as "union pipes", their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the elbow"), from thei ...
*Irish language
Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
*Fleadh Cheoil
The Fleadh Cheoil (; meaning "festival of music") is an Irish music festival run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ), a non-profit organisation. The festival includes live music events as well as competition. Each year a single town or cit ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann
Music organisations based in the Republic of Ireland
1951 establishments in Ireland
Folk music organizations
Irish-language education
Musical groups established in 1951
Seanad nominating bodies