1960’s
The 1960’s saw Comhaltas firmly established as a national organisation with Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann playing no small part in this success. Throughout the 1960’s, attendance at the festivals continued to grow and the return of the Fleadh to Mullingar in 1963 illustrated how far both Comhaltas and the Fleadh had progressed in the 12 years since it’s foundation.
The 1951 event had staged just 13 competitions at one venue and attracted barely 1,000 visitors to the town. By contrast, the 1963 fleadh included county, provincial, over-seas and All-Ireland finals held across 11 different venues with an estimated 100,000 visiting the town for the weekend!
But success brought it’s own challenges and newspaper reports from fleadhanna throughout the 1960’s describe issues around accomodation, on street drinking and crowd control. However, many other reports revelled in the magical atmosphere of the music and song, streets alive with tunes and airs, thronged by music lovers young and old, delighted with the discovery of their own age old traditions which, for so long, seemed hidden and in danger of disappearing.
And while Comhaltas were bringing music to the masses throughout the decade, they were also expanding their own competitions, activities and structures. ‘Scoraíocht’ first made an appearance at a Féile Ceoil in Bunclody in 1963 and the following year the competion became a national one with St. Iberin from Wexford winning a perpetual trophy sponsored by the Guinness company.
In 1967 the organisation established it’s own label, Comhaltas Records. The first album released on the new label was ‘The Rambles of Kitty’ produced by Michael Slevin with Michael Ó hÉidhin as musical director. The same year, with the support of Gael Linn, the first of the ‘Seoda Ceoil’ series of albums were produced which featured the best of traditional musicians and singers sharing the songs and tunes of their own native place.
1968 was a significan year for Comhaltas. The first issue of the organisation’s news magazine ‘Treoir’ appeared in January 1968 and in May the receipt of state funding meant that Comhaltas could appoint professional staff for the first time and were able to establish their headquarters at the Conradh na Gaeilge premises in Harcourt Street in Dublin. In September that same year Labhrás Ó Murchú was appointed Ard Stiúirthóir of the organisation.
Séamus Mac Mathúna took up the role of Timire Ceoil in 1969, collecting and recording music and building up a significant archive over his years of service. In August of the same year the first Tionól Cheoil was held at Gormanston in Co.Meath, a weekend of traditional music and song attended by over 300 CCÉ members.