1980’s
The decade began with a major innovation in the field of traditional music education when the Teastas i dTeagasc Ceolta Tire (TTCT) was introduced. This was a CCÉ validated diploma in teaching traditional music with Micheál Ó hEidhin, a former music inspector with the Department of Education, leading the design of the syllabus for the residential course. The main aim of the course was to equip teachers of Irish traditional music to teach more effectively in formal and informal community settings.
Throughout the 1980’s Comhaltas continued in it’s misson of bringing Irish traditional music to the world and in 1985 embarked on it’s most ambitious effort to date with a ten country tour of Europe in June of that year. following three concerts in Britain, the group went on to perform in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany.
In 1986 Comhaltas was once again centre stage for an international audience with the release of the album ‘Éire go Bráth – Ireland to Last’ by the James Last Orchestra which include six tracks featuring leading CCÉ musicians. On 22 August that year James Last and his orchestra played an open air concert at College Green in Dublin to a crowd of over 45,000. The orchestra was joined on stage for the second half of the show by 11 traditional musicians and singer Séamus MacMathúna who finished the Comhaltas contribution with a rousing rendition of ‘Mo Gile Mear’.
Three years later, on March 19th 1988, a group of 60 Comhaltas performers took to the stage at College Green in Dublin once again, this time for the Dublin Millennium celebrations. The group consisted of 35 musicians, 21 dancers and 4 singers. The 75 minute concert was recorded live before an estimated audience of 40,000 and was later released as a 21 track album on the Comhaltas label.
The 1980’s saw Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann return to Listowel five more times and also visited Buncrana, Clones, Kilkenny and Sligo.