Riverdance lashed by Comhaltas officer

Riverdance lashed by Comhaltas officer


Michael Commins

A leading officer of Comhaltas Ceolteoirí Éireann in the west of Ireland has launched a blistering attack on Riverdance, describing it as ‘nothing more than a money-making racket that has made millions for its owners’. Seamus Duffy, secretary of Comhaltas in Mayo for the past 28 years and also an officer of the Connacht Council of CCE for the same period, has blasted the production which ended an eight-night run in Castlebar last Tuesday.
Mr Duffy, famous in the western province for his outspoken views and the presenter of a weekly traditional music show on Mid-West Radio, said he was ‘thoroughly disgusted’ with Riverdance and that it had done absolutely nothing to promote Irish music and dance.
“There’s a lot of silly people in their absolute ignorance who do not know the difference between something Irish and something phoney. How they can claim that this show is Irish defies me. Irish music is a perfect entity and you can’t improve on perfection. I wouldn’t go across the road to see such rubbish …. even if they laid on transport for me.”
It is claimed that the ‘Spirit of Mayo’ composition by Bill Whelan, a work commissioned by Mayo County Council to celebrate ‘Mayo 5,000’ in 1993, was the catalyst and inspiration for Riverdance. The concert, which was held in the National Concert Hall in Dublin, was broadcast over two nights on RTÉ television and was produced by John McColgan.
But claims of a ‘homecoming’ for Riverdance have not washed with Seamus Duffy. “Look, this music is not within the tradition. I will admit the first night it was performed during the interval of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1995, it was a lot nearer to the Irish music and dancing traditions. But it has got progressively worse. It has incorporated alien influences from African war dances and Latin America.
“It’s not remotely Irish anymore. It is an insult to the musical intelligence of any Irish person who knows their stuff to have to listen to this being called an Irish show. I will argue with anyone that Riverdance has done absolutely nothing for the Irish traditions and that it is a money making racket that has made millions for its owners. Nothing will change my view on this show.”