Milford CCE

The Milford Branch of Comhaltas Ceoltori Eireann meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month at St. Gabriel Church Hall in Milford, CT.

6x All-Ireland button accordion champion John Whelan leads the session and there are ususally special guests.

A Slow session starts at 7:00 p.m.
Intermediate session starts at 7:30.

There is no charge. Refreshments are provided.

Step, ceili, and set dancers are welcome.

Comhaltas Ceoltori Eireann (CCE) was founded in 1951 in Ireland by a group of traditional musicians at a time when interest in the native culture of Ireland was waning.

Since its inception, Comhaltas has grown to become a great force in Irish cultural life. The aims and objectives of Comhaltas include the promotion of traditional music, song and dance, and the fostering of Irish traditional culture in general, with special emphasis on the Irish language.Today, Comhaltas is an international movement with more than 350 branches in Ireland, Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia.

The aims of Comhaltas are achieved through the activities of these branches.

In addition to participation in the Milford CCE events, members receive Treoir Magazine, the official publication of Comhaltas. Published quarterly, it is mailed to all members of CCE at no extra charge.

Music Instruction

John is interested in providing music instruction to the members of Milford CCE. Any branch member interested in learning traditional Irish music should contact the branch secretary.

Join the Milford CCE. Contact branch secretary, Mary Ellen Luby (click to send her an email)

Membership forms can be obtained at any monthly meeting.

Annual dues are as follows:

Senior member, $20

Additional senior in same household $10.

Directions: I-95 to Devon, exit #34. At the light at the end of the ramp, take a right onto Route #1. Proceed to the third traffic light and turn left onto Naugatuck Avenue. Follow Naugatuck almost to the end (the shoreline will be in front of you).

Turn right onto East Broadway. St. Gabriel's is two blocks on the left. Park on the street.

About Our Founding Chairman John Whelan

John Whelan, born in London to Irish parents, has been a major exponent of

Irish traditional music and culture since he began playing the button accordion at age 11.

He has been involved in Comhaltas for more than 30 years. John's father, Denis, was a founding member of the Luton, Leagrave, Branch in England and John himself is a former chairman of the Northhampton (England) Branch of CCE and the Martin Mulvihill Branch in New Jersey. It was a Comhaltas concert tour that brought John to the United States for the first time in 1979. John went on to become a seven-time All-Ireland champion on the button accordion. Today, John is a well-known international recording artist, performer and teacher of traditional music. John started the Milford branch of CCE here in Milford, CT, to enrich the community of southern Connecticut -- in particular the Irish and the parishioners of St. Gabriel Church.

CCE Website

Check out the Comhaltas website. It’s loaded with information, tunes, and music downloads!

Comhaltas is a cultural movement concerned with the promotion and preservation of the music, dance and language of Ireland. As the world grows more complex, it seems to us more important than ever that we take a strong stand in maintaining a living folk tradition.

Our Bunreacht (Constitution) defines the goals of our movement as follows:

To promote Irish Traditional Music in all its forms;
To restore the playing of the Harp and Uilleann Pipes in the National life of Ireland;
To promote Irish Traditional Dancing;
To foster and promote the Irish language at all times;
To create a closer bond among all lovers of Irish music;
To co-operate with all bodies working for the restoration or Irish Culture;
To establish Branches throughout the country and abroad to achieve the foregoing aims and objects.

These goals are not the work of a day to accomplish, or even a lifetime. Nor are they the work of a person or handful of people. It is our thousands of volunteers and teachers who live these goals day by day, week by week and year by year. To them we owe an enormous debt of gratitude.

Irish traditional culture has become more popular in recent years, and the Uilleann Pipes and Harp no longer appear to be on the verge of extinction. We have a healthy network of Branches, and we maintain close links with other guardians of Irish culture. To the extent that these goals have been accomplished over the years, we extend a very hearty thanks to the volunteers, teachers and leaders both within and outside the movement who have made these successes possible. However, knowing the magnitude of our task, we pledge to keep these goals foremost in our minds as we march into the uncharted territory of the 21st century.

The mission statement embodied in the new Comhaltas Development Programme summarises our ambitions for the future as follows:

Cultural traditions should be an enriching part of the lives of Irish people everywhere, particularly our young people; they should be a living, highly visible and vibrant part of society; they should be easily accessible to all; and their unique social, cultural and economic benefits should be fully realised by communities and individuals throughout the country and in Irish communities abroad.