Articles

Home Set Dances Events About Us Pictures Journal
Archive Commentary Publications Staff Links

Submission From Brooks Academy To the Joint Committee on Heritage and the Irish Language On Report on The Tranditional Music of Ireland

Brooks Academy has taken the opportunity to examine the report on Irish Traditional Music as presented to the Joint Committee on Heritage and the Irish Language in December 1998.

This report appears flawed in that it presents a very one-sided view of a very comprehensive and complex heritage of Song, Music, and Dance. From reading this report it would appear that Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann is the only body involved with the preservation and fostering of Irish Music Song and Dance.

If the purpose of this report is to identify the strengths weaknesses of the current condition of Irish Traditional Music,

No stone should be left unturned in seeking out every individual and organization involved in traditional music
Support where necessary with appropriate funding and assistance, should be given to all those organizations and individuals with a proven track record of expertise in this field.

Brooks Academy has been involved in the teaching of set dancing for the past 17 years. We have published numerous books on set dancing. We were also the first organization to record music designed specifically for set dancing. We have travelled extensively throughout Ireland collecting and reviving sets that were in danger of extinction. The people who had kept the sets alive entrusted Brooks Academy with the dissemination of these sets. During that time, also, many hundreds of dancers participated in this traditional form of entertainment for the sheer pleasure that can be derived from this element of our tradition. In addition they were, and continue to be, exposed to the very best of Irish Traditional Music and have gained an appreciation of the finer points of the music that is our tradition. We have travelled extensively throughout Europe and America in the promotion of Set Dancing. We have also welcomed many groups from abroad and introduced them to our Music Song and Dance. There is no agenda involved. The participation in our tradition is for its own sake.

It has come as a great disappointment to us that your rapporteur did not see fit to consult with bodies such as ours in the compiling of the report.

To our knowledge there are very many groups similar to ours countrywide that have no connection with Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann.

These groups, including Brooks Academy, may need assistance in the form of finance or they may need archival or clerical or other assistance to continue in the promotion of our heritage.
To date many submissions have been made to various Government bodies seeking help with the provision of premises, financial assistance for the recording of music or for the compilation of printed texts in the safeguarding of our heritage. These, to date, have seldom been successful.

Set Dancing is currently in a very healthy state. Many of the sets from all over the country have been collected and preserved. More work has still to be done. In common with the other aspects of our tradition, new sets are being composed and are finding their way into the living tradition, which is the repertoire of the thousands of set dancers throughout the country.

We trust these points will be taken into consideration when the final report is being prepared.

Yours Sincerely,

------------------------
Irene Martin
Brooks Academy

Mr. Pádraig Ó hAilín
Committee Clerk
The Joint Committee on Heritage and the Irish Language
Kildare House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2.