IT was a time when much of the world was struggling to come to terms with the end of the Second World War. Yet despite the global turmoil of 1947, here in Strabane, a group of young men had other things on their mind. Namely making music.
One of those men was Tommy Barr and chatting to him today it is obvious that he is a man very much at ease with the world.
Despite his 76 years, Tommy still has that glint in his eye that tells you he is enjoying himself now as much as he did when he first donned the uniform of St Joseph's Brass Band back in 1947.
Along with well known musicians such as Billy Bonner, Pat Early, Micky McCrossan, Roger Gallagher and George Early, Tommy helped found St Joseph's. But as the former fireman explained, one of Strabane's greatest legacies was born out of surprise beginnings.
"I actually began with St Eugene's Brass Band when I was 11 years old. I was at school at Barrack Street and three of my mates, Jack Harte, Danny McMenamin and Willie Maguire said they were joining the band and I just tagged along. Over the next couple of years I learnt to play the cornet, which incidentally I still have today. Then in 1947, a split began to form in St Eugene's and about a dozen of us decided to form our own band, St Joseph's. And that was how it all began," Tommy explained.
The band was officially formed in 1947 and it wasn't long before success came their way.
"Our first competition was in Monaghan. At the time there was a much bigger brass band scene in the south than the north, so we were the only band from Northern Ireland involved in the competition and we came second. We were over the moon," he said.
As has long been the case, work in Strabane was scarce, but it was one of Tommy's other major talents that helped subsidise his labourers wage – football.
"I was working as a labourer to John Gamble in the early 1950's and at the same time I was playing professionally as a centre half with Sligo Rovers. You got £6 for playing and if the team won, you got £9. It made a fair bit of difference back then.
"But work was light and you took what you could get. So at the age of 20, myself and two friends headed for England where we found work in the Wigan Steel Factory and I got on the then non-league Wigan football team. They were hard times and the band took a back seat for a year. I remember my mother telling me that the other band members came looking for my cornet while I was away but she told them no way, because I would be back. And she was right. A year later I was back in Strabane and playing with the band again," Tommy explained.
The years went by and St Joseph's found success up and down the country while always forming a major part of any local event. As the Troubles came and work got even more scarce, the band often found itself with little more than a dozen members, but they always managed.
"The Troubles never seemed to bother us too much. I remember us playing alongside bands from Artigarvan and Bready and we never let religion get in the way. Our attitude was that if you could play, you were welcome. A musician was a musician, whatever creed or colour," he said.
The dark days of thee seventies gave way to the somewhat less turbulent eighties and St Joseph's enjoyed something of a Renaissance.
More and more members started to show an interest and by the early nineties, the ranks of St Joseph's were bulging with young musicians eager to get involved. Today the band boasts over 100 members and their Music For Youth training programme continues to ensure the high standard that St Joseph's has become synonymous with. From its humble beginnings in a hall in a Strabane back street, the band today regularly showcase their talents in parades and competitions across the UK and beyond.
That is no small part down to Tommy Barr, who, armed with only his euphonium and an extremely proud smile, still forms an integral part of the band.
Looking back on the highlights of 60 years, he said: "The highlights were always when we won a competition and the atmosphere it created. The comradeship among the band members was fantastic and it is what has made us stand from other bands over the years. When someone left, you did literally lose a friend and I made so many friends over the years. Many of them have passed on now, but there was some great times."
And it looks like the Barr influence will continue to resonate through the St Joseph's ranks for many years to come. Today Tommy has two sons and eight grandchildren all playing their part in the band, while his daughter and two other grandchildren regularly turn out as part of the Waterford Brass Band.
Meanwhile a few of the older hands from the band can still be found every Wednesday evening in Felix's Bar, meeting under the guise of the St Joseph's Philosophical Debating Society for a pint and laugh. And no doubt there is many a tale to tell.
