The New Ross and District Pipe Band are facing into their busiest year since before lockdown with some very prestigious concert appearances and two visits to France over the coming months.
The band has been recruited to play with the famed Cross Border Youth Orchestra of Ireland at nine of their ‘Peace Proms’ concerts over the coming two months. Six of the concerts will take place in Limerick University and three concerts will take place in WIT in Waterford. The Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland (CBOI) is one of Ireland’s primary youth orchestras. Founded in 1995, the CBOI maintains a membership of 160 young musicians between the ages of 12 and 24 years from both sides of the border. The Orchestra regularly tours Europe and the USA. The band are delighted to have the opportunity to perform six numbers with such a prestigious musical outfit. The band has attended rehearsals with the Orchestra in Dundalk over the past two weekends.
The band have also been invited to once again perform at the internationally famous Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Brittany, France. This visit will take place over 10 days in August and the band will get the opportunity to perform nightly in front of audiences of 10,000 as well as appearances on French national television.
In October, the band is once again off to France for a small weekend festival to be held on the Quiberon peninsula in Brittany.
The band will hold its annual Church Gate collection this coming weekend and would like to thank the people of New Ross for their continued generous support. The band intends to begin beginner’s classes in both piping and drumming over the coming weeks. Prospective pupils need to be a minimum of 8 years of age. All necessary equipment is supplied by the band. Anyone who is interested should contact Brian Mac Mahon at 086 8326316 or e-mail at ipba@icloud.com
Armagh Civic Reception for Drum Major Louis Anderson
It was a great pleasure for some members of the New Ross and District Pipe Band to travel to Armagh on Wednesday night 11th January to support the band’s World Champion Drum Major, Louis Anderson, being honoured by the Lord Mayor of Armagh, Councillor Paul Greenfield.
Louis lives in the village of Killylea in Armagh and began his drum majoring career in his local Crozier Memorial Pipe Band. The New Ross and District Pipe Band wears the Anderson Tartan and six years ago, when Louis was a mere 10 years of age, he spotted the New Ross band wearing his Anderson family tartan at a competition in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh. Louis wandered over and boldly asked could he lead the band into the March Past. Thus began a friendship that has endured to this day. Louis registered with the New Ross and District band and has grown into his teens with some of the band’s young pipers and drummers. Fittingly, the New Ross band’s motto is ‘Ceoltóirí gan Teorannacha’ which translates as ‘Musicians Without Borders’.
The Civic Reception in Armagh was a truly lovely occasion which was attended by Louis’ parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and members of the Crozier Memorial Pipe Band which is named after an uncle of Louis.
The Lord Mayor, Paul Greenfield, who had been a Drum major himself at one time, was a very gracious and charming host and regaled the gathering with entertaining stories and with the history of the Lord Mayor’s palace in Armagh. The event was also attended by Louis’ Drum Majoring tutor, Brian Wilson MBE. Brian is a three times World Champion Drum Major. Two young members of the New Ross band who are close friends of Louis (Jodi Fanthom and Blathnat Doyle) accompanied band organiser Brian Mac Mahon to the function in Armagh.