From: James McDonald [james.mcdonald.comhaltas_at_gmail_dot_com]

Sent: 07 October 2014 14:39

Subject: West London AGM - Sat 25th Oct 7pm at Crown Moran Hotel

Dear friends and members of West London branch of Comhaltas,

Many of you are well aware that we haven't been able to have our monthly Friday night sessions at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith for a good while now due to the refurbishment work going on there. And the temporary venue at the Shamrock club out in Acton wasn't proving popular enough with musicians or listeners to keep going. 

This year also sees a number of members of our committee stepping down due to other commitments, most notably the members of the Burke/Turner family who have given many years of support in the footsteps of their parents/grandparents. 

As a volunteer organisation, none of the activities we do such as the sessions, fleadhs, concerts, regional tour, the Gaelic Voices Festival, Echoes of Erin tour, and guest performances at various events at the Embassy etc, would happen without people giving up what bit of time they can. As the oldest branch of Comhaltas in England, West London is now at a time when it most needs people like you to step forward and lend a hand to help keep the music we love alive and well in our communities. 

Indeed, if we can't even form a committee and there aren't enough branches in the region, then competitors in the local fleadh will be going to Warwickshire rather than Haringey next year to qualify for the All-Britain. (Though I'm sure it won't come to that!)

This year's AGM will be held at the Crown Moran Hotel, 152 Cricklewood Broadway, London NW2 3ED, at 7pm on Saturday the 25th of October. Please arrive at 6.45pm for a prompt start at 7pm. Many of you might like to stick around after for the Frankie Gavin & De Dannan concert there as part of this year's Return to Camden Town Festival, which starts at 7.30pm. Information and tickets here: http://www.returntocamden.org/programme-2014/#!event_2014_10_25_5_163_1_Frankie+Gavin+and+De+Dannan+%2F+Peter+Coughlan

We'll meet in the hotel bar, but give me a call on the number below if you can't find us or if you're lucky enough to not know what I look like. 

I hope to see many of you there. Feel free to get in touch in the meantime if you'd like to know more about getting involved in the branch's activities. Any bit of time and help you can offer is much appreciated.

All the best,

James.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

James McDonald

Committee Member of West London Comhaltas
Chair of London and Southern England Region
+44 (0) 77 5628 9786
www.comhaltas.co.uk/