Carrickmacross Comhaltas enjoyed great success with their fourth Féile Patrick Byrne last weekend. Named in honour of the renowned nineteenth century harper from Farney, the annual traditional music weekend was officially launched on Friday by Carrickmacross Town Mayor, Cllr. Mary Kerr Conlon. It was appropriate that the Shirley Arms was venue for the launch as the same hotel hosted the only recorded function in Carrickmacross to honour Patrick Byrne during his lifetime. In 1855 the local people gathered there to make a presentation of a purse of gold to the blind harper. This and other facts from Patrick Byrne’s life were the subject of a public lecture by Mícheál McDermott (N.T. M.A.) immediately following Cllr. Kerr Conlon’s opening address. Mr. McDermott’s meticulous research on Patrick Byrne generated many questions from the capacity audience. It was also a family reunion of sorts as a number of people related to Patrick Byrne, including The Irish Times columnist Frank Mc Nally, attended the lecture. For the next two days the focus of the Féile Patrick Byrne shifted to Scoil Rois as over 70 adults and young people made their way to the Irish school to take workshops in a range of different musical instruments, traditional singing and sean-nós dancing. These classes are at the heart of the Féile Patrick Byrne as Comhaltas seeks to ensure that the Irish music tradition is kept alive and avoids the fate of the old style of harp playing which died out with Patrick Byrne in 1863. It wasn’t all study though as Téada, one of the most exciting groups playing Irish traditional music at the moment, topped the bill at a thrilling concert in the Corduff & Raferagh Community Centre on Saturday night. Sharing the stage with Téada was Ceoltóirí Drumlin, the combined group of young musicians from the Carrickmacross and Tullycorbet Comhaltas branches. Also performing were members of the Belgian based group Shantalla, Mayo harper Gráinne Hambly and local storyteller Seán Mc Gorry. The full hall was treated to a fantastic evening of traditional music of the highest standards. Sponsored by Comhaltas nationally and Carrickmacross Town Council with support from the Shirley Arms Hotel, Scoil Rois and Corduff & Raferagh Community Council, the Féile Patrick Byrne is now a permanent fixture in the Irish traditional music and Monaghan tourism calendars.