LATEST NEWS


    BBC FOLK PROMS - 20 July, 2008

    Musicians from St.Albans joined with others from London, Cambridge and surrounding areas to be part of a Folk Orchestra which numbered over 60 children under the guidance of Karen Ryan and the London Lasses. Having rehearsed for several weeks before they performed on the bandstand in Kensington Gardens to great applause from the crowd, it was a great day and many brought picnics and enjoyed the whole show, which then moved into the Albert Hall for the evening, where there were top folk acts such as Martin Simpson and Bellowhead, the evening then ended in a Ceili played for by the London Lasses and Pete Quinn.

     

    TRIP TO CAMBRIDGE CCE - 12th July, 2008

    After receiving an invitation from the Cambridge branch, John Devine went about organising a cultural exchange day. We headed up during the day so we could take in the sites in Cambridge itself, and then made our way down to the River and took the children punting on the cam, needless to say there was a childrens punt and a parents punt, but a more picturesque setting you could not have found winding our way through the grounds of Cambridge university. Afterwards we made our way to the Rathmore Club where there was a warm welcome for us all and a feast of food laid on, after which followed a session into the early hours enjoyed by all, we hope they will come down some day to us and one of our functions.

    ST. ALBANS BBQ IS RED HOT! - 5th July, 2008

    Another great night was had by all at our annual BBQ where the musicians played their hearts out for a packed hall. A huge thank you must go to all the parents who helped on the night as a lot of  work goes into putting on this event, preparing the food, cooking on the night, and we couldnt have done without the support of Nancy and Kieran Clancy fom the club, working the bar and helping out with the food, and didnt find anythng too much trouble. Two stars of the show Damian and Peter Fahy were in great form, singing and playing  their songs and entertaining us all into the small hours. Thank you.

    FUZE WORLD MUSIC DAY - 5th July, 2008

    St. Albans City host a Multi-Cultural day each year, on a stage beside the Alban Arena and the local Comhaltas musicians were asked to provide the traditional Irish segment, alongside all the other ethnic groups that were performing throughout the day that included a Cuban group, Jamaican, Indian and Egyptian music too. John led the way with the Ceili band and sets from our Grupai Cheoil which went down well, after which it was home quick change and down to the club for the BBQ.

    ST. ALBANS FOLK FESTIVAL SESSION - 2nd July, 2008

    The Rose and Crown in St. Michaels played host again this year to the Folk Festival Session where the English and Irish folk musicians fuse together to make a great night of music and song, it’s always a great night with the pub packed to the rafters and as the weather was good the dancers filled the street outside, we are always pleased to get the invitation from local organiser Alison McFarland and thanks to all who turned out to join in on the night.

    ALL-BRITAIN IS IN LEICESTER - 28/29th June, 2008

    This years All-Britain was held in the University in Leicester and St. Albans were well represented in many competitions, those that had qualified from the London Regional Fleadh were the U12 Ceili Band, The Senior Ceili Band, The U18 Grupai Cheoil, Siobhan Anderson U18 Drums, Sean Angland U18 B/Accordion, Noel Angland U15 Flute, Clara Kelly U15 Flute, Liam Pender U15 Bodhran, Sean and Noel Angland U18 Duet, Rachel Wallace, Sean and Noel Angland U18 Trio.

    All the musicians that competed were a credit to St. Albans and their teachers, and a  well-done to Noel Angland who was the only one to qualify for the All-Ireland in the Flute, so good luck to him. It was particularly nice to see the children supporting each other not only at the competitions but also we had Noel playing for Liam in his Bodhran competition and usually Noel, |Sean and Catherine play for Siobhan in the ceili band drums but as they were competing elsewhere we had Rachel and Clara join Catherine for that competition. The weekend was well organised and a joy to be at, so a big thank-you to all the Fleadh committee and all their helpers from the Midland Region and Leicester CCE.

    ST. JOHN FISHER FETE - 21st June, 2008

    One of local Catholic Primary Schools had asked for some musical entertainment on the day of their fete, so we readily agreed, especially as we had not only some musicians who are at the school, Izzy Dwyer and Molly Anderson, but also past pupils John Devine and Siobhan Anderson, so it had that personal touch about it as well.

    They had built a special stage for us to use so without prompting we set up and roared into some sets of jigs and reels that we hope everyone enoyed, maybe they will have us back next year.....

     

    ANGELA LEAVES
    Angela Judge has been the teacher and mainstay of St. Albans Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann for many many years now, and it is with regret that we accepted the news that she had to stand down as our full-time teacher due to work committments, but assured us she will still be there in the background and will help out f rom time to time.
    At the last class before Angela left, there was a surprise good-bye party after the lessons had finished, and many musicians, friends and parents past and present turned up and joined in an impromptu session for her, with food and a cake to wish her all the best.


    ALL-BRITAIN FLEADH,  PRESTON 07
    This years All-Britain Fleadh was hosted by the Preston Branch of Comhaltas, at the University of Lancashire and congratulations must go to them for a great fleadh and a great venue.
    All our musicians that had qualified from their region played very well but unfortunately didn’t qualify for the All-Ireland, closest was Sean Angland who came a very good third in the U15 Button Accordion - well done Sean! - The families who did travel up from the branch enjoyed the fleadh and many a good session with friends old and new.



    LONDON REGIONAL 07
    This years regional fleadh was hosted by North London and St. Albans musicians made the trip to Haringey to compete, meet old friends and have a great day out.
    We didnt have a group or band together this year, but our musicians competed individually and below are the qualifiers for the All-Britain.
    Siobhan Anderson - U18 Button Accordion and Ceili Band Drums
    Sean Angland - U15 Button Accordion
    Noel Angland - U15 Flute
    Sean Angland, Noel Angland and Catherine O’Reilly U15 Duet
    Special mention goes to Clara Bignold and Jessica Tooley who competed in their first Regional Fleadh and hopefully this will be the start of many a year representing St. Albans at the Fleadhs.
     


    ANNUAL DINNER 07
    Another great night was had by all at the recent Annual Dinner. After a lovely sit-down meal, and speeches from our  President Pat Devine, our Chairman Oliver O’Reilly and our guest speaker Seamus Brogan, we were treated to a fantastic set of tumes by  a selection of young musicians from St. Albans and London, this was greeted with rapturous applause and shows that the future of Irish Music is indeed in good hands. Next up were the re-united St. Colmcilles Ceili Band who played the rest of the night out to the sets of dancers who enjoyed dancing to the music from the ceili band that can only be described as right out of the top drawer - roll on next year.


    ALL-BRITAIN  HAMILTON, SCOTLAND 2006
    Following the London Regional Success the St. Albans musicians met with siiff opposition as they travelled to Hamilton in Scotland for the All-Britain.
    All the musicians who had qualified in the list below aquitted themselves well, but unfortunately there were no qualifiers for the All-Ireland Fleadh. The standard remains at a very high standard at these competitions and we must congratulate all who took part.
    The U15 Grupai Cheoil also played well and was the last time we have banjo player Tara Burke with us as she and her family will be leaving us and will be settling in the Galway/Clare area, we wish them all the best and keep up the music Tara!

    ST. ALBANS CCE CELEBRATE AT
    LONDON REGIONAL FLEADH 2006
    As you will know last Sunday was the qualifying competition for the All-Britain Fleadh Cheoil in Scotland this year and we had many musicians involved at the London Regional Fleadh in Haringey.
    Well done to everyone who took part, as it takes a lot to get up in front of the adjudicators and give your best on the day, but as a branch we were quite successful and good luck to all who are going to Scotland.
    Here are the qualifiers:
    U12 Banjo – Tara Burke 2nd
    U12 Mandolin – Niamh Angland 3rd
    U12 Flute Slow Air – Noel Angland 3rd
    12-15yrs Fiddle – Catherine O’Reilly 3rd
    12-15 Button Accordion – Siobhan Anderson 1st, Sean Angland 3rd.
    12-15yrs Drums – Siobhan Anderson 1st
    12-15yrs Duet – Sean and Noel Angland 2nd
    12-15 Trio – Catherine O’Reilly, Siobhan Anderson and Noel Angland 3rd
    12-15yrs Grupai Cheoil – 2nd
    And the musicians in the group were Oliver Cusack, Sean Angland, Siobhan Anderson, Catherine O’Reilly, Eleanor Cusack, Caitlin Cusack, Rachel Wallace, Noel Angland, Sarah Pender, Clara Kelly and Tara Burke.
    Many thanks to the teachers who have encouraged and rehearsed these children at the classes to get them ready for the Fleadh and we wish  them all the best in Scotland.

     

    ST. ALBANS C.C.E. CELEBRATE 30TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY
    This year, 2006, sees the St. Albans Branch celebrating 30 years of Traditional Irish Music in St. Albans, and to mark this milestone in our history a Dinner Dance was held at the St. Albans Irish Centre.
    There were many invited guests for the night including Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann President Jim Teaven who has had a long association with the Branch, also brothers Jim and Tom Lawler from Co. Tipperary travelled over as our guest musicians on the flute and button accordion respectively, and to top the night, the St. Colmcilles Ceili Band who won All-Ireland Senior Ceili Band Competitions in 1989 and 1991 under Pat Judge, were reunited on stage, and with set dancers in abundance, the night lived up to all its expectations.
    Many people from the early days had attended including Diane Judge wife of the late Pat Judge, Jimmy Murray and wife Evelyn, and Ruth O’Gorman. Past Chairman and now President Pat Devine also spoke on the night as did present Chairman Oliver O’Reilly.
    (See pictures on photo page).


    GREAT SESSION IN THE ‘SPOTTED DOG’
    On a rainy Saturday night, 25th March, 2006, a hardy bunch of Traditional Irish Music lovers from St. Albans CCE, jumped on a coach and headed for the Spotted Dog in Birmingham to meet up with their fellow Comhaltas musicians, have the craic, exhange stories and a few tunes, and enjoy a fantastic chille con carne.
    Vince Jordan (Provincial Council Chairman) had invited us to Birmingham for a Session, and with our teacher, musicians, parents and families we landed in Digbeth to a very warm welcome from Vince and his daughter Katie, and once inside there was no better place to be on that night. The musicians were’nt long about sitting down and cracking on with a few tunes  and the parents soon got to know the locals and started the steady supply of liquid refreshment for the musicians.
    Mid-way through the night we broke off to enjoy a lovely spread of food put out on the tables and the biggest ever feast of chille con carne was placed on the bar for all to help themselves
    This gave everyone their second wind and the Session resumed with some lovely solos, duets and a song from Seamus, but all good things come to an end and the coach was ready for the off about 1am and with losing the hour overnight it was surely getting light as everyone got home to bed.
    Many thanks to Vince and all the Birmingham musicians who made us so welcome, we hope you will head down the M1 in the not too distant future and join us in St. Albans as our guests.     (see the pictures on the photo page).

    ST. PATRICKS NIGHT IN ST. ALBANS ‘06
    St. Albans CCE were invited by the local Parish Priest to work with him and put on a St. Patricks Night Celebration in the Parish Hall, and with Chairman Oliver O’Reilly organising the acts and the parishoners decorating the hall and working with us on the night, everyone had a great night out.
    There was the main act, local Irish singer, Pete Waters and his Band who carried the night through but mixed in was a variety of acts that left the crowd asking for a return celebration next year
    There was the local Borehamwood Irish Dancers who entertained us with their soft and hard shoe dances, the St. Albans CCE musicians who played their selection of jigs and reels, and also Damian Fahy who got up gave us a mix of flute playing, singing and guitar playing, and with Pete Waters taking us up to midnight,  there was just time for ‘Amhan Na bhFiann’ and everyone wandered off home after a great night of Irish culture.     (see the pictures on the photo page).



    ST. PATRICKS DAY PARADE CELEBRATIONS ‘06
    St. Albans CCE enjoyed their second outing in the St. Patricks Day Parade in London this year on the Sunday before the ‘17th’,and thanks must go to all the organisers and helpers on the day and beforehand for getting the equipment to the start of the parade and for decorating the float and making this event so successful.
    The weather although cold, stayed fine and everyone had a great time with the musicians playing, the parents dancing, and the children generally having a good time. The float made its way from Hyde Park through the crowds that turned out to watch, past Trafalgar Square (where the main stage was set up) and into Whitehall.
    The session on board kept going and the crowd cheered us on through to the end, where we were able to carry on soaking up the atmosphere and celebrating by visiting the other stages in Leicester Square and Covent Garden.     (see pictures on photo page).



    ST. ALBANS HOST ECHOES OF ERIN TOUR CONCERT
    This year we changed the venue for the Tour Concert to the Shamrock Club in Welwyn Garden City and it proved a very successful and well supported night, many thanks to Sean O’Reilly and his helpers at the club for all their help.
    There was a very relaxed atmosphere in the hall and this set the mood for the evening as the tour concert fired up the night with a set of reels, and they carried on with a mixture of solos, airs and jigs until the St. Albans CCE musicians took to the stage to add the personal touch for the concert. The group put together by teacher John Devine included Lisa O’Connor, Cherry De-lacy, James Queally, Carl Andrew, Lee O’Neill, Siobhan Reynolds and Noel Angland, they all did us proud and brought the first half to a rousing finish.
    There was a raffle stand and tour concert mementoes including badges, CD’s, DVD’s and Tapes for sale and sponsors Enjoy Travel had a stand during a flurry of activity at the break.
    The Tour Concert then took the stage for the second half with four lovely dancers and singing to mix with the music and a great finale with everyone on stage for the last set.
    Many thanks to the committee and parents who helped and supported the night.

    ST. ALBANS CCE CHRISTMAS SESSION
    This year’s Annual Christmas Session proved as popular as ever, as a packed hall enjoyed some 40-odd musicians in fine form from not only our own branch but our neighbours from Luton and across London entertaining us with their own brand of jigs and reels throughout the night. There was a great buffet provided by the parents of the Branch and many thanks to them for all their efforts, and during the night we had several spots on the stage mainly from the children who had come along, and these included our own brothers Sean and Noel Angland who played a lovely duet, and visitors Matthew and Clare Nevin, and All-Ireland Flute Champion Orla McAuliffe who played a great solo for us on the night, this was mixed in with our singers Seamus Brogan and brothers Damian and Peter Fahy. The music carried on till Midnight and we had to leave it there for another year and look forward to many more sessions such as these. Many thanks to all who came along and made it a great night.

    ST. ALBANS AT THE JUNIOR FLEADH
    Last Sunday, 27th November saw the visit of St. Albans musicians to the Annual Junior Fleadh in the Irish Centre, Haringey. This was a great opportunity for the children to experience the competition side of Music before entering the qualifying stages next May.
    All the Under 9 players were presented with a commemorative certificate and the first three places in the competitions received medals.
    Among the successful musicians from St. Albans were Tara Burke in her first fleadh coming 3rd in the Under 9 Banjo, Noel Angland came 1st in the U12 Flute and brother Sean came 2nd in the U15 Button Accordion, Siobhan Anderson came 1st in the U15 Drums. The winners of each competition will go on to Camden Irish Centre next Sunday for a prize giving ceremony.
    There were many more children who competed on the day, so well done to them as it is a huge achievement to have entered and sat up in front of the adjudicators and played your tunes, but I’m sure you will all benefit from the experience in the long run.

    NOVEMBER MONTHLY SESSION IS BEST YET....
    Our last monthly session of the year was the best attended so far and we hope more will join us when we come back together in the new year, many thanks to the parents who take the time to bring their children to our sessions and support us. You can see pictures of the session on our photo page.

    ST. ALBANS CCE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - THURSDAY, 13th OCTOBER, 2005
    Many thanks to everyone who attended our AGM, there was a great show of parents on the night and this bodes well for the coming year in the Branch as everyone in attendance either signed up for roles as officers or became committee members. We can now look forward to the events and activities for 2006 in the knowledge that we have the support and commitment of our parents. For the List of Officers see the ‘About Us’ page.
    One major change on our Branch Committee has been the role of Secretary. This year Sharon O’Sullivan stepped down and we would all like to thank her for all her efforts over the last few years as Secretary and all the hard work that has gone into keeping the Branch running. Many thanks Sharon, hope we will still see you at the sessions.

    CONGRATULATIONS!!
    Well Done! to Seamus Brogan for carrying the flag for St. Albans CCE at the recent All-Ireland Fleadh in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, Seamus got among the medals when he finished third in the Mens Singing Competition.

    WELCOME BACK!
    The Music Class will meet back on Thursday, 15th September, 2005, and we are asking everyone to turn up at 7pm with your parents for the first week, and then we will have the times for individual lessons after that.
    SESSION
    We are also asking for as much support as possible from our parents and their children for our branch session, which will be in St. Albans Irish Club on the 3rd Sunday of each month from September, so we will kick off on Sunday, 18th September - SEE YOU ALL THERE!

    ‘MUSIC IN THE PARK’
    IS A GREAT SUCCESS!

    (Pictures on Photo Page)

    Each summer St. Albans District Council sponsor ‘Music in the Park’ and invite bands and cultural groups from the area to entertain the crowd on a Sunday afternoon in Clarence Park where there is a bandstand as the focal point and people arrive with lunches, picnics, tables chairs and bottles of wine to relax and enjoy the afternoon.
    John Devine put together a great group of musicians from St. Albans CCE including Madge Conlon (Fiddle) Niopha Keegan (Fiddle), Caz Devine (Saxophone), John himself on Uilleann Pipes/Flute, Carl McAndrew (Guitar) and Seamus Brogan (Singer),who thrilled the 600+ crowd with their selection of Traditional Irish jigs and reels and in-between Seamus singing and lilting to the crowds delight, there was also a younger group from the Music Class who performed a set and a display of Irish Dancing from the Feeney Miller School of Irish Dancing.
    So all in all with plenty of sunshine, people up dancing and soaking up the atmosphere a great afternoon was had by all and hopefully we will be able to repeat it next year.



    ST. ALBANS C.C.E.
    TRADITIONAL SUMMER BBQ

    (See Pictures on Photo Page)

    The St. Albans CCE Barbeque was traditional in every sense of the word, traditionally it is a popular night, traditionally there is plenty of food for everyone and traditionally the music is fantastic and it lived up to each and every one of these.
    A great crowd gathered for our last event before the summer break and enjoyed a great night of music from a great band, singing that had everyone up dancing to our very own Seamus Brogan and Dancing from our younger members showing every sign of confidence whilst showing off their steps.
    Chairman Oliver O’Reilly started the evening with a Comhaltas greeting to everyone and from there the evening went from strength to strength. During the evening he was ably assisted by Club Chairman Kevin Armstrong and John Coughlan in cooking the barbeque and everyone seemed to enjoy the feast laid on by the rest of the St. Albans parents, which is at the root of any successful branch.
    In the main hall the music, by the band led by Matt Griffin on Guitar, Damian Mullane on Button Accordion, Niopha Keegan on Fiddle, Tim Dowd on Pipes/Whistles, Liam Stapleton on Flute and Stephen Shellam on Bodhran was kept going right to the very end where visiting and local musicians including  Siobhan Reynolds Fiddle, Lisa Coughlan Flute and chairman Oliver O’Reilly and visiting Bodhran and Bones Man Tom Kelly joined the band on stage for the last few sets, that led to a rousing finish to the night.

Great Day at the London Regional Fleadh
This years Fleadh was hosted by the St. Albans Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann and it seems all the hard work beforehand was well worth it as the day itself was a great success.
Of course, none of this would have been possible if it hadn’t been for the hard work and fleadh knowledge from our very own members, Angela Kennedy, Marian and Seamus Brogan and Sharon O’Sullivan, who put in a huge amount of work leading up to the day. Thank-you very much.
And a big thank-you to all the parents, our own young musicians, friends and relations and our many friends from the other London Branches who helped on the day too.
The qualifiers from these competitions will now go on to compete in the All-Britain Fleadh, at |St.Marys College, Twickenham at the end of June, and representing St. Albans C.C.E. are our qualifiers as follows:
U12 Bodhran - Liam Pender and Conor Mullen
U15 Banjo, Mandolin and Bodhran - Joe Devine
Senior Fiddle - Niopha Keegan
Senior Mens Singing - Seamus Brogan
Plus our U15 Grupai Cheoil - Well Done to everyone who entered and Good Luck to the Qualifiers!

Bereavement
We are sad to announce that Ita O’Mahoney the wife of former St. Albans C.C.E. Chairman Jack O’Mahoney passed away last week very suddenly. This was a great shock to all Comhaltas members and the Irish Community as a whole. Ita was a much loved member of the Irish Community and worked tirelessly in giving her time to Comhaltas, always helping at our functions, fleadhs and sessions over the years, and always beside Jack during his years as our Chairman for which we will always be grateful.
Ita’s Funeral was on Friday, 6th May and we would like to offer our sincere sympathies to Jack and his Family.

St. Albans C.C.E.
Night of Traditional Music is a great success!!
It may have been St. Georges Day last Saturday, but it didn’t stop the Irish celebrating with an evening of traditional Irish Music, Singing and Dancing, at the very impressive Radlett Centre.
Many thanks to all the parents, friends, and relations who came to support the night that saw the very young members of St. Albans take to the stage to show how much they have learnt from the weekly lessons, and they didn’t let us down. They were all stars on the night, but a couple of highlights were the brothers Phillip and Dominic Ball singing the Sally Gardens and a spectacular instrumental from John Devines Bodhran Group, add to that our Dancers Clara McIntyre and Siobhan Anderson and singer Lisa Coughlan who sang the lovely song ‘There Were Roses’ accompanied by John Devine on Piano,and you have a taste of the variety that these children can provide, and they ended the first half to great applause.
The second half started with the Raffle and many thanks to all who donated prizes such as the bouquet of flowers, a traditional Irish hamper, crystal glasses and the many bottles etc, then it was straight into the action with the senior members and their friends
Again, there were times that the music just took your breath away, and the stars would be too many to mention but again a few of the highlights were Fiddle players Eilish Byrne-Whelahan and Sam Procter, playing some great tunes and really getting the audience going, also singers Damian Fahy, Malachy Delacey and Seamus Brogan with their different styles of song and some fine steps from, Daniel Coogan and Joseph O’Sullivan, both great Dancers in their own right. The evening finished with a presentation to the producers of the concert Angela Kennedy, Lisa O’Connor, John and Caz Devine from the younger members of the cast and we had just enough time for Seamus Brogan to begin the last set with some great lilting followed by another rousing set of reels, to send everyone home happy and looking forward to our next gathering..

(IF ANYONE TOOK ANY PICTURES AT THE CONCERT, I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THEM FOR OUR WEBSITE - PLEASE LET ME KNOW AT OUR MUSIC CLASS OR TEL: 01727 761870

St. Albans CCE Annual Dinner
is a Traditional Feast

(Pictures on Photo Page)

The recent Annual Dinner held at the home of St. Albans Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann was a feast in more  ways than one.
Not only was there a lovely sit down meal for over 150 guests but the music provided by The St. Albans Ceili Band plus Niall Keegan (Flute) a Director of Music at the University of Limerick and a lovely CD out called ‘Don’t Touch The Elk’, and Kevin O’Connor (Fiddle) now based in Dublin and promoting his CD ‘From The Chest’ as special guests would be enough to whet anyones appetitie.
The evening started with a Mass for Bereaved Members of Comhaltas in the small bar of the club and then moved into the main hall for the evenings entertainment.
After a well served meal, Chairman Oliver O’Reilly welcomed everyone and introduced St. Albans CCE President Pat Devine who said a few words on behalf of the branch and thanked the guest musicians for making the journey to St. Albans that evening. Oliver O’Reilly then introduced our guest speaker for the evening, Seamus Brogan who is an officer on the Provincial Council of Britain and a member of the Ard Chomhairle in Dublin, Seamus spoke about the great tradition at St. Albans and the dedication of the teachers and parents who bring all these events together and keep the tradition alive. He also praised the present youth members of St. Albans and the youth of Branches all over Britain who are currently, through their own organisation Comhaltas na nOg sa Bhreatain are working away on such projects as a national youth orchestra, so it would seem the future is in good hands too.
With the meal and speeches well and truly digested the dance floor was cleared for some great music and dancing, but still we were to be teased to the end, as first up were the St. Albans Ceili Band with a few sets of tunes that brought back memories of ’89 and ’91. and with John Devine playing and acting as MC for the night he decided we would hear our two guests individually first and then bring them together for an hair-raising finish, and sure enough Kevin O’Connor accompanied by Barry Kennedy on guitar delighted us with his incredible brand of fiddle playing that had the crowd clapping and calling for more. During his set he was joined on stage by his niece and nephew Lucy Dwyer (Fiddle) and Liam Dwyer (Bodhran) for a family reunion.
Next up was Niall Keegan and words can hardly describe this mans command of the flute, but just to say it is an experience to be in his company when he sets about playing his own reels and jigs, during his set he was joined on stage by this sister Niopha Keegan (Fiddle) and with Barry Kennedy on guitar, they brought everything to a nice crescendo when we were treated to these two explosive artists on stage, together for the first time, and we were not disappointed, there is a fairly low roof on the main hall but I’d say they had raised it a few inches by the end of the night, the Fiddle and Flute in perfect harmony, these two fine professional musicians plying their craft in the best of tradition, and leaving the crowd with just enough energy to enjoy the St. Albans Ceili Band to finish the night and a rousing Seige of Ennis on the floor.


NEXT ST. ALBANS MONTHLY SESSION
SUNDAY, 17TH APRIL - ST. ALBANS IRISH CLUB - 4PM-7PM!
Come and enjoy an afternoon of Traditional Irish Music in a relaxed family atmosphere, there is no admission charge, and children and their parents are encouraged to come and play and sing their tunes and songs they have learnt.


IRISH EMBASSY INVITE TO ST. ALBANS C.C.E.
Following a recent meeting between officials of Comhaltas na Breataine and Mr Derek Hannon (Cultural Attache at the Irish Embassy), the St. Albans Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann were invited to provide an evening of Traditional Irish music for a press reception being held in the Irish Embassy in London.
There were over one thousand guests invited, including MPs and foreign dignitaries, and it was felt that Irish Traditional Music would be a nice welcome for these guests.
The musicians, John and Caz Devine, Angela Kennedy, Lisa O’Connor and Barry Kennedy were officially welcomed by Mr Hannon and were joined in song by Seamus Brogan who took some photos for the archives and also rendered a few bars of a song during the proceedings.
The music, which was lively throughout was praised by several guests of all nationalities who congratulated the group.
Before the grop left, they were praised and thanked by Ambassador Daithi O’Ceallaigh who expressed his wish to have lots more Irish Traditional Music played at the Embassy.
Congratulations to the musicians concerned for keeping the name of Comhaltas to the fore in such high profile surroundings.


CHILDRENS SESSION AT THE HERSCHALL!
 Tom King, the Clareman and main man at the Herschall Arms in Slough holds a mighty session of Traditional Irish Music every Monday evening, but on this occassion he gave over his small bar to encourage all young musicians to play together in their own session on this Sunday afternoon, and the children responded by turning up in some numbers.
We would like to thank Tom for this opportunity and look forward to the next time we all get together in the Herschall Arms.

ST. ALBANS C.C.E. CHRISTMAS SESSION
IS A GREAT NIGHT
As always the Christmas Session was as popular as ever, as a full hall at the Irish Club in St. Albans enjoyed a great night of traditional irish music and song.
We had musicians from Northampton, Cambridge, Bedford, Luton and London arrive to enjoy a night of jigs and reels and songs from a variety of singers.
During the evening we were also entertained by the young musicians from the Class on Thursday evenings. Also on behalf of St. Albans C.C.E. Seamus Brogan presented Joan Burke with a framed picture of her late brother Pat Hannigan who passed away earlier this year. Pat was always a great supporter of Comhaltas events up and down the country and was a regular in St. Albans at our concerts and sessions
Many thanks to the committee and the parents who helped out on the night and made the evening go so well.

MUSIC AT AUGUSTA COURT
Many thanks to all the musicians that turned up to give the elderly residents at Augusta Court here in St. Albans some great music for their Christmas Party, they really appreciated it and some even managed to get up and join in the odd jig or reel.

CHRISTMAS PARTY
Last Thursday was the end of term Party and we all had a great night, many thanks to John, Lisa and Caz for oganising the games and to our new MC’s Shea O’Sullivan and Liam Dwyer and James Reynolds for keeping the music going and the party rocking!
(Must remember to book you for next year).
Also thanks to all the parents who brought food and helped during the evening.
Angela, John, Caz, Lisa and members of the committee would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a Great New Year!
Class resumes on:
THURSDAY, 13TH, JANUARY, 2005.


MANY THANKS!
Local Amateur Dramatic Society ‘Company of Ten’, who have their home at the local Abbey Theatre  put on the popular production ‘Playboy Of The Westen World’ from 17th-27th November and St. Albans Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann musicians had been asked to set the mood for the evening before each performance in the foyer of the theatre, by playing a selection of tunes.
It was quite a task to fill Eleven nights on the run, so we drew on a pool of  musicians from the branch to play on different nights, and I would like to thank them for their commitment, they never let me down, and I’m sure they have lifted the profile of the Branch locally as there were a lot of nice comments from the public and the theatre cast couldn’t thank us enough. My thanks to:
Angela Kennedy, John Devine, Caz Devine, Peter Anderson, Marie O’Reilly, Lucy Dwyer, Liam Dwyer, Lisa Coughlan, Siobhan Reynolds, Madge Conlan, Jim Reynolds and Barry Kennedy.


New Tutor Books (Fionn Seisiun Book 1 and
Book 2) that are being used at the Lessons are now available from Ivan Anderson for £7 each at the Music Class on Thursday nights. There are over 100 Irish Traditional Tunes arranged in more than 30 sets. A great asset for any musician.
In addition to this Comhaltas in Dublin have just released a Double CD to coincide with the Tutor Book 1, which will act as a great tool for the Musicians that find it easier to pick up tunes by ear and for the ones that have just forgotten how the tune was played, and on top of that it’s a nice CD to have playing in the car. These can also be ordered from me for £7 each.