Comhaltas chairperson expresses gratitude
Brendan Doyle, chairperson of Westmeath Comhaltas, said he and his colleagues on the committee are delighted with the success of the weekend to mark the 75th birthday of the organisation.
“Everything went as well as we could have hoped, the events were all well attended, Friday night was a near sell-out and the Kilfenora Ceili Band concert on Saturday did sell out,” said Brendan.
He expressed gratitude to Bishop Tom Deenihan and Fr Phil Gaffney for permitting the use of St Paul’s Church for the Kilfenora concert, to the teams at Áras an Mhuilinn and Mullingar Arts Centre, Mullingar Town Band, and the other committee members, Enda Seery, Barbara Reynolds, Linda Price, Nicole O’Brien, PRO, Joe Connaire, Willie Penrose, and Colette Glynn.
“The committee are appreciative of all the support shown by the people of the area by attending the concerts and by supporting the weekend,” said Brendan. “The fact that the Kilfenora concert was a sell-out is a tribute to the support of the people in the area, and we are thankful for that.”
Sunday daytime events were held in the Bandhall, and on Sunday evening, the concluding event, at Áras an Mhuilinn, was a ceili with Rise the Dust, when a presentation was made there to Bill Lynch, who runs the website, sets.ie.
“Everyone knows that if you want to know anything about set dancing events, you go there,” said Brendan, “so we gave him a well-deserved award. It was a great weekend, it put Westmeath on the map as a county of note in cultural circles.”
Backing that up, Brendan said that at this year’s fleadh in Belfast, Westmeath won 19 medals putting it eighth in the list of winners by county.
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