Preparations for Cullybackey solos
Cullybackey Pipe Band will hold their 20th Annual solos in Cullybackey High School on Saturday April 7.
The closing date for entries will be Saturday March 31 and no late entries will be accepted. Please contact Mr. J. Gribben, 52 Elmwood, Cullybackey, Ballymena BT43 5PY or telephone 2588 1901 for further information.
Also on Saturday April 7 Cullybackey Pipe Band will proudly present a Day of Workshops and Master Classes with Barry Wilson Leading Tip of Scottish Power Pipe Band. Barry came fifth at the world solo drumming championships held at Monkstown Community Centre last October.
All classes are free and not to be missed by any drummer or anyone interested in drumming. They will be geared to individual standards and will be organised around the competitions throughout the day.
At the recent meeting of the Northern Ireland branch of the RSPBA it was announced that the 62nd All Ireland championships to be held in Newcastle on Saturday July 7 will be recorded by the BBC to be televised later in the year.
Also this year the events at the World Pipe Band Championships held in Glasgow Green on Saturday August 11 will again be televised by BBC Scotland and shown later.
The update on the grading of bands in Northern Ireland are as follows: Finvoy will now compete in Grade 3A; Quinn Memorial in Grade 3B; Howard Memorial in Grade 3A; and Cleland Memorial in Grade 4B. The newly formed Enniskillen Pipe Band, who requested grading this season, will be competing in Grade 4B.
Tom Wallace, who has been a familiar figure at the entrance gate of competitions for some 30 years now, has decided to retire from this position. It is intended to present Tom with a certificate for his long and faithful service as a Stewart of the Northern Ireland branch.
Two extra dates to be added to the Officials and Programme Events book-[et for 2007 are as following: The Saintfield Full Band Indoor competition will take place on Saturday
April 28 in Saintfield High School. Contact Jonathan McCaughtry on telephone 9056 7387 for entry forms nr further details. And also an extra competition to be held on June 30 will be the Newtownards
Championships.
The 78th Annual General Meeting of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association took place on Saturday March 10 in Glasgow.
Although there was a small number in attendance the meeting was very constructive and encouraging.
There were 37 changes of rules on the order paper, which were mostly dealing with changes to the playing requirements and competition formations. The majority of these were passed including that in the future there would be an annual rise in subscription in line with inflation and subject to a minimum of 5%.
A meeting of the Northern Ireland Branch of the RSPBA will take place on March 24 at Trinity Methodist Complex, Knockmore Road Lisburn, where details arising from the AGM in Glasgow will be discussed.
The Belvoir Drum Majors will hold their annual Display and Presentation of Certificates in Belvoir Parish Church Hall on Friday March 23 commencing at 8pm.
Inspecting Officer will be Alastair Patterson, the reigning world champion.
Guest of Honour will be the patron of the Northern Ireland Branch Lord Erne and Lady Erne.
Castlerock Pipe Band will be presenting the Rev. William McCrea in a concert at Limavady High School on Saturday March 24 at 7.30pm The host band will also be appearing in the evening show. For tickets, which are £5, telephone 078 01 883816 or pay at door.
Ulster Star
23/03/2007
