On Friday April 28th the eagerly awaited Frank Andrews Tribute Concert took place at the Tullyglass Hotel in Ballymena. There was an attendance of 600 and it was an outstanding success. I have attended the majority of the big pipe band concerts over the years, at the County Hall or the Waterfront Hall, and I would venture to say that this was amongst the absolute best. The star act was…
A small number of tickets, £25 and £15, remain for the P/M Frank Andrews Tribute Concert to be held in the Tullyglass Hotel, Ballymena on Friday April 28th . These can be purchased online through www.ticketsource.co.uk. Headlining the concert will be the 13-time World Champions, Field Marshal Montgomery, which Frank served as drone tuner for some two decades. Also taking part will be a FMM former members’ quartet, while the…
Ulster’s pipe bands are set to benefit from a new masterclass featuring 13 times World Champion, Pipe Major Richard Parkes. The new initiative was announced at Stormont when Ulster-Scots musicians from across Northern Ireland came together at Parliament Buildings to mark their success at last year’s World Pipe Band Championships, in a celebration organised by the Ulster-Scots Agency. The Great Hall was packed to capacity with pipers, drummers and drum…
At a celebratory function in the Dunadry Inn last weekend, Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band announced that leading drummer Keith Orr had decided to stand down and that his replacement would be drum corps member Gareth McLees. This brings to an end one of the most successful partnerships in pipe band history. Keith and P/M Richard Parkes have shared in around fifty RSPBA Major Championship successes. This includes 11 World,…
It was great to see pupils from a number of County Down schools amongst the recipients of the foundation certificates for piping and drumming awarded by the Ulster-Scots Agency and the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (NI). The Great Hall at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, was the setting for this event. The young people attended as part of a joint tuition programme developed by the Agency and the RSPBANI branch, initially to…
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