Spink Comhaltas celebrated 40 years in 2023 and to mark this milestone, a history of the branch was researched and published at the end of that year.
Written by former chairman Lawrence Vesey, this branch history is one of the most comprehensive of any Comhaltas branch in Ireland.
As the print run is now almost fully sold out, the committee decided to donate a number of copies of the book to all of the libraries in Laois, where it will be available free of charge to anyone who is interested in the branch.
By virtue of being in the Laois libraries, it will also be available to anyone else using a public library across all of Ireland.
The donation of the books to Laois libraries was a natural next step after copies were requested by the primary libraries that receive copies of all published works in Ireland and the UK.
These libraries are The National Library of Ireland, Trinity College Dublin, The British Library, the Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library, the National Library of Scotland, and the National Library of Wales.
The folklore department of Maynooth University recently requested a copy, and discussions are underway with the music departments of other universities in Ireland.
A limited number of copies of the book are available from Heritage House, Abbeyleix, which has a comprehensive repository of local history books.
All the regional culture centres of Comhaltas across Ireland have also received a copy.
Speaking at the donation of the book in Abbeyleix library, current branch chairperson, Genevieve Bennett noted the importance of the book for current members of the branch to appreciate the rich history of Spink Comhaltas.
The branch continues to develop the next chapters of history of the branch.
With a new teaching location in the modern surroundings of Scoil Mhuire school in Abbeyleix, and the largest number of music teachers ever – 8 teachers, of whom 6 are full time developing the musicians of the future, with 2 additional teachers for specialist areas.
Spink has one of the most comprehensive music instrument banks in Ireland, and in addition to teaching all music instruments used in traditional Irish music, the branch also places significant emphasis on formal education qualifications, with students prepared for the Comhaltas SCT Music Exams.
SEE ALSO – Check out all our weekend local sports coverage here
