Did anyone see the top story on TG4 news last night? If not you can watch it by going to www.tg4.tv click on; Cursaí Reatha - Cartlann; and then on Nuacht TG4 - 19/1 It's the top story so it starts at less than 2 mins into the clip.
Briefly translated it says that Comhaltas recieved E3million in budget 2009 even though it only asked for E50k!
Is it now time for a public enquiry into Comhaltas's finances?
And this at a time when very sick people can't get treatment in hospitals, they are talking of imposing pay cuts, people are losing their jobs left right and centre and these f****rs get this money.No doubt the usual latchicoes from Comhaltas will be on with the usual rubbish defending it ! But sure what can you expect, isn't Larry Murphy a Fianna Fail senator !! Two jobs when others can't even get one
Strange that after all the claims of irregularities in their finances made publicly during their heavy-handed dissolving of Cluain Tarbh CCE on the Joe Duffy Show that they did not choose to clear their 'good name' by inviting an audit and publishing accounts. Does anyone think they could be hiding something? Who owns Bru Boru? Is their accounts published by CCE? Is it a democratic organisation?
that doesnt even include the money made from other ventures like the fleadhs and the like. they dont even contribute that much money to the running of such things, its up to the host town to raise most of it. bru boru is run by labhras's wife. it seem nepotism is common practise in comhaltas these days. these people know nothing about music. it is not a democratic organisation, labhras has an indefinate contract and cannot be voted out. its a joke of an organisation. they're too busy looking after themselves to worry about the music, giving each other pats on the back.
Ah shure, what's a few million between friends eh?! This couldn't be true though, could it? There are substantial cutbacks in the public finances in the offing. Wait until An Bord Snip gets going - a few zeroes might be trimmed off yet, if it is true.
I feel so sorry for the hard workers in the local branches who will see none of this money. By being associated with CCÉ as it exists now must make them feel physically sick.
of course they are not going to refuse the money, but the way they spend it has to be questioned. i know for a fact that it is very diffcult for comhaltas committees to get money from comhaltas itself. the branch i am involved in had to go through a whole load of red tape just to get a measly 3,000euros. cce can easily afford that amount if they can afford to spent thousands on booking out whole hotels for the fleadhs for blessed ard comhairle members. they are stooges who are too busy trying to balance the books and making sure they are not spending more then they earn. they actually spend more on paying themselves than they do on the actual music. just look at labhras's wages. they're ridiculous!
i cant be exactly sure but i think they are in the hundreds of thousands. here is a link to a well known article from phoenix magazine published 7 years ago on the toic of money and cce. i would presume the numbers have gone up since then,
I agree that at the top, they are overpaid....In fairness though - at grass roots level, they do some great work I think. The local (to me) branches here in the Midlands work hard organising lessons each week, and that can be a hetic task! They're not paid much for their efforts.
I'm sure it's a similar story throughout the country in the other small branches (small, lets say, as compared to the couple of 'big names' in Dublin).
Offaly have a big job ahead of them now to raise the 600k or so for the Fleadh again this year. As pointed out earlier...what are the top-brass doing with all the Goverment money?
I suppose it could be argued that it's similar with the GAA, in that there are some very hard working people at local club level and not being paid....the 'elite' at the top then getting over-paid for relatively little work; the local lads holding raffles in pubs to raise money...
(could bring the Church in on this one too, but that's a whole other (but quite similar) debate, and best not talked about on Trad sites!)
Anyhoo...enough ranting from me....I'm off to learn 2 new (CCE taught) tunes now!
I'm sure it's a similar story throughout the country in the other small branches (small, lets say, as compared to the couple of 'big names' in Dublin).
Andy i know one branch in Dublin - a"big name' who spend 15 years fundraising for a clubhouse only for the big guns in headquarters to pounce and swallow all the clubs finances and clubhouse. Dissolving them. Not so comfortable for the 'nig names in Dublin" who lost personal hard earned cash.
I find it amazing that this massive slip in the public finances hasn't been picked up on by any other media source apart from TG4. It's scary to think that Labhras can keep RTÉ and the Dublin based media quiet to the point of silence on this.
As a senator of more than ten years standing Ó Murchú gets €74,607 p.a. for what is, effectively, a part-time job. He's one of this bunch - http://www.fiannafail.ie/senators.phpx - though he was nominated to the Senate by CCÉ, not FF.
Ok, so he earns €74,607 p.a. + €40k approx in so called "expenses". But does anybody know what he earns as the unoustable DG of CCÉ? Is it a set wage? or does he get a cut of each pie which CCÉ has its toes in. As a publicly funded body this should be public knowledge!
Delving into the world of Ó Murchú's wallet I tried the Companies Registration Office - http://www.cro.ie - no joy, but I'd forgotten that CCÉ describes itself as 'a non-profit cultural movement'. In other words, its finances are only known to its inner circle and the Revenue Commissioners.
However, there's absolutely no way that Brú Ború in Cashel, run by Úna Ó Murchú (salary unknown) - http://comhaltas.ie/locations/detail/bru_boru/, could be considered as a 'non-profit' enterprise.
the only not for profit element of comhaltas is at grassroots. it is the people there that do the hard grafting, giving up their free time every week for no pay. they do it for no profit. head office on the other hand make a healthy sum and keep the head suits happy.
combine that 100,000 or so euros he gets for being a senator with his comhaltas wages which im sure are a lot and you could probably get close to 200,000euro or more. bru boru is certainly not for profit. comhaltas also have their hand in cois na habhna in ennis and the michael coleman centre in gurteen.
surely and movement that describes itself as not for profit should have their finances made public so as there is no grey area as to where the money that is being given to them by the government and is suppose to filter down to the branches goes.
no-one can touch him while he's in office. a huge overhaul of not just him but the entire head coucil is needed. there a group of tired minds and bodies desperately trying to milk as much power as they can before they are finally found out. rather like robert mugabe. its like any business, younger minds and new forward thinking ideas are needed. money is being wasted on tours that use the same musicians each time, awards ceremonies that celebrate people who are close to the ard comhairle and those who are emplyed by cce and lets not forget the travesty and propaganda driven drivel that is 'Treoir', and of course the mind bogglingly inflated wage packets that they get. millions is being wasted. they dont have a clue what to do with the money when they get it so they shouldnt get it. give the money to the pipers club or gael linn, organisations that actually give a s h i t about irish culture. not some crap run organisation that promotes 'bru boru' and monkstown as the bastions and meccas of the trad world. pass the bucket please.
I thought the State already had an agency, democraticly appointed (through competitive interview process) and dedicated to the distribution of tax payers money to all areas of the arts of which the Traditional Arts has been given priority? Then again, I suppose there must be a distinction between believers and dissenters within the trad arts on this occassion. At a time when the Arts Council has been handed severe cuts (including the trad arts which funds Willie Week, the Archive, NPU and many more orgs and individuals as far as I'm aware) it is completely ludicrious that CCÉ are give E3m to spend on, who knows (and will we ever?)
Yes, the comparsion with Mugabe is odious - the lads are getting a bit carried away in a flow of rhetoric. I think however they were drawing a comparison with a certain dictatorial style of governance.
However, the bottom line is that if our public tax payers money is being granted to CCE, we should be able to see exactly where it goes and what it's spent on. Just like we should be able to see the real position of the banks that we are baling out - but sin sceal eile.
oh come on grover. yes a comparison was drawn between mugabe and o'murchu due to the numbers of people each of them has killed. gimme a break,did you honestly think that?
what i said was the hierarchy of comhaltas is full of tired minds and bodies and are holding onto their positions and trying to milk every last bit of power before they are finally outed. RATHER LIKE ROBERT MUGABE. this was a comparison of the dictatorial style of governance as hussar said. if you cant see whats right in front of you than i cant help you.
the reason why labhras is debated so much is because all the problems of cce root from him. he has a kind of self righteous view of himself and an over inflated view of CCE being the saviours of the music. whereas the reality is much different. he cant see the wood for the trees!!! he seems to be the last word for any debate. no-one can oust him because to do that you have to be a high ranking member of a cce branch and then you have to be nominated for a position ( i dont think his position is even questioned at all) and try and gain the support of the ard comhairle, more old minds who support labhras and dont question anything he does.
if the cce was business group the board would have been got rid of years ago.
grover, you take yourself and this site too seriously. with the amount of bashing that goes on with musicians on this site that ive seen i would think that labhras would have to get in line with all the others who want to sue. do you honestly believ he cares what people on this site say about him? he is a politician.
eh.. the site is already a laughing stock, god you really take things seriously! there are countless musicians who know of this site (all of them well known and im pretty sure you would have heard of them believe me) and think it is hilarious! they us pseudonyms to come on and take the p*ss. i know them all so if you want to take something seriously id take that fact seriously.
i also dont see what is over the top about that remark, you are putting words in my mouth by saying i said he equals mugabe. i never used those words. i made a statement and then said rather like mugabe. which it is in its dictatorial style of governance. it is certainly not over the top (unless you do what you did and think i was talking about people being killed). you honestly do take things too seriously. i didnt actually mean that he IS the irish versions of mugabe in everything he does. jesus man, cop on.
anyway, ive got better things to do than kill brain cells here im off. also: labhras does not play an instrument. FACT.
fiddleruairi, it's not the site itself but some/many of the people on it that are the laughing stock - I'm sure you'll agree. The site itself has lots of great info if you can wade through to poo
Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
Did anyone see the top story on TG4 news last night? If not you can watch it by going to www.tg4.tv click on; Cursaí Reatha - Cartlann; and then on Nuacht TG4 - 19/1 It's the top story so it starts at less than 2 mins into the clip.
Briefly translated it says that Comhaltas recieved E3million in budget 2009 even though it only asked for E50k!
Is it now time for a public enquiry into Comhaltas's finances?
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
definately, although that was required a long time ago.
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by fiddleruairi
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
And this at a time when very sick people can't get treatment in hospitals, they are talking of imposing pay cuts, people are losing their jobs left right and centre and these f****rs get this money.No doubt the usual latchicoes from Comhaltas will be on with the usual rubbish defending it ! But sure what can you expect, isn't Larry Murphy a Fianna Fail senator !! Two jobs when others can't even get one
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by concertinaplayer
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
Strange that after all the claims of irregularities in their finances made publicly during their heavy-handed dissolving of Cluain Tarbh CCE on the Joe Duffy Show that they did not choose to clear their 'good name' by inviting an audit and publishing accounts. Does anyone think they could be hiding something? Who owns Bru Boru? Is their accounts published by CCE? Is it a democratic organisation?
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by Lord Gordon
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
that doesnt even include the money made from other ventures like the fleadhs and the like. they dont even contribute that much money to the running of such things, its up to the host town to raise most of it. bru boru is run by labhras's wife. it seem nepotism is common practise in comhaltas these days. these people know nothing about music. it is not a democratic organisation, labhras has an indefinate contract and cannot be voted out. its a joke of an organisation. they're too busy looking after themselves to worry about the music, giving each other pats on the back.
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by fiddleruairi
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
Ah shure, what's a few million between friends eh?! This couldn't be true though, could it? There are substantial cutbacks in the public finances in the offing. Wait until An Bord Snip gets going - a few zeroes might be trimmed off yet, if it is true.
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by the wounded hussar
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
I feel so sorry for the hard workers in the local branches who will see none of this money. By being associated with CCÉ as it exists now must make them feel physically sick.
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
of course they are not going to refuse the money, but the way they spend it has to be questioned. i know for a fact that it is very diffcult for comhaltas committees to get money from comhaltas itself. the branch i am involved in had to go through a whole load of red tape just to get a measly 3,000euros. cce can easily afford that amount if they can afford to spent thousands on booking out whole hotels for the fleadhs for blessed ard comhairle members. they are stooges who are too busy trying to balance the books and making sure they are not spending more then they earn. they actually spend more on paying themselves than they do on the actual music. just look at labhras's wages. they're ridiculous!
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by fiddleruairi
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
What are Labhras's wages?
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
i cant be exactly sure but i think they are in the hundreds of thousands. here is a link to a well known article from phoenix magazine published 7 years ago on the toic of money and cce. i would presume the numbers have gone up since then,
https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?A3=ind0312&L=IRTRAD-L&E=quoted-printable&P=390605&B=--&T=text%2Fplain;%20charset=iso-8859-1
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by fiddleruairi
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Augury!?!
The dinosaurs need to be put out to pasture or sold for glue...
Oh, sorry, I thought I was still on the palaeontology site, Silt Dot Org, and digging up an ancient thread on indistinct old fossils...
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by ceolachan
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
I agree that at the top, they are overpaid....In fairness though - at grass roots level, they do some great work I think. The local (to me) branches here in the Midlands work hard organising lessons each week, and that can be a hetic task! They're not paid much for their efforts.
I'm sure it's a similar story throughout the country in the other small branches (small, lets say, as compared to the couple of 'big names' in Dublin).
Offaly have a big job ahead of them now to raise the 600k or so for the Fleadh again this year. As pointed out earlier...what are the top-brass doing with all the Goverment money?
I suppose it could be argued that it's similar with the GAA, in that there are some very hard working people at local club level and not being paid....the 'elite' at the top then getting over-paid for relatively little work; the local lads holding raffles in pubs to raise money...
(could bring the Church in on this one too, but that's a whole other (but quite similar) debate, and best not talked about on Trad sites!)
Anyhoo...enough ranting from me....I'm off to learn 2 new (CCE taught) tunes now!
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by andy69
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
I'm sure it's a similar story throughout the country in the other small branches (small, lets say, as compared to the couple of 'big names' in Dublin).
Andy i know one branch in Dublin - a"big name' who spend 15 years fundraising for a clubhouse only for the big guns in headquarters to pounce and swallow all the clubs finances and clubhouse. Dissolving them. Not so comfortable for the 'nig names in Dublin" who lost personal hard earned cash.
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by Lord Gordon
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
Thanks for that article FiddleRuairi. How does he get away with it?
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by Lord Gordon
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
I find it amazing that this massive slip in the public finances hasn't been picked up on by any other media source apart from TG4. It's scary to think that Labhras can keep RTÉ and the Dublin based media quiet to the point of silence on this.
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
As a senator of more than ten years standing Ó Murchú gets €74,607 p.a. for what is, effectively, a part-time job. He's one of this bunch - http://www.fiannafail.ie/senators.phpx - though he was nominated to the Senate by CCÉ, not FF.
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by MacCruiskeen
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
Ok, so he earns €74,607 p.a. + €40k approx in so called "expenses". But does anybody know what he earns as the unoustable DG of CCÉ? Is it a set wage? or does he get a cut of each pie which CCÉ has its toes in. As a publicly funded body this should be public knowledge!
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
Delving into the world of Ó Murchú's wallet I tried the Companies Registration Office - http://www.cro.ie - no joy, but I'd forgotten that CCÉ describes itself as 'a non-profit cultural movement'. In other words, its finances are only known to its inner circle and the Revenue Commissioners.
However, there's absolutely no way that Brú Ború in Cashel, run by Úna Ó Murchú (salary unknown) - http://comhaltas.ie/locations/detail/bru_boru/, could be considered as a 'non-profit' enterprise.
Time for more digging.
# Posted on January 20th 2009 by MacCruiskeen
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
the only not for profit element of comhaltas is at grassroots. it is the people there that do the hard grafting, giving up their free time every week for no pay. they do it for no profit. head office on the other hand make a healthy sum and keep the head suits happy.
combine that 100,000 or so euros he gets for being a senator with his comhaltas wages which im sure are a lot and you could probably get close to 200,000euro or more. bru boru is certainly not for profit. comhaltas also have their hand in cois na habhna in ennis and the michael coleman centre in gurteen.
surely and movement that describes itself as not for profit should have their finances made public so as there is no grey area as to where the money that is being given to them by the government and is suppose to filter down to the branches goes.
no-one can touch him while he's in office. a huge overhaul of not just him but the entire head coucil is needed. there a group of tired minds and bodies desperately trying to milk as much power as they can before they are finally found out. rather like robert mugabe. its like any business, younger minds and new forward thinking ideas are needed. money is being wasted on tours that use the same musicians each time, awards ceremonies that celebrate people who are close to the ard comhairle and those who are emplyed by cce and lets not forget the travesty and propaganda driven drivel that is 'Treoir', and of course the mind bogglingly inflated wage packets that they get. millions is being wasted. they dont have a clue what to do with the money when they get it so they shouldnt get it. give the money to the pipers club or gael linn, organisations that actually give a s h i t about irish culture. not some crap run organisation that promotes 'bru boru' and monkstown as the bastions and meccas of the trad world. pass the bucket please.
# Posted on January 21st 2009 by fiddleruairi
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
Labhras Ó Murchú = Robert Mugabe - now you've hit the nail on the head!
# Posted on January 21st 2009 by Cathal Buí Mac Giolla Ghunna
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
Is this about wingeing (and maybe singing a few protest songs) or actually doing something?
Starting point is surely the constitution, which is here, though apparently the Irish text is definitive....
http://comhaltas.ie/press_room/detail/comhaltas_constitution_bunreacht/
# Posted on January 21st 2009 by TomB-R
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
I thought the State already had an agency, democraticly appointed (through competitive interview process) and dedicated to the distribution of tax payers money to all areas of the arts of which the Traditional Arts has been given priority? Then again, I suppose there must be a distinction between believers and dissenters within the trad arts on this occassion. At a time when the Arts Council has been handed severe cuts (including the trad arts which funds Willie Week, the Archive, NPU and many more orgs and individuals as far as I'm aware) it is completely ludicrious that CCÉ are give E3m to spend on, who knows (and will we ever?)
# Posted on January 21st 2009 by iwerzon
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
uh oh.....
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/comhaltas-bosses-to-face-a-grilling-by-city-councillors-1339717.html
# Posted on January 21st 2009 by iwerzon
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
Yes, the comparsion with Mugabe is odious - the lads are getting a bit carried away in a flow of rhetoric. I think however they were drawing a comparison with a certain dictatorial style of governance.
However, the bottom line is that if our public tax payers money is being granted to CCE, we should be able to see exactly where it goes and what it's spent on. Just like we should be able to see the real position of the banks that we are baling out - but sin sceal eile.
# Posted on January 21st 2009 by the wounded hussar
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
oh come on grover. yes a comparison was drawn between mugabe and o'murchu due to the numbers of people each of them has killed. gimme a break,did you honestly think that?
what i said was the hierarchy of comhaltas is full of tired minds and bodies and are holding onto their positions and trying to milk every last bit of power before they are finally outed. RATHER LIKE ROBERT MUGABE. this was a comparison of the dictatorial style of governance as hussar said. if you cant see whats right in front of you than i cant help you.
the reason why labhras is debated so much is because all the problems of cce root from him. he has a kind of self righteous view of himself and an over inflated view of CCE being the saviours of the music. whereas the reality is much different. he cant see the wood for the trees!!! he seems to be the last word for any debate. no-one can oust him because to do that you have to be a high ranking member of a cce branch and then you have to be nominated for a position ( i dont think his position is even questioned at all) and try and gain the support of the ard comhairle, more old minds who support labhras and dont question anything he does.
if the cce was business group the board would have been got rid of years ago.
# Posted on January 21st 2009 by fiddleruairi
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
What instrument does Labhras actually play?
# Posted on January 21st 2009 by iwerzon
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
Iwerzon ....I think its the fiddle
# Posted on January 21st 2009 by bazouki dave
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
grover, you take yourself and this site too seriously. with the amount of bashing that goes on with musicians on this site that ive seen i would think that labhras would have to get in line with all the others who want to sue. do you honestly believ he cares what people on this site say about him? he is a politician.
eh.. the site is already a laughing stock, god you really take things seriously! there are countless musicians who know of this site (all of them well known and im pretty sure you would have heard of them believe me) and think it is hilarious! they us pseudonyms to come on and take the p*ss. i know them all so if you want to take something seriously id take that fact seriously.
i also dont see what is over the top about that remark, you are putting words in my mouth by saying i said he equals mugabe. i never used those words. i made a statement and then said rather like mugabe. which it is in its dictatorial style of governance. it is certainly not over the top (unless you do what you did and think i was talking about people being killed). you honestly do take things too seriously. i didnt actually mean that he IS the irish versions of mugabe in everything he does. jesus man, cop on.
anyway, ive got better things to do than kill brain cells here im off. also: labhras does not play an instrument. FACT.
# Posted on January 21st 2009 by fiddleruairi
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
fiddleruairi, it's not the site itself but some/many of the people on it that are the laughing stock - I'm sure you'll agree. The site itself has lots of great info if you can wade through to poo
# Posted on January 21st 2009 by bogman
Re: Comhaltas - Time for a Public Audit!
lol. thats okay then. haha. i see where ye got that now, although it was me who first mentioned him!
# Posted on January 21st 2009 by fiddleruairi