Lisburn & Castlereagh City Pipe Band Championships at Moira Demesne

Robert Wallace

7 years ago

Moira Demesne provided the perfect setting for the 2017 Lisburn & Castlereagh City Pipe Band Championships on Saturday 5^th August. Organised in partnership with the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Northern Ireland Branch (RSPBANI), 48 pipe bands and 47 drum majors took part.

Gilbert Cromie reports: Moira Demesne was the venue for the Lisburn and Castlereagh City Pipe Band Championships and despite a heavy shower of rain after the last band played and before the finale began it was a brilliant day. Despite the contest clashing with a number of major events throughout the country I have a feeling that this was possibly the best attended of all the contests this season and with a predominantly warm and sunny day everything pointed to a great contest and so it was.

The Chieftain of the Day was Cllr Hazel Legge [Deputy Mayor] and she welcomed the bands especially Auckland & District from New Zealand who competed in Grade 1 (pictured top). Presentations were made to the band by both the Council and the RSPBA NI Branch. Congratulations are due to the local RSPBA NI Branch and their team of volunteers who saw to it that everything went smoothly.

Drum Sergeant Keith Orr and Pipe Major Richard Parkes MBE of Field Marshal Montgomery pictured after receiving the Grade 1 band and drum corps trophies

Field Marshal Montgomery lifted the Grade 1 band and drum corps title and yes of course this result was expected however this band take absolutely nothing for granted and so they treated the large crowd of spectators to a pipe band masterclass. County Donegal’s Manorcunningham also did the double in Grade 2 a feat repeated by Marlacoo & District in 3A and Quinn Memorial in 3B. St Mary Derrytrasna won Grade 4A however the drum corps title went to Tullylagan who have hit a rich vein of form in recent weeks. It was good to see Ballycoan make the prize list in Grade 4A as they rebuild. Things most definitely didn’t go according to plan in Grade 4B with Lisnamulligan from Rathfriland lifting first prize ahead of IPBA band Cullen with regular winners Gransha and Kildoag in the minor placings along with Sgt Walker Memorial.

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While some of the band results are fairly consistent from week to week the same could not be said about the Adult drum majors section which this week saw Andrea McKeown winning and as a result put herself into a four-way tussle for the Champion of Champions (CoC) title in a fortnight with Lauren Hanna, Jason Price and Alicia Dickson Hamilton. Emma Barr’s win in the Juvenile sealed her first place in that CoC competition. Rebecca Hamilton was the Junior winner while Leanne Crooks’ win in the Novice ensures a CoC head to head with Louis Anderson in Portrush on the 19^th of August. All the best to all of our bands next weekend as they compete at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow.

Results
Grade 1: 1^st Field Marshal Montgomery (also Best Drums), 2^nd Vale of Atholl, 3^rd Police Service of Northern Ireland (also Best Bass Section), 4^th Bleary & District. M&D: Auckland & District.

Pipe Major Adrian Cramb and Vale of Atholl pictured entering the competition arena

Grade 2: 1^st Manorcunningham (also Best Drums), 2^nd Closkelt, 3^rd Annesborough, 4^th Drumlough. Best Bass Section: Thiepval Memorial. Best M&D. New Ross & District.
Grade 3A: 1^st Marlacoo & District (also Best Drums), 2^nd New Ross & District, 3^rd Drumlough, 4^th Matt Boyd Memorial. Best Bass Section: Upper Crossgare. Best M&D: Ballybriest.
Grade 3B: 1^st Quinn Memorial (also Best Drums), 2^nd St Mary’s Derrytrasna, 3^rd Battlehill, 4^th McNeillstown. Best Bass Section: Major Sinclair Memorial, Best M&D: Battlehill.
Grade 4A: 1^st St Mary’s Derrytrasna, 2^nd McNeillstown, 3^rd McDonald Memorial, 4^th Ballycoan. Best Drums and Bass Section: Tullylagan. Best M&D: Cullybackey.
Grade 4B: 1^st Lisnamulligan (also Best Bass Section), 2^nd Cullen, 3^rd Gransha (also Best Drums), Sgt Walker Memorial, 5^th Kildoag. Best M&D: Letterkenny & District.

Annsborough Pipe Band pictured wearing their new uniforms at Moira. Included is Pipe Major Brendan Mullen (far left, standing) and Eddie Mullen, Band President (right, standing)

Drum Majors: Adult. 1^st Andrea McKeown Gibson, 2^nd David Brownlee, 3^rd Vikki Singer, 4^th Lauren Hanna, 5^th Lauren Abraham.
Juvenile: 1^st Emma Barr, 2^nd Kathryn McKeown, 3^rd Jason Nicholl, 4^th James Kennedy, 5^th Lana Gibson.

Adult Grade Drum Major winner Andrea McKeown Gibson (Battlehill Pipe Band) pictured with John Kelly (RSPBANI Honorary Vice-President) at Moira after Andrea was presented with a shield which John donated to the RSPBANI in 2015 in memory of his mother, the late Mary Emily Kelly, who died 27 years ago

Junior: 1^st Rebecca Hamilton, 2^nd Kathy Hunter, 3^rd Lucas Adamson, 4^th Abigail Wenlock, 5^th Charlotte Ruddock.
Novice: 1^st Leanne Crooks, 2^nd Louise Smiton, 3^rd Carys Graham, 4^th Louis Anderson, 5^th Katie Clarke.

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