The Moira Demesne was the setting last Saturday (Aug 10) for the penultimate RSPBANI Branch contest of the 2019 season. It also served as a final outing for bands, drum majors and the panel of adjudicators who will be taking part in this weekend’s World Championships in Glasgow. The contest escaped the worst of the heavy showers that seemed to pick out areas of Northern Ireland randomly throughout the day….

On Saturday (Aug 3) the second half of the RSPBANI Branch season got underway at Portrush when thirty-three bands and thirty-nine drum majors took part at this popular North Antrim venue which was looking its best after the spruce up it got for the recent 148th Open Golf Championships. The venue for this contest was once again the car park adjacent to Ramore Head which as with last year seems…

Many congratulations and best wishes to James Warnock the pioneer chanter and reed maker who last week celebrated his 100th birthday. Better known to all as Jim, he was born into a farming family on the outskirts of Cookstown, County Tyrone, on 18th July 1919. Like his brothers he followed his father into farming as well as sharing his interest in piping by joining Tullylagan Pipe Band. In the 1930s, under Pipe Major…

Pipe Major Richard Parkes MBE was in the spotlight earlier this month when on Monday 1st July he was the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Literature for services to music from Queens University, Belfast (QUB), and then three days later on Thursday 4th July he received a second and similar Honorary Doctorate from the University of Ulster. The respect that he is held in, particularly by the members of…

Ballymena was the setting for the 74th All Ireland Pipe Band Championships which were held at the beautifully manicured and spacious grounds of the local Academy School. The fact that every car parking space was taken by lunchtime indicates what a massive attendance there was and the weather was everything you would want and at times maybe too hot for some. If the weather was hot so too was the competition…