In April 2021, a beloved member of Spink Comhaltas passed away, following complications after major surgery. Cathal Clooney was 15 when he died. He is fondly remembered and missed by his family and friends, including everyone in Spink Comhaltas. A talented musician, Cathal loved music and he loved the friends…
Spink Comhaltas perform at Regional Tidy Towns Awards – 2024
Abbeyleix is the 2024 Tidiest Town in Ireland! Something we are incredibly proud of, and everyone in the community is thankful to the leadership, vision and sheer hard work that the Abbeyleix Tidy Town Committee do. Year after year. Míle buíochas! The regional awards of TidyTowns Ireland were held in…
Charity Concert in memory of Cathal Clooney raises €18,500 for Charity
Spink Comhaltas organised a concert in memory of a dear friend, Cathal Clooney, earlier this year. Cathal was a talented musician and great friend who died in April 2021, aged 15. The ‘Concert for Cathal’ was held on 2 March in the Manor Hotel, Abbeyleix. Featuring contributions from across the…
A concert for Cathal – 2 March 2024
Cathal Clooney was a beloved member of Spink Comhaltas, who passed away in 2021 from complications following spinal surgery. He was 15 when he died on 11th April 2021. A beloved son, brother and friend, Cathal continues to be missed every day. A passionate musician, he played the accordion,…
Spink Comhaltas launch history of the branch – 1983 to 2023
It is a major milestone for any organisation to celebrate 40 years in existence, particularly for an organisation which is reliant on unpaid volunteers who do the work for the love of Irish music and for the sake of promoting it amongst generations of children. Spink Comhaltas was founded on…
Personal reflections on 40 years of Spink Comhaltas
40 years of Spink Comhaltas – personal reflections “Verba volant, scripta manent – spoken words fly away, written ones remain.” “Why are you doing this?” is a question I was asked a few times over the course of this project to document the history of Spink Comhaltas. There were many…
Spink Comhaltas – New Venue for Music Classes
Spink Comhaltas is delighted to announce our new venue for junior music classes. Due to significant growth in our membership and the range of music classes now available, we have moved to Scoil Mhuire, Abbeyleix from November 2023. Start your journey in music with us – we always had great…
Stella Lynch Trophy Award – 2023
2023 Stella Lynch Award – James O’Mahony. In 2015, Spink branch was presented with a perpetual trophy by Michael Lynch in memory of his late wife Stella. The ‘Stella Lynch’ trophy is intended to recognise an U18 member of Spink who has made an outstanding contribution to the branch, and who contributes…
Registration for Music Classes Now Open – 2023/24 Season
If you would like your child to start their music journey in Traditional Irish music, then consider Spink Comhaltas. With excellent teachers, one of the most comprehensive music instrument banks in the country, deep community involvement, preparation for Comhaltas SCT music exams as well as Fleadh Cheoil competitions, we place…
Busy week for Spink Comhaltas at Fleadh Cheoil
Busy week at Fleadh Cheoil for Spink Musicians A very busy time in Mullingar this week for the musicians and support team in Spink Comhaltas. Fleadh Cheoil, the largest traditional music festival in the world, is the culmination of competitions over the summer – from the Laois Fleadh Cheoil held…