Mr. Labhrás Ó Murchú:

Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh, agus ár mbuíochas i dtosach don choiste as ucht an chuiridh a fuaireamar chun a bheith i láthair agus chun a bheith páirteach sa díospóireacht anseo inniu. Cuirfidh Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann béim ar an gceol traidisiúnta ina chur i láthair.

Nuair a bunaíodh Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann sa bhliain 1951 bhí an ceol traidisiúnta in ísle brí. Tá áthas orainn a rá go bhfuil feabhas an-mhór tagtha air sin idir an dá linn.

Ms Brady is a school teacher by profession but is also very involved in the teaching of Irish traditional music and is central to the tutorial work which we have done in Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. As I said, we were founded in 1951 and then set about establishing an organisation structure and today we have 420 branches in 11 countries on four continents. Those branches are not just in areas where there is an Irish community or people of Irish extraction. We have branches, for instance, in Chile, Colombia and Argentina and one our strongest branches is in Tokyo. We have branches across North America and throughout Europe. It is a good sign when new branches come on board because we see the branches as being an integral part of passing on the tradition from one generation to the next, but also as providing outlets and opportunities for performance. In recent months, we have had four new branches, one in Switzerland, one in Portland, one in Brazil and one in San Diego. It is a good sign when the growth is still there and it is indicative of the status of Irish traditional music worldwide.

One of the surprising branches is Moscow. An interesting aside about this branch is that the secretary, Yuri Andreichuk, is a fluent Irish speaker but with no Irish connections. It indicates the influence that Ireland and Ireland's culture has.

In addition, we have back-up support. We have the Irish cultural institute, Cultúrlann na hÉireann, in Monkstown and have seven regional resource centres and nine outreach centres. They are able to provide the services that are necessary and as Ms Brady will outline to the committee, one of our main aims is education. That is very important so we have a very strong education structure.

We have 44 fleánna cheoil, with which members will be familiar, but the all-Ireland fleá is now a very big event and it goes from town to town each year. As a further aside, one of the nice things about that is that it shows that all music, including traditional music, can bring people of diverse views together. We saw that very in 2013 when for the first time Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann crossed the Border and was held in Derry. Many people were cautious at that time but we had a record attendance that year of 430,000 people. The interesting thing about it was that all the traditions came together, republican and loyalist and nationalist and unionist. I had the experience of going to the Waterside in Derry and meeting with the loyalist bands and making a presentation to them. Subsequently, the Orange Order invited me back to the North to meet with it. Music is probably more than just an expression in itself. It can also play a very big part in bringing people together.

There is also the economic side of music. The Irish Music Rights Organisation, IMRO, presented a report to the committee some years ago. At the time, it was clear that music plays a significant economic role in Irish Life. Fleá Cheoil na hÉireann, for instance, generates €40 million each year for the region in which it is held. Tá an Ghaeilge, dar ndóigh, lárnach d'obair Chomhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. The Irish language has always been central to our work. We do it in a way that is based on bilingualism and making it accessible to all of the people. Yesterday morning, we met a government-led group from Croatia led by the Croatian minister with responsibility for the diaspora. It became clear that Ireland and Croatia have much to offer each other and we decided to work with Croatia in the other countries in which we operate. We were also a partner with Europeana Sounds, the music archive, which has 20 partners in Europe. As a result of the Fleá Cheoil na hÉireann in Derry in 2013, we received the European Citizen of the Year award.

Traditional music is expressed in different ways by different people but many groups have played their part over the years. Conradh na Gaeilge has done a major job since its inception. Other organisations that played a role include Gael Linn, the GAA, na Píobairí Uilinn, the Willie Clancy School, Cairde na Cruite, and none more so than RTÉ. My good friend from "Céilí House", Mr. Kieran Hanrahan, is in the Gallery. RTÉ's input was particularly important.

We do not only think of helping ourselves. We organise a programme called Trad for Trócaire to raise funds for people in the Third World who are less fortunate than ourselves.

In addition to solo music and céilí bands, Irish music is also expressed through the Comhaltas National Folk Orchestra of Ireland, which has played on several occasions. We will play at Fleá Cheoil na hÉireann this year and in the hallowed grounds of Stormont next October, which is an indication of the cultural bridge that can be created between North and South.

We have a comprehensive youth programme. The youth section of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann is leading everything we do. We have great young leaders. People may have associated traditional music with the past and an older generation. Now they can see that young people have taken ownership of traditional music and are expanding and enhancing it in many ways.

The reason I am presenting this before the committee in this way today is that we see traditional music as a community expression. It is vital, as such, to be active among the community and this is done through the branch structure and the fleánna ceoil and na féilte.

We are all proud of Ireland's international standing in all music forms, particularly Irish traditional music from our point of view. No matter where one goes in the world, one finds an interest in Irish music. Fáilte Ireland has shown that 27% of the people who attend Fleá Cheoil na hÉireann are from outside the State. If 400,000 people attend, more than 100,000 of them will have come from abroad. I understand Fleá Cheoil na hÉireann and the St. Patrick's week festival are classed as the two major events in the year.

How does this happen? It happens through volunteerism. That is most important of all. It take 1,500 volunteers to run Fleá Cheoil na hÉireann. We have 40,000 volunteers involved with us. We provide services to 3 million people every year, whether in Kilgarvan or wherever. It is no harm to make the point that Deputy Healy-Rae's father was chairman of the Comhaltas county board for no less than five years. We are aware that Fleá Cheoil na hÉireann belongs to everybody. While we are representing it as an organisation, anybody could come in here today and represent it in the same way.

With the permission of the committee, I would like Ms. Brady to speak about education. I was reading over the minutes from the foundation of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí na hÉireann in 1951. One of the first items noted was that education would be one of the aims of the new organisation. There is no better person to convey that than Ms. Brady.