Last meeting of the year at Bridge Centre
Pipe Bands by Mervyn McConnell
THE last Branch Meeting this year of the Pipe Band Association will be held on Saturday 30 November at 2pm in the Bridge Community Centre, Lisburn.
This will be the first meeting under the chairmanship of George Ussher and vice-chairman Winston Pinkerton who were both elected at the Annual General Meeting in October.
The date for the annual veterans' drumming evening organised by Upper Crossgare Pipe Band has been changed to Saturday 30 November.
The venue is the same - Abbey Lodge Hotel, Downpatrick - and the guest soloist will be Gordon Brown, this year's senior world solo drumming champion. The South Belfast Cultural Society will be holding their annual Burns Night in the Europa Hotel on Friday 31 January 2003.
The entertainment will include the traditional piping in of the haggis, the Ulster-Scots Orchestra and dancers, Gillian Jones, Scottish show band the Messengers and a top pipe band.
The event will take place in the grand ballroom starting at 8.15pm and ending at 1.00am.
Tickets cost £15 for two course dinner or £8 without dinner, and special rate of £6 without dinner for Senior Citizens. Contact John on 90 321766.
The reigning world Grade 1 champions - the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe band will be the special guests at the St. Andrew's Night Ulster Scots Concert to be held in Newtownstewart Centre on Friday 29 November.
Organised by the Plumbridge Brien Boru pipe band, who will also be appearing on the evening, the event is to raise money towards new band equipment.
Tickets cost £5 for adults and £2.50 for children and can be purchased from Derek Reaney on telephone number 81662045.
A new Pipe Major has been elected for the Seven Towers Pipe Band from Ballymena. David Reid will now take on the job of leading this Grade 4A band next season along with Leading Tip Michael Cathcart.
David, who has vast experience, was a piper with Grade 1 McNeillstown Pipe band, and will bring a wealth of knowledge to his new position. Sound is David's number one preference and to accomplish that he has purchased a new set of Warnock chanters, made by David Chesney from Cookstown.
A special concert organised by the Belfast County Grand Lodge to celebrate the Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth was held last Saturday evening at the Ulster Hall, Belfast. There were many artists appearing at this charity event including the Springhill Scottish Country Dancers, Millar Memorial Flute band, Downshire Ladies Choir, Ballygowan Concert Flute band and North Belfast Pipe band.
The compere was Terence McKeag well known entertainer and singer.
North Belfast Pipe band, the reigning Cowal champions in Grade 3A, was under the direction of Pipe Major Jackie Moore and Bobby Rea Leading Tip of the reigning Ulster and Cowal Drum Corps champions. There was a special drumming recital composed by Bobby Rea solely for the occasion and was aptly named Jubilee Salute.
After the Jubilee concert, North Belfast Pipe band played at a social evening held at Shankill Working Men's Club, where they entertained a packed house.
Ulster Star
22/11/2002
