History
The Artane Band was founded at the Artane Industrial School for boys, managed by the Irish Christian Brothers under the provisions of the Irish Industrial Schools (1868) Act and certified by Chichester Samuel Parkinson-Fortescue (Baron Carlingford) then H.M. Chief Secretary for Ireland on 9th July, 1870.
Certified at the time to accept up to 800 boys whose upkeep was chargeable on the (UK) Treasury Grant, Artane was the largest Industrial school in the country, almost four times the size of any similar school.
1886 The Artane Boys Band begin their association with the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) who jointly run the current Artane School of Music with the Christian Brothers.
For well over 100 years, generations of families were ignored when they highlighted what they suffered and experienced, as children, in Artane Industrial School. The first reports into sexual abuse were logged in the 1930’s.
In 1998 a major police investigation was launched into sex abuse allegations in Artane. Ten gardai including a detective sergeant were assigned full-time to working on the Artane inquiry. The ten-person team worked permanently on the investigation for almost 18 months and took well over a thousand statements from potential witnesses. Some of the specific allegations involved "horrendous" sex acts. Only one prosecution was secured.
To this day that suffering continues and is exacerbated by minimising the impact that the present Artane Band and School of Music has on our lives.
All of the Industrial Schools that had brass bands, disbanded them when the doors of their institutions closed. The only remaining Institution band to be kept going is the Artane Band. This is due to the fact it was the most famous of the bands, created a major revenue stream and created a false facade in the promotion of Industrial Schools and the Order of the Christian Brothers. Indeed, when serious abuse allegations were made, the Christian Brothers would often cite the Artane Band as an example of their good work, with the constant backing of the GAA.
July 1969 saw the closure of Artane Industrial School but, amongst other things, the boys in the band had been tutoring local boys from the community for over a year (May ‘68) so that they could take over the band’s activities. Due to un-preparedness the new community Band was unable to attend any All Ireland fixtures that (1969) year. In its alleged “history” of the period the current management of the Artane School of Music refer to this period as “a seamless transition...”
During 1870 – 1969 the Artane Band was at all times used as a vehicle by the Christian Brothers (& State) to economically exploit highly vulnerable children and young people contrary to the provisions of State and International laws and Conventions.
