The good weather couldn’t have come at a better time when the County Fermanagh Championships took place on Saturday 23rd May 2026. Many congratulations to the County Fermanagh Section for finding an excellent venue for this first outdoor competition of the season.
The Castle Irvine Necarne Estate in Irvinestown is a real gem with plentiful car parking facilities as well as the dining / bar area of the indoor equine centre. The competition took place adjacent to the derelict Castle Irvine and what ensued illustrated that, unlike the old castle, the RSPBANI Branch is in a good state with great performances and competitiveness across the grades.
The winners on the day were Tullylagan (4B), Moneygore (4A), Upper Crossgare (3B), Matt Boyd Memorial (3A), Manorcunningham (2) and Ravara (1). The drum corps prize winners were Tullylagan (4B), Queen Elizabeth (4A), Down Academy (3B), Syerla (3A), Manorcunningham (2) and Ravara (1).
Grade 4B: 1 Tullylagan (also Best Bass Section & M&D), 2 Bready, 3 Raphoe, 4 Joseph Forde Mem. Grade 4A: 1 Moneygore (also Best Bass Section), 2 Gransha, 3 Ballybriest, 4 Cottown. Best Drums: Queen Elizabeth. Best M&D: Marlacoo. Grade 3B: 1 Upper Crossgare, 2 Down Academy (also Best Drums, Bass Section & M&D), 3 Drumlough, 4 William Kerr Mem.
Grade 3A: 1 Matt Boyd Mem. (also Best Pipes), 2 Cloughfin, 3 Kildoag, 4 Maj. Sinclair Mem. (also Best Bass Section]. Best Drums & M&D Syerla. Grade 2: 1 Manorcunningham (also Best Pipes, Drums & Bass Section), 2 Kildoag, 3 Matt Boyd Mem. (also Best M&D), 4 Cloughfin. Grade 1: Ravara (also Best Pipes, Drums, Bass Section & M&D). Drum Majors: Novice : 1 Charlotte Adamson; Junior: 1 Amelia Higgins. Juvenile: 1 Jorgia Turkington; Adult: 1 Charlotte Ruddock
Leinster Contest
A number of RSPBA NI Branch bands and drum majors took the opportunity of getting outdoor practice by entering the Leinster Pipe Band & Drum Major Championships held on Saturday 16th May at Newbridge House, Donabate, Country Dublin.
This event. organised by the Leinster Branch of the Irish Pipe Band Association, received financial support from Fingal County Council. Unfortunately, the competition was blighted by inclement weather but this did not affect the entry. It was a good day for some of our local bands with Moneygore taking both the band and drumming titles in Grade 4A in which Gransha took third place.
Down Pipes & Drums in their first outing in Grade 3B were placed second and won the drumming title, while they also secured the Grade 3A title. Grade 4B:1 Tullylagan, 2 Limerick (also Best Drums), 3 Ballingeary. Grade 4A: 1 Moneygore (also Best Drums), 2 Carrigaline, 3 Gransha.
Grade 3B: 1 Black Raven, 2 Down P&D (also Best Drums), 3 Carrigaline. Grade 3A: 1 Down P&D (also Best Drums). Grade 2 (Medley & MSR): 1 St. Joseph’s Clondalkin (also Best Drums]; Grade 1 (Medley 1 & 2): 1 St Laurence O’Toole (also Best Drums). Drum Majors: Novice (Under11): 1 Charlotte Adamson; Junior (11 to 14): 1 Molly Bell; Juvenile (14 to 18): 1 Christopher Barrett; Adult (Over 18): 1 Louis Anderson.
Calendar
The UK Pipe Band Championships are in Belfast on 13th June, there’s the Lisburn & Castlereagh Championship at Moira Demesne on 20th June, the Europeans in Perth on 27th June, and the first half of the season comes to an end with the 79th All–Irelands, at Lucan on 4th July.
After a two-week break we have the Antrim and Newtonabbey championships in Antrim Castle Gardens on July 18. On the 25th July it’s the Scottish at Dumbarton and a week later (August 1) the 73rd Ulster Championships at Bangor, ahead of the World Championships on 14th / 15th August.
It’s great to report that this year the local outdoor season ends after the Worlds, as it always used to, with the Champion of Champions Contest on 22nd August at a venue yet to be announced.
Quartets
Cookstown Primary School hosted the first Quartet Piping competition to be held for well over two decades on Saturday 9th May 2026. It was organised by the RSPBA NI Branch Mid Ulster Section and there was a decent entry, particularly from 3B onwards.
Quartets from two of our local bands had a decent showing with Hollymount taking the runner up position in 4B and going one better by winning 4A. Down Academy were the winners in Grade 3B and took a respectable fifth in a strong 3A. Adjudicators were John Reville and David Middleton.
Grade 4B: 1 Tullylagan A, 2 Hollymount, 3 Tullylagan B; Grade 4A: 1 Hollymount. Grade 3B: 1 Down Academy, 2 Drumlough; Grade 3A: 1 Matt Boyd A, 2 Matt Boyd B, 3 Syerla A; Grade 2: 1 Tullylagan A, 2 Tullylagan B, 3 Matt Boyd A. Open: 1 Tullylagan B, 2 Tullylagan A, 3 Matt Boyd A.
Drum Majors
Over the weekend of 23rd & 24th May eighteen drum majors from the County Armagh group participated at the Scottish Festival Costa Mesa Highland Games in Los Angeles.
Travelling from Dublin Airport the party visited numerous sights on the Los Angeles bus tour: Santa Monica Pier, Disneyland, Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and spent a very warm evening in Palm Springs itself at the weekly Thursday night food, craft and musical festival.
The competition was held over two days with the Co. Armagh D/Ms doing themselves proud by winning all three Adult, Juvenile and Novice Juvenile grades on both days. Kathryn McKeown was the Adult champion, Carys Graham took Juvenile and Mia-Lily Fraser the Novice winner.
- If you have any news from the NI piping and pipe band scene you’d like to pass on to Gilbert, please email him here.
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