A brief explanation as to why the author took up the research for this thesis. She grew up in a family that on both sides was enamoured of musical theatre. Singing round the piano, with excerpts from operettas and musicals, was a regular occurrence. The author took part in her first school musical at Loreto College, Crumlin Road, Dublin, in a production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado. She subsequently enrolled in Loreto Commercial College, Crumlin Road, Dublin, where in 1962 a past-pupils’ musical society was formed, offering opportunities for participation. In 1965 this musical society became a founder member of the newly formed Association of Irish Musical Societies (AIMS), and in 1973 the author became its librarian and information officer. She was elected as a national councillor for the association, a position she held until 1992. Together with other councillors, she visited newly formed societies, and saw at first hand the beneficial effects of a musical society on a local community. This was particularly noticeable in Northern Ireland, which was then entering the period of civil unrest known as ‘the Troubles. In some cases, loyalist and nationalist societies (or ‘companies’ as they are more often known in the North) came together to perform concerts. Subsequently the author, whose own employment background was with Independent News and Media, became the national public relations officer for AIMS from 1992 until her retirement from AIMS in 2006. It was in this capacity that she discovered how difficult it could be to obtain coverage of amateur musical theatre in the national press, although local and regional coverage was rather better. As a student in NUI Maynooth, the author discovered that the topic of amateur musical theatre in Ireland had received little academic study, and was advised that it would be a suitable subject for research.