Music and Dance Marathon in San Francisco
By Carol Conway Vogl
Three days of tradition filled Irish music, dancing, and merriment was enjoyed by the 800 plus participants at this year’s 26th Annual North American Comhaltas Convention held in beautiful San Francisco. Things had surely changed in the 15 years since San Francisco’s Cooley-Keegan Branch hosted their last Convention in a facility that held approximately 200 comfortably, breakfasts were prepared for all on portable hotplates and served on paper plates. The Airport Marriott hotel was chosen this year primarily because of its easy access to the airport, banquet rooms facilitating 800 plus dancers and musicians, and views from every window of San Francisco Bay.
Music was provided by the finest traditional Irish music talents found anywhere: Liz Carroll, Mick Maloney, James Keane, Todd Denman, Felix Dolan, and Debbie Lynch together with many other local musicians providing capacity crowd workshops.
Set Dancing was taught by Ireland’s favourite, Mick Mulkerrin; and Ceilí dancing by Canada’s own Maureen Mulvey. Set dancing and ceilí dance workshops on Saturday were enjoyed by all. Céilís Friday, Saturday and Sunday were each packed to capacity as the driving force of the music wouldn’t allow for passing up a single dance.
The entertainment portion of Saturday evening’s banquet captured the essence of the Irish traditions as it featured a storyteller engaging the young in a remembrance of traditional arts of storytelling, dancing, and music. The clear challenge for them, as for all of us, was to ‘keep the traditions alive’.
The memories we hold tell of the best craic the West Coast has seen in a great long while.
The representatives from all over the United States and Canada enjoyed the ‘experience of a lifetime’ and vowed, le cúnamh De’, to make it to New Jersey in 1999; Washington 2000; and Canada 2001! Our photographer was on hand to capture some memorable moments for TREOIR readers.
Convention President Jim Belcher and his dedicated committee did us proud. Well done, to one and all.
