New Ross Pipe Band -News

The band is currently rehearsing for its annual Celtic Weave concert which will be held in Saint Michael's Theatre, New Ross on Saturday 10th. December. The concert will be a mixture of old favourites and new tunes with singing, dancing, traditional Irish music to complement the show.
Book online now.

The band is organising a Cabaret night in the Brandon House Hotel , New Ross, on Saturday 28th. May to help fund its visit to the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow. The band will perform itself and will have a number of guest groups including The Waxies and Darran Byrne. Other gustes will be added as we confirm their participation. Tickets are €10 each and are available from any band member or from the Brandon House Hotel.

The band will be running a coach to the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow in August - departing early Thursday morning and returning Sunday evening. Return fare from New Ross is €100 . There are 8 seats left on the coach. If interested email Brian . Non-band members will be required to organise their own accommodation. The band is booked into the Glasgow Euro-Hostel for the three nights.

Any band member who needs a new kilt or jacket , please download the measurement form and return to Brian MacMahon as soon as possible.

The band's annual sponsored walk will now take place on Sunday 30th. January 2011. The original walk close to Christmas had to be postponed due to extreme weather. . Click here for a full description of the walk and for details of how to get a sponsor card.

Over the Christmas period the band has a number of recitals and appearances planned. We are playing in the 'Wexford on Stage' Show in Wexford Opera House on Tuesday 7th. December for a charity event. Proceeds from the show are in aid of the Opera House itself. It's a truly wonderful venue and well worth the visit.

In New Ross, we will be doing the usual round of the local hospitals and churches on Sunday 19th. December. On Christmas Eve we will be busking at various locations in the morning and then at 3.00 p.m. we will do our traditional parade across the town and give a 30 minute recital at the Tholsel. Come along and get into the Christmas spirit!

The Pipe Band will be performing a 20 minute segment of the Celtic Weave concert in the Opera House in Wexford on 7th. December.
The show is called 'Wexford On Stage'- Music, drama, dance and who knows perhaps a little humour? This is about everyone coming together and finding something to cheer us as the days shorten and the night closes in. All proceeds from this fundraising event will go towards clearing the final capital debt on Wexford Opera House Participating Groups include: Tony Carty ; Castlebridge Gospel Choir ; Ceol Loch Garman;Confraternity Band Wexford ; County Wexford Youth Theatre ; Discovering Drama;Eoin Colfer ; Joanne McCabe ; Loch Garman Band ; Marketa Malcova's School of Singing ; New Ross & District Pipe Band ; The Wexford Pop Choir ; Wexford Light Opera Society; Wexford Pantomime Society ;Wexford School of Ballet & Modern Dance. The New Ross and District Pipe Band is he only New Ross representative at the concert which is mainly based around Wexford Town and it is a great honour for the band to be included in the event.

New Ross and District Pipe Band held its annual ‘Celtic Weave’ concert in St. Michael’s Theatre on Saturday night 20th. November. Once again , the show was a sell out and the band entertained a very appreciative audience with a mix of music from the Celtic nations of Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, Asturias and Galicia. As well as show casing the New Ross and District Pipe Band , the show included a number of guest singers , musicians and dancers. These included Linda Grace Cox (Vocals) , Toni Asple (Vocals), Darran Byrne (Vocals, bodhran and guitar ) , Joann Murray (tin whistle and pipes) Mark Comerford (Vocals & Guitar ), Keith O’Neill (keyboard and bass guitar) , Fiachra MacMahon (kit drum) , Chloe Stafford (Irish Dancing) , John Fleming(electric guitar and mandolin) and Terry Brennan (Tin Whistle) .

Quite a number of this year’s audience were attending the Celtic Weave concert for the first time and many people were quite amazed by the entertainment provided and by the effectiveness of the mix between traditional instruments and modern instruments. The audience consisted of many locals but also of music enthusiasts from Cork , Waterford and Dublin and from Holland and France.
One of the themes of this year’s show was to highlight the young musicians and singers of New Ross and in particular to highlight the progression being made by young musicians within the band and also in the lcoal CBS Primary School which has traditionally provided many of the band’s members.
The CBS Choir under the direction of Eanna McKenna and Michele Quinlivan gave a beautiful rendition of two traditional songs . The choir has a beautiful tone and pitch and the audience were most impressed by the lovely sound provided.
A second highlight was the performance by members of the band who are also members of the Irish National Youth Pipe Band. The mini group of David Doyle, Diarmuid Butler, Sarah O’Connor , Clifford Roche and Brian O’Callaghan gave a rousing rendition of ‘The Steam Train from Mallaig’ – a specially composed suite for pipes. The piece was arranged and conducted by David Doyle.
The band has been concentrating on building up its youth section over the past three years and it is now planning to enter competitions again, beginning with the All Ireland and European Pipe Band Championships next summer. The band plans to follow that up with a number of competitions in Scotland the following summer. The band is still actively recruiting young people who are interested in playing either pipes or drums. The band practices in the CBS Primary School every Tuesday night from 7.00 to 10.00 and on Saturday evenings from 5.00 to 8.00 . The band also welcomes adult recruits.

The next band concert takes place in St. Michael's Theatre , New Ross, on Saturday 20th. November. For the concert , the band has introduced at least 50% new material including Breton , Asrturian and Galician Celtic Music . The programme is really quite exciting . All members are extremely busy rehearsing at the moment .
Book Online now for the concert! Tickets €10

The band has been asked to open a forthcoming concert in St. Michael's Theatre , New Ross.

Spirit of the Convict Women Transported to Australia

Roses From The Heart Tour of Ireland with Christina Henri Convict Women Historian/Artist from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Featuring: Fred Rea, Sean Roche, Maria Forde & The New Ross District Pipe Band & Guests.
See poster

The band is curently considering a visit to Australia in the Summer of 2011. The plan is to spend three weeks there, visiting and playing in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney. Approximate cost is €1400 for players , partners, parents. View all the details.

The sponsored walk scheduled for 28th. December had to be postponed duie to heavy freezing and dangerous footpaths and roads. The walk is now re-scheduled for Good Friday 2nd. April 2010. Meet in the Irishtown at 10.00 a.m. Walking from Clashganny on the River Barrow to St. Mullins . 3 to 4 hours of walking on the level! Easy! Sponsor Cards available from Brian
We have a lot of uniforms and equipment to purchase this year for our junior members, so a big effort would be appreciated.

The New Ross and District Pipe Band will had a busy schedule over the Christmas period. On Sunday 20th. December , the band will play outside the Parish church between the 11.00 and 12.00 Masses.
The band will then proceed to both local hospitals where they will give recitals for the patients and staff.
On Christmas Eve the band will do its annual parade from the Quay , then across South Street to the Tholsel where they will give a 30 minute performance of Christmas Carols and festive songs. This has become an annual event with up to 300 people attending at the Tholsel to enjoy the music. The band recital always adds greatly to the atmosphere in New Ross on Christmas Eve and as many people as possible are encouraged to come into town on the day and enjoy the festivities.
On Monday 28th. December , the band will hold its annual guided sponsored walk. This year the walk is along the Barrow Way from Clashganny to St. Mullins. This is always an enjoyable event and helps raise badly needed funds for the band as well as helping many people to burn off all the Christmas calories! The walk starts from Clashganny at 11.00 a.m. and is approximately six miles long. Transport can be provided from New Ross for anyone who doesn’t have their own car and cars are also available to ferry drivers/walkers back to where they parked . Anyone interested in joining in on the walk or in taking a sponsor card should contact Brian MacMahon on 0868326316 or any member of the pipe band.

The band's recent concert in St. Michael's Theatre was a huge success and a complete sell out. On Saturday evening of the concert, the theatre actually had a waiting list of people looking for returned tickets. It was a memorable occasion as it was a tribute to the late Frank Saunders and it was the occasion for many ex-members of the band to come out of retirement and participate in that tribute. Thanks to all the players who did so. It was a great tribute to Frank as was the large contingent of young players now within the band structure. As well as the contingent of guest drummers, the band was joined by Jean Louis Caoudal and Alain Finot from Lorient , France, Stephen Creighton and a number of other drummers from the St. Laurence O'Toole Pipe Band in Dublin and by a group of players from the FCA Pipe Band in New Ross as well as Gavin and Victoria from Scotland.