Welcome to the Home of Irish Dance, Language and Music
in Kingston, Ontario.

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
Harp of Tara Branch

Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann is a non-political, non-sectarian cultural organization founded in Ireland in 1951 to preserve and promote the music, culture and arts of Ireland. CCE now has branches throughout the world. The title of the organization translates into English as "The Society of Irish Musicians." It is referred to as "Comhaltas"or "CCÉ" for simplicity. About Comhaltas

In Kingston, Comhaltas is represented by the Harp of Tara Branch. Founded in 1978, the Branch sponsors an active program of Irish Language, Irish Social Dance, and Music, as well as a monthly Céilí and Siamsa, and Special Events. A brief listing of upcoming events, with links, is Here

Our events are open to all, all ages, and there is no charge for many of our activities.

For the good are always the merry,
Save by an evil chance,
And the merry love the fiddle,
And the merry love to dance:

From "The Fiddler of Dooney" by W.B.Yeats

Upcoming Events Listing

Weekly Sessions, see Music. Weekly Dance Classes, see Dance

St Patrick's Ceili   Saturday March 13th, 8:00
St Patrick's Traditional Irish Dinner   Saturday March 13th, 6:00.

The Senior's Centre, 56 Francis Street

Dinner: $15 advance, $20 at the door; Ceili $10
All welcome, all ages, no experience or partner required. Two live bands - the Kingston Ceili Band and 'The Wild Geese in the Bog, 'Cash Bar, snacks

More..

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Monthly Jam/Siamsa   Sunday, March 21st, 2:00 p.m.
Kingston Brew Pub, upstairs. See Siamsa

Weekly Language Classes.
An 'intermediate' class has been ongoing, but it's not too late to join in. If you're interested, contact rmacdiarmid@cogeco.ca

CCE North American Convention. Persippany, New Jersey. April 8 - 11

Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, of which Harp of Tara is the Kingston Branch, is holding its North American Convention in Parsippany New Jersey on April 8, 9, 10 and 11. This is an excellent weekend of top calibre music and dance workshops, sessions and 4 ceilis.
More details will be available at CCE Convention Site , registration form is Here, or contact Julie or I.
Comhaltas members receive a $15 discount on the $190 fee which includes all meals and the banquet on Saturday, dinner on Friday and brunch on Sunday as well as all workshops and ceilis except Thursday night. There were also rooms available at a special rate but they may all be gone by now. We have been to 7 or 8 now and they are really an incredible weekend of music and dance and craic. Stephen

Annual Irish Language Immersion Weekend  April 23 - 25
Annual Irish Language Immersion Week at the Gaeltacht  Aug. 8 - 15
See Language

March 13 - This is our St. Patrick's dinner and ceili. It will be at the Kingston Seniors Centre, 56 Francis Street in Kingston.
Traditional Irish Dinner $15 in advance, $20 at the door if any tickets are left (soup; soda bread; ham/potatoes/cabbage; bread pudding with whiskey sauce) Cash Bar. Bar opens at 5:30 for reception. Dinner at 6:00.
Ceili is from 8:00 to 12:00. Admission is $10. Live music with Wild Canadian Geese in the Bog and the Kingston Ceili Band.
Tickets are available now, and dinner tickets are limited so please let us know if you want tickets. rmacdiarmid@cogeco.ca

April 24- This will be our last ceili of the season and is part of our Irish Language Weekend but all are welcome to attend.
It is being held at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 560 on Montreal Street.
The ceili will be from 8 - 12 pm and admission will be 10 per person, $5 for students.
There will be live music and snacks and Maureen Mulvey will be here from Toronto to call the dancing. There will be a banquet beforehand with a limited number of tickets available to people not attending the Language Weekend. More details will be forthcoming about the banquet soon.

View a movie taken at the Gaeltacht Opening Ceremonies, June 16, 2007 Courtesy of Allyson Reid Bowering  Gaeltacht Opening

For a complete listing of upcoming events in Kingston and the area, check the Events Calendar

Harp of Tara would gratefully wish to acknowledge the generous support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, which provided us with a grant in 2009. This enabled us to purchase a sound system for our céilís, educational materials for our language and music programs, and has enabled us to engage in some much-needed long-term planning.

Tara is the mysterious hilltop castle that was home to Irish high kings. It actually existed somewhere in what is now County Meath from very ancient times well before the time of Saint Patrick (432) until its destruction probably in the sixth century, but in any case well before the death of High King Brian Boru on the battlefields of Clontarf (1014). In the poem, written while Ireland was still under an unwelcome British rule, Thomas Moore lets Tara symbolize the seat of Irish government and the rule of Ireland.

The harp, the traditional musical instrument of Ireland, symbolizes the Irish people, culture and spirit

The Harp That Once Through Tara's Halls

by Thomas Moore (1779-1852)

The harp that once through Tara's halls
The soul of music shed,
Now hangs as mute on Tara's walls
As if that soul were fled.
So sleeps the pride of former days,
So glory's thrill is o'er,
And hearts that once beat high for praise,
Now feel that pulse no more!

No more to chiefs and ladies bright
The harp of Tara swells;
The chord alone that breaks at night,
Its tale of ruin tells.
Thus Freedom now so seldom wakes,
The only throb she gives
Is when some heart indignant breaks,
To show that still she lives.

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A Selection of Events and Activities
sponsored by Harp of Tara

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