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Launch of Fleadh and Song Book.

The County Monaghan Fleadh for 2011 was launched in Urbleshanny Hall on Friday, June 3rd. County Board Chairperson, Pauline Ronney, performed the official launch of the 2011 Programme and also launched a Song Book. This is the 60th anniversary of the founding of Comhaltas and a special year for the Fleadh. Master Eamonn Murray, now deceased, was one of the founding members in 1951 in Mullingar and the Scotstown Branch of Comhaltas is named in his memory. It is very appropriate then that on the 60th anniversary the Fleadh and celebration be held in Scotstown. The Fleadh proper is held on Saturday, with a huge programme of competition and then there is a Céili for the young at 3pm on Sunday.
Together with the programme comes a booklet - Monaghan Songs of Yesteryear - which has been compiled by Mackie Rooney over 20 years. This is a wonderful collection of songs which would have been lost to our heritage were it not for the painstaking work of Mackie and his helpers - Fiona, Shane and Fionnuala. He explains that the songs in this collection ‘gives us an insight into many aspects of social history of the area and articulates how a patient people came to terms with their world. The comic songs show us that their indomitable spirit would not be crushed by life’s challenges’.
Well done to Mackie for this marvellous work and this is surely a ‘collectors item’.
At the launch Mackie gave us a thought-provoking talk on songs and singing and the importance of songs in any language. He then invited a number of singers to perform some of the songs in the collection - Gerard McQuaid, Monica Beggan, Peter McKenna, Tommy Beagan, and Mackie himself.
Three people, Pat McKenna, Benny Maguire and Mary Treanor were awarded Certificates and Medals for their work for Comhaltas and a special Commemorative Plate was presented to Pat Beagan who has given sterling service to Comhaltas over the years and stepped down as Ulster President recently. Well done to them all

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Photos of some of the competitors HERE