Special trip to Liverpool for Laois Comhaltas group

Spink Comhaltas U15 musicians on stage, Liverpool Irish Centre

placeholder image — Spink Comhaltas U15 musicians on stage, Liverpool Irish Centre

Spink Comhaltas musicians performed at the Irish Centre in Liverpool

Spink Comhaltas enjoyed a very special trip to Liverpool recently when they performed to a full house in the Irish Centre and got the chance to catch up with some legendary Laois emigrants who have made the city their home.

A full bus of 47 musicians armed with instruments, gifts, and copies of Spink Comhaltas history book loaded into a bus in the middle of the night to catch the ferry to Wales, and from there to Liverpool.

During the trip the Spink Comhaltas members visited St. Matthews Catholic Primary School in Liverpool to showcase Irish music to students there. This was followed by a poignant visit to the Hillsborough Memorial, dedicated to the victims of the Hillsborough disaster. Daniel Aylward played the slow air, Easter Snow on the Uilleann Pipes in tribute to the victims of a terrible disaster. It was notable how many Irish names were there, and how many of the victims were a similar age to Spink’s musicians.

Later that evening, Spink had performances to a full house in the Irish Centre with Liverpool Comhaltas Group, The Lowlands Ceilí Band, and The Liverpool Ceilí Band.

A special moment for the group was when Gerry McCann who left Clonaslee seventy years ago came along on the night with his fiddle and played with The Lowlands Ceilí band. Described as a 'legendary nonagenarian', Gerry's performance was enjoyed by all. The musicians also got to catch up with Freda Kilgannon from Ballyroan who left for Liverpool when she was 16. CONTINUE READING BELOW PHOTO

PICTURED: Gerry McCann, centre, formerly of Clonaslee who emigrated to Liverpool 70 years ago.

"Spink Comhaltas has travelled abroad before in its history, to the UK, Netherlands, France and most recently Germany in 2013 – so the branch committee felt that a trip was very much overdue. Contact was made with Liverpool Comhaltas earlier in the year, and arrangements were finalised at Fleadh Cheoil in Wexford," said a spokesperson for the group.

"An adventure like this is not cheap – so there was a major fund-raising effort by musicians, the branch committee, as well as generous support from John Joe Fennelly, Comhaltas and other supporters. CONTINUE READING BELOW PHOTO

Spink Comhaltas performing for students of St Matthews Primary School.

"Our own branch secretary Maria Dunne, who is from Mayo, has said that one of her highlights was when Chris Boland, Chairman of Liverpool Comhaltas, sang a song about her native Mayo. Chris’s song about his childhood home in Irishtown, a charming village nestled between Mayo and Galway, was a heartfelt tribute to the place that shaped his early years. The song captured the essence of the age-old rivalry between Galway and Mayo, two proud counties with rich histories and passionate supporters. The song would resonate with anyone who has a deep connection to their hometown, Maria said.

"Thank you most sincerely to everyone who helped bring this trip to fruition, especially Gillian Martin and Marianne Tierney."