Comhaltas bosses to face a 'grilling' by city councillors
Comhaltas Ceolteoiri chiefs are to be hauled before Dublin City Council to explain its handling of a major row with its largest local branch over a multi-million euro centre of excellence.
The body charged with the promotion of Irish traditional music, which received over €6m in state funding last year, is in hot water with the council over the bitter ongoing feud with the Clontarf branch.
The Sunday Independent has learned this weekend that unhappy councillors regard the dissolution of the local branch and its exclusion from the new €11 million Clasac building in Clontarf as a breach of its lease.
Last week Comhaltas HQ levelled a number of accusation at the Clontarf branch -- of failing to meet its financial requirements for Clasac; of not paying contractors for work done on the building; allowing debts of €2m to go unpaid; of wrongfully applying for a VAT refund; incorrectly changing a VAT return; and forcing the national body to take out a loan to cover the debts.
The acrimony came to a head when O Murchu and the ardcomhairle dissolved the branch committee and replaced them with a new committee without offering the ousted committee a chance to plead its case.
Under the terms of the deal, Comhaltas was granted a 99 year lease at a valued annual rent of €100,000.
However, in recognition of its important community role, Comhaltas only pays €1,500 a year in rent for the almost one-acre site.
Now, however, as a result of the bitter row between Comhaltas HQ and the local branch, councillors for the area are demanding explanations from director general Senator Labhras O Murchu and his management staff.
Fine Gael are to table a motion at the next city council meeting on April 21, requesting that representatives of the Comhaltas HQ Executive appear before the committee and outline how this situation can be resolved to the satisfaction of all stakeholders, including the local members.
Speaking to the Sunday Independent, FG Cllr Naoise O Muiri said: "As far as I am concerned when this very valuable lease was granted, I was happy with it on the basis that the facility would be used extensively by members of the local Comhaltas Cluain Tarbh branch.
"The exact opposite has happened as you know -- the local branch has been disbanded and the facility taken over by Comhaltas HQ with no evidence that there will be local usage," she points out.
If adequate answers are not forthcoming, Comhaltas risks being subjected to the full rent of €100,000 for as long as the local branch is dissolved.
"I will be asking the City Manager to report on the situation regarding a re-examination of the lease and the large discount in the event of the situation not being resolved," Cllr O Muiri added.
The dissolved Clontarf branch strongly reject the allegations made by senior management and insist the blame should be laid at the doorstep of head office.
Senator O Murchu denied there was any issue with the council, saying a recent meeting with officials passed off without any issue.
"They were perfectly happy with the way things are and expressed a wish to deal with the national organisation as opposed to the local branch."
The branch committee described the Comhaltas statement as "mischievous and inaccurate" and as representing an attempt by HQ to "muddy the waters".
The committee said the statement was aimed at covering up "their own improper actions in dissolving the branch and taking over our Clasac centre project".
- DANIEL MCCONNELL
