Musket firing and stirring music was the order of the day on Saturday last the 21^st of August when Ardee Concert Band and the muskets of the Bellew Regiment got together to perform the final stages of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture complete with accompanying musket fire to replicate the canons used in the original performance of this great piece of music.

This was performed at the request of Brian Bellew  and it was so successful that it was performed twice! The setting was the beautiful lawns of Barmeath Castle where the band gave a recital at a garden party hosted by the Bellew Family to raise much needed funds for the restoration of the church organ in the Church of Ireland in Dunleer.

This was a very special day for nine of Ardee Concert Band’s newest recruits. The young musician’s namely Daren Kirk, Fern McCarron, Joseph Halpin, Emily Cox, Mark Gilmore, Ciaran McLoughlin, Ciara O Callaghan, Niamh McCormack, and Sean Clare will always remember their first public performance with the senior band as it went with a BANG!!!

As part of the afternoon’s entertainment there was a display of firearms by the  members of the Bellew Regiment who re-enact battles of the Willamitte / Jacobite era of Irish history, some of them dressed in the Bellew Regiment uniform of the time.

The band played a variety of music to entertain the large audience. The weather held up well despite the short shower, which stopped the recital for a short while. Everyone had afternoon tea on the lawns and guided tours of the beautiful gardens were ongoing, all in all it was a great day for all concerned.

The bands next outing will be on Sunday next 28^th of August from 2-4pm in Farmleigh in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, a very prestigious venue and a favourite of the band members.

- New Bandstand Christened on Ardee’s Fairgreen

At long last, Ardee finally got a Bandstand, albeit, a temporary one provided by the Ardee Turfman Festival committee. On Sunday last, August 1^st 2010, it was a sight to behold to see such crowds on the Fairgreen with gazebos, bouncy castles and Boy Scout tents. This was complemented by the entertaining music provided by bands from the North East Region who christened the bandstand in style. The bands were in Ardee as invited guests of Ardee Concert Band who hosted a Band Festival as part of their 150^th  celebrations.

The afternoon’s music kicked off at 2pm with a performance by the Ardee Youth Band conducted by John Gaynor. This is a 45 strong group of Ardee Concert Band members aged between ten and fourteen years who have been learning instruments for approximately two years and would hope one day to progress into the senior band. For eleven of this group, Sunday was their last performance with the Youth Band as their next one will be with the Senior band. The Ardee Concert Band is very proud of its Youth Band who currently hold a national title as winners of Section 4 (Junior bands) of the National Band Championships, which they won at the University of Limerick Concert Hall earlier this year.

St Mary’s Brass and Reed Band from Kingscourt were second to perform and even though they had several members away on holidays, they were ably substituted by some members of Ardee. The Kingscourt band recently performed very successfully at the South of Ireland Band Championships in Clonakilty. They played a very entertaining programme and were conducted by Sean Brennan.

Drogheda was well represented by both the Lourdes Brass Band and the Drogheda Brass Band. The Lourdes band, who hosted last years Band Festival as it was their 50^th celebrations, were conducted by Harry Kelly. The Lourdes Band members always enjoy their trips to Ardee, as they are frequent performers in the Ardee St Patrick’s Day Parade.

The Drogheda Brass Band performed 4^th and they were conducted by guest conductor James McCafferty as their usual conductor was on holidays. This shows the lengths that the bands will go to support one another and the great comradely between them. Drogheda Brass Band played a varied programme with several soloists taking the stand.

The final band to perform was the hosts, Ardee Concert Band conducted by Harry Kelly. The band’s programme was light and entertaining including some of the pieces they performed on their recent trip to Prague. One of the most popular pieces of the afternoon was “The Galway Girl” arranged by band member Paul O’Brien. There was plenty of hand clapping and audience participation throughout the whole afternoon and despite the slight shower early in the proceedings, the weather was lovely and the audience, which was very large, stayed for the whole three-hour show.

A band festival wouldn’t be a band festival without the culmination of all the bands in a massed band parade. It was a wonderful sight to see all the bands, over 100 musicians, playing together through the main street led by the two members of the Garda Mounted Unit followed by Ardee band member Peter McKeever who was acting Staff Major for the day and a colour party of flags. The sound of the massed band reverberated up the town, which drew many people out to hear them. The bands did a counter march outside the castle and returned to the Fairgreen to disband.  Ardee Concert Band provided refreshments for those taking part in the Band Festival and their supporters. The tea ladies were members of the committee and some parents who were on their feet all afternoon and did a wonderful job. Ardee band members donated most of the food, which was scrumptious. The visiting bands were presented with glass plaques as a memento of their day and the 150^th celebration, by chairman Austin Nevin. The proceedings were announced by Master of Ceremonies for the day Paddy Ward able assisted by John Nevin on sound.  All in all it was a fantastic success, which complemented the Turfman Festival, and the Bandstand was well and truly christened.

 Future Engagements in August 2010

Ardee Concert Band is taking a short break but not for long as they are performing at a Garden Party in Barmeath Castle on the 21^st of August and in Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park on the 29^th , both very prestigious engagements. “Ardee Concert Band would like to thank all those who helped in any way at their Band Festival” says PRO Fiona Reilly, “especially the visiting bands and the audience”. A special mention to those who help at the band’s weekly bingo, as they had to be at the Bohemian for the special “Festival Bingo” on Sunday evening, now there’s dedication!

On Sunday August 1^st , Ardee will be a busy town as Turfman Festival activities are going on and as part of this, there will be Band Festival at the Fairgreen. The local Ardee Concert Band is celebrating it’s 150th anniversary this year. As part of these celebrations the band decided to host the regional Band Festival. The regional Band Festival goes around the different bands in the North East Region. Last year the Lourdes Brass Band in Drogheda hosted the Band Festival as they celebrated 50th years, a mere baby compared with the Ardee veterans. The Band Festival usually involves a number of other bands from the area coming together to perform individually and together. Ardee Band hopes this festival will complement the Turfman Festival and enhance it.

The Band Festival is due to kick off down at the Fairgreen at 2pm. There will be five bands involved in this year’s festival and each of the bands will give light entertaining recitals. The Turfman Festival committee are providing a stage which hopefully will become a permanent feature of the Fairgreen for band recitals and other entertainment.

The first band to start the afternoon’s proceedings with a 20-minute performance is the Ardee Youth Band conducted by John Gaynor. This group consists of 45 young members of Ardee Concert Band, all between the ages of 10 and 14 years. In April 2010, this group had fantastic success when they took 1^st prize in Section 4 of the National Band Championships held in the University of Limerick Concert Hall.

The second band will be our neighbours, St Mary’s Brass and Reed Band from Kingscourt, conducted by Sean Brennan. They recently performed very successfully in the South Of Ireland Band Championships held in Clonakilty.

Thirdly, there will be a performance by the Lourdes Brass Band from Drogheda, conducted by Harry Kelly, who recently took overall 3^rd prize in the South Of Ireland Band Championships. They will be followed by the Drogheda Brass Band conducted by James McCafferty who are current holders of the top prizes in the National Band Championships held in Limerick earlier this year.

The hosts Ardee Concert Band conducted by Harry Kelly will perform the finale. Ardee are the current holders of a number of national titles won at the National Band Championships in Limerick and at the North of Ireland Band Championships held in Armagh and they will bring the recitals to a resounding close at about 5pm.

The highlight of any Band Festival is the Massed Band Parade where all of the bands come together into one big band to parade through the streets. The bands will play several well-known marches. The massed band parade is due to start from the Fairgreen at 5.15pm approx.

As there will be lots of other activities around the town and particularly in the Fairgreen, the bands hope to have good audiences, what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Admission is free and all are welcome

The Brass Bohemia festival  (http://www.ifbbohemia.cz/brass2010.html)

has been running now for about six years and is so well organised that everything ran like clockwork. The Brass Bohemia organisers, Jiri, Josef and Aleana, and our own organising committee of Jen, Dermot, Niall and Fiona left no stone unturned to make sure everything went to plan.

Our flight went perfectly and we were met at Prague airport by two English speaking guides, Dana and Dagmar, and buses to take us to the fabulous 4-star Hotel Panorama.

On Friday morning it was off to the city centre and set up for a march into the Staromeske Namesti (Old Town Square). The feeling of marching through the streets of this ancient city, led by our veteran Staff Major, Paddy Ward, and then into the Old Town Square was fantastic. A forty minute recital on the stage on the square, under the direction of our conductor of 29 years, Harry Kelly, followed and we drew the attention of the large numbers of tourists by opening up with the Emerson Lake and Palmer’s rock version of Fanfare for the Common Man.  In the evening, a walking guided tour of the Old Town, followed by dinner, and then a boat trip on the Vltava River satisfied everyone. The accordionist on the boat trip allowed our chairman, Austin Nevin, to play some Irish reels and jigs and we had our own version of Riverdance when two of our younger members, Leeanne Gaynor and Clodagh McClean, showed our traditional Irish dancing to great effect.  Also on the boat were members of a band from Norway, some of whom we can now call good friends.

On Saturday morning, it was off to the north east to the city of Nymburk for a parade and a recital.  The parade included all visiting bands and groups of majorettes and we marched into the main square where we all formed up and played Skoda Lasky (better know as Roll Out The Barrel) which was conducted by Joseph Vejvoda, the son of the composer, Vladimar Vejvoda.

After an official presentation ceremony and lunch, we all headed down to the most beautiful park, the Pod Hradbami, with the river Elbe on one side and the city walls on the other, where each band gave a well-received 40 minute recital.  The music, the sunshine, the food stalls, the people, (and the beer stall!) all conspired to make this afternoon one of the most memorable in the band’s long and illustrious history.

Back to Prague for a short rest and then bussed to the Don Giovanni Hotel for a Gala Dinner. Large screens showing slide shows of all of the pictures that can now be seen on the Brass Bohemia website were very well received. The Buffet dinner was excellent and the house band provided music to midnight.

Back at our own hotel, our chairman, Austin, took to the keyboard and with the help of some excellent guitarists, Betty and Anne, we sang our hearts out until 4am. So much hidden talent that we had not seen before!

Sunday was a free day and gave time for everyone to sight-see or watch the world cup or relax.  An orderly retreat to the airport at 7.30 and a final arrival back in Ardee at 12.30am ended what for us was a fantastic weekend.

A party of seventy members and supporters of Ardee Concert Band are travelling to Prague in the Chez Republic on Thursday 24^th of June 2010. The band were delighted to be invited to take part in this international festival as they will not only be representing Ardee but as they are the only Irish band taking part, they will also be representing Ireland. This trip is one of the events planned by the band as a way of celebrating 150 years of music making in Ardee.

The 41 playing members of the band will quite literally fly the flag for the town as they march into the Old Town Square in Prague on Friday morning, led by Staff Major Paddy Ward, the five flag bearers will carry the Ardee, Louth, Leinster, Irish and the European flags. The band will also play a selection of Irish marches. This will be followed by a forty-minute sit down recital in the square. The band will follow the same performance itinerary in Nymburk, a city sixty kilometres away, on Saturday the 25^th.  The band will join other bands from Norway, Sweden and the Chez Republic in a massed band to play “Roll Out the Barrel”, which was composed by a gentleman called Jaromir Vejvoda a native of that city. The son of this composer, Josef Vejvoda will conduct the massed bands, this will be some spectacle and a great privilege.

The band has been very busy preparing for this trip by rehearsing the programme of music for their performances.  The organising committee consisting of Jenny McKeever, Niall Doherty, Dermot Murray and Fiona Reilly, ably assisted by Kevin Reilly and Peter McKeever in the final stages, have gone to great lengths to ensure that everything goes well on the trip. Harry Kelly will conduct the band for the forty-minute recitals. The programme consists of Irish music and entertaining well-known pieces.

The band members range in age from fourteen to seventy six. Unfortunately not all playing members were able to travel, one band member was booked to go but had to cancel due to work commitments. “The band will be sorry to travel without these members and we will miss them, however we are delighted to have a past member Anthony McArdle home from Sydney Australia travelling and performing with us” says P.R.O. Fiona Reilly. Band committee members travelling are Chairman Austin Nevin, Brenda Clare, Tom Lennon, Anne O’Brien and Martina Browne. The rest of the party consists of partners, parents and siblings who are accompanying them on the trip. The non-players will march behind the band waving Irish flags donated by the St Patrick’s Day Committee. The band fly home on Sunday evening 27^th June.

Ardee Concert Band has a long and eventful history, but never before has there been so much excitement among its members and supporters. On Saturday 17^th of April both the Senior Band and Youth Band travelled to the fabulous University Concert Hall in Limerick to perform in the National Band Championships. This journey was well worth the effort as both bands succeeded in winning first place in their individual sections. The senior band has won many competitions over the years and indeed has held many National titles however, a double win is a fantastic achievement and one very few Irish bands can aspire to.

The youth band performed a piece of own choice titled “Pirates of the Caribbean at Worlds End” by Hans Zimmer and test piece “The Piper of Brafferton” by Fergal Carroll.  John Gaynor conducted the thirty-six strong Ardee Youth Band. They range in age from eleven to fourteen years. The adjudicator Tim Reynish complemented them on a very musical performance. These young members have worked very hard and attended extra rehearsals over the Easter holidays to attain such a high standard and indeed John Gaynor is to be complemented on his dedication as he works with this group in a voluntary capacity.

The senior band conducted by Harry Kelly performed a piece of own choice titled Virginia by Jacob de Hann and test piece Winter Dances also composed by Fergal Carroll. As with the Youth Band, the forty strong Senior Band attended extra rehearsals over the recent weeks. Accustomed to doing well at competitions the members of the Senior Band were delighted with winning, however, they were much more excited about the Youth Band’s achievement than their own. It was a great weekend for the many parents, spouses and committee members who made the trip to Limerick to support the bands.

Results (out of 150)

Section 4 Concert

Ardee Concert Youth Band 129

Knocklion Intermediate Band 122,

Finglas Concert Band 119,

Rathfarnham Concert Junior Band 115;

Section 2 Concert -

Ardee Concert Band 134,

Ballincollig Concert Band 131,

Fermoy Concert Band 129,

Knocklion Concert Band 127,

Boherbuoy Brass & Reed Band, Limerick 126,

Lucan Concert Band 122

Banna Chluain Mella 117.

Section 1 Concert was won once again by Dublin Concert Band and  Section 3 Concert was won by Clondalkin Youth Band also conducted by Harry Kelly.

St Patricks Day

Once again, Ardee Concert Band led the parade on St Patrick’s Day in Ardee. The 40 strong senior band fronted by Staff Major Paddy Ward played a selection of traditional band marches and Irish tunes. This year for the first time the band were followed by some of their junior members and committee. St Patrick’s Day is always a bit hectic for the band as they also played at twelve o clock mass for their deceased members.

Collection

This coming Saturday and Sunday, the band members and committee will be out once again as it is their Church Gate Collection at all masses in Ardee and Ballapousta. The people of the town and surrounding areas are always very generous to the band, these are tough times for everyone and the band provides an outlet for many of the towns teenagers and children, teaching them music and providing leisure activities for them. As recently as 7^th February,  65 young people were taken on a trip to Bowling & Quasar in Blanchardstown accompanied by some committee members and volunteer parents.

National Band Championships

Both the Ardee Concert Youth Band and Ardee Concert Senior Band will travel to Limerick on April 17^th for the National Band Championships with the Youth Band entering the section four of the competition and the senior band entering section two. The band room is a hive of activity and this will intensify over the Easter holidays with extra rehearsals and sectionals. Before the senior members have time to draw a breath they will be straight into rehearsing for the summer programme.

Prague

This year the programme will have to be extra varied and entertaining, as the band have been invited to represent not only the town but also the country in Prague at the end of June in one of the major band festivals in Europe, the Brass Bohemia Festival, more about this later.

Grade Exams

52 members will sit the grade exams of the Royal Irish Academy of Music on Thursday, 13th and Friday, 14th of May. Fourteen of these started on instruments last September and these will all sit Grade 1.  The remainder are from the Youth band or the Senior band and these will sit various grades up to Grade 8.

Ensembles

Once again, Ardee Concert Band hosted the Annual Ensemble Competition organised by the North Eastern Region of the Irish Association of Brass and Concert Bands in the Bohemian Centre, Ardee, on Sunday, 21^st Feb 2010.  13 groups took part in four sections, under 14, under 18, Intermediate and Open representing bands from Kingscourt, Navan, Mullingar, Drogheda and Ardee. The adjudicator Brendan Breslin, assistant conductor of Dublin Concert Band, complimented the high standard. Please see our Photo Gallery for photos of the event

Results:
Under-14
1st: Ardee Concert Band (Niamh McCormack, Aine Clarke, Emer Maguire, Ciara O’Callaghan) Melody (Chopin) 85
2nd: Ardee Concert Band (Liam Taaffe, Darren Kirk, Robert Finnegan, Simon Cox) Big Brass Band (James Power) 83
3rd: St.Mary’s Brass & Reed Band, Kingscourt (Michelle Duff, Niamh Martin, Cecilia O’Reilly, Patricia Kennedy, Katie Oates) Au Clair de La Lune 81
Under-18
1st: Drogheda Brass Band (Conor Rothwell, Grace English, Eoin Tunstead, Amy Townley, Stephen Conlan, Ian McCormack) Danserye (Tylman Susato, arr. Nicholas Hare) 85
2nd: Ardee Concert Band (Niamh McCormack, Mark Gilmore, Cathal Flanagan, Ciaran McLoughlin) Zampa (Herold) 84
3rd: Mullingar Town Band (Danielle Hope, Laura Monaghan, Andreea Butnarin, Chantelle Delahoy) March Romaine (Gounod, arr. Elton E. Burgstahler) 83
4th: Ardee Concert Band (Emily Cox, Fern McCarron, Joseph Halpin) Sarabanda (Arcangello Corelli) 82
Intermediate
1st: Mullingar Town Band (Kim Magee, Dearbhla Murray, Aoife Beglin, Sarah Cummins) The Entertainer (Scott Joplin, arr. Harold L. Walters) 86
2nd: Mullingar Town Band (Greg Mimnagh Dunne, Ross Gavin, Padraig Beglin, Pauric Murray) Song of the Lark (F. Mendelssohn, trans. H. Voxman) 85
3rd: Mullingar Town Band (Sharon Barrett, Zoe Farrell, Adam Collins, Damien Kirby) Finale from String Quartet No. 14 (W.A. Mozart arr. Robert Willaman) 83
Open
1st: Ardee Concert Band (John Gaynor, Dermot Murray, Vincent McArdle, Mark McLoughlin, Kevin Reilly, Niall Doherty) Renaissance Dances (Tylman Susato) 90
2nd: Ardee Concert Band (John Gaynor, Dermot Murray, Peter McKeever, Mark McLoughlin, Oisin Clarke, Vincent McArdle, Fiona Reilly, Kevin Reilly) Sonata Pian’e Forte (Giovanni Gabrielli) 89
3rd: Navan Silver Band (Heather Deegan, Claire O’Halloran, Grainne McNally, Shane Smyth) Grandfather’s Clock (Trad. arr. Michael Brand) 87

Quasar & Bowling

So far, 65 members under 18 and 8 adult members/helpers/parents have signed up to travel on our outing to Quasar and Bowling in Blanchardstown on 7^th March 2010. The bus will leave the bandroom at 1.30pm and anyone wishing to go should contact one of our Youth Committee, Fiona Reilly (086.6861647), Sinead Nutley or Clodagh McClean.

National Band Championships

The Championships will once again be held in the UL Concert Hall in Limerick this year. We will have two bands entering, our Senior Band in Section 2 and our Youth Band in Section 4.  Both bands are due to play on Saturday 17^th April.

Presentation Night and AGM

A very successful Presentation Night and AGM took place in the Bohemian Centre on Friday 26^th February at 7.30pm. The night involved performances by our Recorder Group and Youth Band interspersed with presentations of 54 grade certificates and 40 medals to members of the Senior Band for winning the Championship section of the NIBA Contest on 31^st October 2009.  All members were also presented with a copy of the photographic project “Concert Band” which used Ardee Concert Band as a study.  Our AGM followed and the night closed at 9pm with refreshments for all.