Saint John man has been inducted into the North American Comhaltas Hall of Fame.

A14

Nelson Hansen

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Saint John area resident Stuart Hook has been recognized for his long-standing contribution to Irish music.

One may say that's he's possibly the most Irish Englishman you could ever meet.

Originally hailing from Peterborough, England. Hook came to Canada in 1973. Perhaps under the influence of his Irish wife Helena, Hook has been a driving force behind the scenes at the Saint John chapter of Comhaltas (Coal ""tas) - a worldwide organization focused on preserving traditional Irish music, dance and culture.

Hook was recently inducted into the North American Comhaltas Hall of Fame as recognition for his long-standing devotion to the music and culture and for his efforts to attract fellow enthusiasts of all ages.

Speaking via telephone, Hook tells [here] that his association with Irish music and experience with the Irish Penny Whistle had somewhat humble beginnings.

"I had just had a hernia." Hook laughs. "I had been lying in bed recovering and there happened to be a Penny Whistle sitting around. I figured I might as well give it a go and I seemed to pick it up rather quickly. Before too long I was looking for people to play music with and learn more."

Stuart Hook is not sure if the relative quickness of which he began playing music with the Penny Whistle speaks more to his abilities or to the instrument's ease of playing.

He notes that it has helped preserve Irish music and culture in Saint John, Canada's most Irish of cities.

For over 25 years Comhaltas has helped promote traditional music and dancing and always with Hook somewhere in the background.

While St. Patricks' Week celebrations are an annual high point for his group, Comhaltas gathers weekly at O'Learys to gather and play traditional Irish Jigs and Reels.

Under Hook's influence the ranks have swelled to about 16 regular musicians all dedicated to the music.

"We've grown a fair bit. We've got some wonderful musicians as well. We do our best to keep things as close to traditional as possible. We don't really play the pub songs or your 'Danny Boy' fare, toward the end of the night we may play a few Maritime music selections but for the most we strive to keep it authentic."

So authentic that members are now working on singing songs in Irish Gaelic. Quite a feat when Hook notes that like himself, few of the local members of Comhaltas boast strong Irish lineage.

Hook claims that Irish music is such that it attracts fans simply for the love of the traditional melodies.

Under Hook's motivation, Comhaltas has several future activities planned to share Irish music with the people of Saint John. For now he's happy to enjoy being recognized with his Hall of Fame induction, an honour he jokingly believes was bestowed on him on the merit of his efforts to promote Irish music and culture.

"I'm quite sure it's not based purely on musical abilities!"