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Ulster Scor Final 2009.
The Ulster Scor finals for 2009 were held in Swatragh, County Derry, on Saturday night, March 28th, beginning at 7pm. Monaghan was represented in five of the eight sections and were hopeful of having some titles at the end of the night. Emyvale supporters hoped for three wins but when the results were announced there was somewhat of a shock for them when their Ballad group failed to impress the judges, even though they were tipped by many independents in the hall. However they were successful in the Figure dance and Set dance sections and will now represent Ulster in the All-Ireland Finals in Killarney on Saturday, April 18th. Una McGinnity sang beautifully in the Solo singing and Aghabog were excellent in the Novelty Act but both were eliminated. Aghabog was penalised for ‘Being Over Time’ but this was as a result of them causing sustained laughter among the audience.
However the finals raise the questions that many have asked over the years and are allowing the same problems arise, which put the competition into a recession in the nineties. The authorities must address these concerns immediately or there will be a scarcity of competitors and spectators.
I refer to the problem of venue. Swatragh was too small and many had to stand in a very ‘hot’ hall and I heard many say -’never again’. Why is the All-Ireland so far from northern counties? Can a more central location not be found?
Then we have the concern expressed by clubs that the adjudication process is open to question. The marking scheme should be changed and total marks used to determine the winner. The adjudicators should be from outside Scor - questions can be asked if a Scor Organiser in one club/county is the adjudicator for other counties against whom their own team has or will compete. There should be a consultation process with clubs who take part to find out their suggestions and address their concerns.
