There was great success for Fermanagh Pipe Bands and Drum Majors at the British Championships held last Saturday in the Ballymena Show Grounds, Ballymena, Co. Antrim.
In the Grade 4A competition, Killadeas and Derryclavin Pipe Bands competed and qualified for the Grade 4A Final. Killadeas Pipe Band won the Grade 4A British Championships crown and also won the Best Drums in the grade. Killadeas Pipe Band was under the direction of Pipe Major Mark Dunlop and Leading Drummer, Ian Marshall.
Derryclavin Pipe Band, under the direction of Pipe Major Gordon McKeown, achieved 4th place in Grade 4A. This was the first Major competition that Derryclavin Pipe Band has ever competed in, with immediate success.
In the Grade 4B competition, the Irvine Memorial (Clabby) Pipe Band qualified for the Grade 4B Final but the band was unfortunate not to make the prize list. The Irvine Memorial Pipe Band was under the direction of Piper Major Neil Strong.
In the Drum Majors Competition, David Brownlee and Lauren McKeown, both from Derryclavin Pipe Band represented Co. Fermanagh.
David Brownlee qualified through the heats for the Senior Drum Majors Final in which David achieved 3rd place in the Senior Drum Majors Section.
Lauren McKeown is a Novice Drum Major but had to compete in the Junior Section as there is no Novice Section for Major Championships. Lauren had a great performance and achieved a creditable 8th place in the Junior Section.
The competition attracted 130 Pipe Bands and 70 Drum Majors from all over the UK and further afield. The Fermanagh Section of the Pipe Band Association was delighted with the performance and results of the Fermanagh Bands and Drum Majors.
The Bands and Drum Majors will now take a short competition break before the next championships at Newcastle, Co. Down for the all-Ireland Championships.
Last week Killadeas' success continued.
The band which competes in Grade 4A has won the Co Antrim Championships at Antrim Town, The Mid Ulster Championships at Cookstown and last week end took The Co Down Championships at Banbridge.
The band is under the direction of Pipe Major Mark Dunlop and leading Drummer Ian Marshall.
Fermanagh has currently three other bands which compete at Championships events including Derryclavin Pipe Band in Grade 4A, Moybrone and Irvine Memorial Pipe Bands compete in the Grade 4B.
The Fermanagh Section of the Pipe Band Association has released the DVD of the Co Fermanagh Championships that were held in Enniskillen on the 26th May 2007.
