Féile Patrick Byrne, South Monaghan’s annual traditional music festival, hit new heights this year as Téada raised the roof at the Saturday night concert in the Corduff & Raferagh Community Centre. Featuring Monaghan’s Seán Mc Elwain in their line up, the band more than lived up to their billing as one of the super-groups of Irish music. Téada gave a performance of verve, lyricism, spirit and dynamism that thoroughly entertained the capacity audience. Earlier in the evening Ceoltóirí Drumlin opened the show. These very talented young musicians drawn from both the Tullycorbet and Carrickmacross branches of Comhaltas left the audience in no doubt that the traditional arts are not just in safe hands but thriving. With Scotstown native Gerry Murray sharing the bill the county of Monaghan was well represented. The master piano accordion player wowed the crowd with his excellent playing in the company of Michael Horgan, the county Down uilleann piper. Gerry and Michael are both now living in Belgium but came home especially to play at the Féile Patrick Byrne. As befits a festival which commemorates the nineteenth century Monaghan harper, the instrument was superbly represented as champion harper Gráinne Hambly from Mayo completed the line-up. Now in its third year, the Féile Patrick Byrne was launched on Friday 3 April in the Fiddlers Elbow, Carrickmacross by Town Mayor, Cllr. Rose McMahon. In an obviously well prepared and thoughtful speech, Cllr. McMahon looked back at the state of Irish music from before the foundation of Comhaltas in 1951 to the present day. She warmly praised the local Carrickmacross Comhaltas branch for their efforts in not only organising the festival but also in running weekly traditional music classes. The Mayor warned that without this valuable work our traditional music would not be in its current healthy state. Following the official launch Fintan Vallely, the well known flute player, singer and academic from Armagh delivered a lecture on the bodhrán. He traced the evolution of this instrument from humble origins as a ubiquitous household implement to being an international symbol of Irishness today. Fintan Vallely’s talk fused great scholarship with humour. He moved through the centuries with old photographs, explored the aetiology of the word bodhrán and tracked its presence in Irish literature. The night concluded with a music session featuring local musicians as well as Fintan Vallely and harp workshop tutor Gráinne Hambly. Over the course of Saturday and Sunday a total of 14 different workshops in music, singing and dancing were provided in Scoil Rois, Carrickmacross. This opportunity for students to learn from accomplished musicians and teachers is the main purpose of the Féile Patrick Byrne each year. Attendances were up again from last year with 104 students attending the workshops over the two days. A particularly popular class was the sean nós dancing workshop on Sunday with Gerard Butler. Whether it was the influence of the All-Ireland Talent Show winning Mulkerrin brothers or a lack of opportunity to learn this dance style locally, the class attracted 31 students. For many this was their first time learning sean nós dancing. It wasn’t all work though for the students as the festival wound down with a closing music session in the Shirley Arms Hotel on Sunday evening. This gave the young and not so young musicians an opportunity to display their musical talents as they met to play in a relaxed atmosphere. Quite a number of those in attendance at Sunday’s closing session were enquiring as to what the line up would be for next year which is a good omen for the continued growth and success of Féile Patrick Byrne. The organising committee would like to thank all the volunteers who gave so generously of their time in making the Féile a success. Without them and the festival sponsors – Comhaltas, the Carrickmacross Town Council and Na Píobairí Uilleann – it would not have been possible to stage the event.