Comhaltas must be encouraged in towns and villages - Leonard

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann must be encouraged in towns and villages around the county in the aftermath of the fleadh successes, suggests Cllr Denis Leonard.

Speaking at the October meeting of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad, he urged that they examine ways of actively promoting music, song, dance and language.

Cllr Leonard said there should be a CCÉ branch in every area and that, with support, traditional music could be thriving in the county.

He was told that, as was evidenced at the fleadh, traditional music is strong in the county and supported though CCÉ and other music organisations. CCÉ is an independent non-profit organisation funded by the government and membership.

Westmeath County Council provide an annual grant to the local CCÉ and supports Music Generation, a large-scale music programme targeting all school-going children.

The programme comprises multiple initiatives in instrument tuition, voice programmes, song writing, and live performance. It reaches thousands of young people all across the county.