Honour for l4 times world Champion
Pipe Bands by Mervyn McConnell
JIM Kilpatrick, 14 times world solo drumming champion, has been awarded the MBE in the New Year's Honours list.
The award is for 'services to music' and ensures Jim, who is the Leading Tip with the House of Edgar Shotts and Dykehead Pipe band, finishes off a fantastic year for him on a high.
Jim led his drum corps to win the world championship and Champion of Champions titles for 2003.
South Belfast Cultural Society will be holding their annual Burns Night celebrations in the Europa Hotel Belfast on Friday 23rd January from 8pm through until 1am.
They have succeeded in obtaining a great line-up of artists including the Scottish folk group Cutting Edge and Scottish dance group Celtic Spirit which includes ten times world highland dance championships brothers Deryck and Gareth Michelson.
Ballycoan will provide the pipe band music along with the Bright Lights dancers and the first ever appearance of the Ulster-Scots Alliance dancers.
The dancers will be 14 of the best young Highland dancers in Ulster, presently being taught by Gareth Michelson.
The entertainment will finish with The Fugitives cabaret band and an Abba tribute band.
Tickets cost £15, which includes a one-course dinner. Contact John Dean on 9032 1766 or 9024 4979 for further details.
The annual concert held by the Mid-Ulster Drumming School will take place on Saturday 24th April at Maghera High School.
Topping the bill will be the Scottish Power Pipe Band under Pipe Major Roddy MacLeod with the solo spot by Stuart Liddell from Inverary, who is a member of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band from Vancouver, Canada. Contact Garv Smyth for further information on 7964 5799.
There is a question mark over the participation of Peel Regional Police pipe band from Brampton, Ontario at this year's world pipe band championships at Glasgow in August.
Last year the band had to play at 8.50am in the morning to qualify for the finals in the afternoon. As the cost of coming to tile championships is in the region of $40,000, it is a pricey sum to hand out if your band doesn't qualify.
Previously all bands had the opportunity to play in the final Grade 1 competition but a pilot scheme was introduced some years ago with a qualifying round and this has not been changed. Those in charge hopefully will be looking into this for the future.
If anyone has any comments on last year's, or this year's world championship, then they should contact Headquarters at Washington Street.
The popular Touch of Tartan radio programme hosted by Tommy Millar continues each Sunday at 2pm. So far we have enjoyed music from Grade 2 Cullybackey and Killeen Pipe bands and Ballycoan and Bleary from Grade 1.
Still to come are Ravara, Upper Crossgare, Field Marshal Montgomery and St. Laurence O'Toole from Dublin.
Winners of Monkstown Mossley Pipe band Christmas draw were as follows: - 1st J. Kinnear, 2nd K. Booth, 3rd M. Kinnear, 4th J. McGarrigle, 5th M. Braniff and 6th L. Mulligan.
The band is preparing to stage a super concert on Thursday 11th March in Ballyclare Secondary School. Further details will be available soon.
Ulster Star
09/02/2004
