The bands annual flag day takes place this Saturday 14th June all day in Drogheda Town and its surrounding areas so watch out for our members and please support our good cause.

It’s once again that time of the year. Schools are finished, exams almost completed and Summer Sounds is just a month away. Once again the band are delighted to announce that Alan Bourne accompanied by his wife Claire and tutor Alice Jones will return to take the Senior and Junior Band through their paces. This for many is the highlight of the year and this year will be no different. The course begins on Saturday 19th July and will run right through till Friday 25th when the band will give a concert in a venue that has yet to be decided but keep a date free in your diary as this is one show you don’t want to miss!

Following the bands very successful National Brass Band Championships the band received an email from non other than Paul Lovatt-Cooper who is the composer of The Dark Side of the Moon, the piece the band played on their way to Championship glory this year. Paul commented on how happy he was that the band had won the championships and also at his delight that it was the Irish Premiere of the piece also. Paul has really has become the man of the moment on the brass band scene and really has got a Golden Pen at the moment.

<>The band really enjoyed performing his work so much so that they have now began rehearsing another one of his pieces  Vitae Aeternum and they hope to give yet another Irish Premiere very soon so watch this space!

Drogheda Brass Band take to the stage of Droichead Arts Centre for what promises to be their best ever concert on Wednesday, May 14th, next at 8pm.The band have prepared a multimedia interactive concert based around the Drogheda premiere of Paul Lovatt Cooper’s fantastic ‘Dark Side of the Moon’, which the band played as part of their title-winning performance at the national championships in Limerick in March.The entire concert will be based around the moon and space and expect to hear fantastic tunes from ‘Also Sprach Zarathustra’ and Hoagy Carmichael’s ‘Stardust’ through to more modern numbers like ‘Apollo 13′ and David Bowie’s ‘Life on Mars’.Admission to this fantastic event is onle five euro and tickets are available from Droichead Arts Centre box office on 041-9875140.

Drogheda Brass Band’s recent National Band Championships of Ireland victory in Limerick has seen the band rise to number 127 in the world on the website 4barsrest.com top 200 rankings.Check out the Irish bands below, with links for the top 200 included on the page  http://www.4barsrest.com/rankings/list.asp?region=Ireland 

Drogheda Brass Band created their own piece of history on Saturday March 29th, 2008, by retaining the national brass band title for the first time in their 120 year history.Having won the title in New Ross last year after a seven year gap, the band travelled to University Concert Hall, Limerick, on Saturday last for their date with destiny at the Irish Association of Brass and Concert Band (IABCB) contest.The band played Paul Lovatt Cooper’s ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ as their own choice piece and the set piece was Michael Ball’s ‘Chaucer’s Tunes’.There was added pressure on both competing bands (the other being Arklow Shipping Silver Band) as Michael Ball was also the adjudicatoron the day.The fantastic venue and wonderful acoustics appeared to lift the band to a terrific performance and at the end of their choice piece there was an unprecedented extended round of applause.Arklow Shipping Silver Band played ‘A Moorside Suite’ by Gustav Holst as their choice piece.Following speeches by IACBC chairman Lorcan Daly, Mayor of Limerick Ger Fahy and adjudicator Michael Ball, it was down to the results.Drogheda Brass Band received 45 (out of 50) for their choice piece and 85 (out of 100) for the test piece for a total of 130, while Arklow received 41 and 83 for a total of 124.There were great celebrations amongst the members, many of whom are very young, and the band stayed over in Limerick to celebrate.’It really is a fantastic achievement for the band,’ said a spokesperson. ‘To retain this title is a huge boost for the band and it really is exciting times ahead with our new premises hopefully open for the end of this year.’All credit must go to our musical director Michael Maher who has been the driving force behind this resurgence in recent times and I’m sure there were times we had him tearing his hair out but it was worth it in the end to see his delight.’

March 29th 2008 saw the band make the long trip down to Limerick for the IABCB Championships of Ireland. The band having won last year in New Ross where hoping to create history by retaining the National title for the first time in our history.

The band played Paul Lovatt Coopers “The Dark Side of the Moon” as their own choice and the set piece was Michael Ball’s “Chaucer’s Tunes” who was also the adjudicator. The band opened the section which only featured two bands this year. The band played exceptionally well under a lot of pressure and it was clear after their performance that it would take two good performances to beat us. Arklow Shipping Silver Band where the other band and they played an old brass band classic called “A Moorside Suite” by Gustav Holst. Under their new musical director Stuart Anderson they played very well and needless to say come results time both bands knew that it was going to be close.

To our delight we retained the title we won last year, winning by six points and thus making history. This was a massive achievement for the band especially seeing as we were up against such strong opposition in Arklow. It was great to have Arklow return this year after a year out and they will no doubt return next year to continue the friendly rivalry between the two bands. However it was to be Drogheda’s day and we will now go forward with the hope of completing a hat trick next year.

A massive amount of credit must go to Michael Maher who’s hard work, patience and guidance has been an inspiration to us all and we look forward to continued success under his guidance.

IABCB Section 1 Brass Champions 2008

Result:                                  Own Choice     Test Piece         Total

Drogheda Brass Band             45                        85                    130

Arklow Silver Band                  41                        83                    124

The Drogheda Brass Band would like to wish all its members and supporters a very happy new year and we look forward to an equally successful 2008 as was 2007.

Members of Drogheda Youth Brass made their mark in the efforts towards fundraising for the new bandrooms at Mell before Christmas with two very profitable outings to local estates to play festive carols.Having thrilled the residents of Georgian Close on Tuesday December 18th, they then delighted the householders of Ashfield on the Wednesday night.  

Sunday 16^th December 2007 saw the Drogheda Youth Band join with the Tredagh Singers Choir as guests in their annual Christmas Concert held in St. Peters Church. To say the atmosphere was electric would be an understatement as a packed church enjoyed all the night’s festivities.

Prior to the band playing the choir sang a selection of Christmas carols and in a rare treat the Meath Harp Ensemble made their first venture into Drogheda and left their mark on proceedings with a selection of carols and classical pieces all played on harps.  

It was the bands honour to open the second half of the programme and what an opening it was. The bands opening piece Magnificent Seven got the band off to a flyer and they continued this excellent form through Pirates of the Caribbean, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer and Celtic Rock. They concluded there short but exciting programme with the Old Christmas favourite Jingle Bells. This was greeted with rapturous applause from the appreciative audience.

Later in the evening the band joined with the Tredagh Singers to perform three congregational pieces namely Hark the Herald, Silent Night and Oh Come All Ye Faithful. Following the concert the bands Musical Director Stephen Murray was full of praise for the bands efforts on the evening in question. “The band performed extremely well in front of a jam packed audience of what must have been nearly four hundred. I’m extremely proud of each and every one of the band tonight and thank them for their efforts over the last few weeks and also over the past year. I would also like to thank The Tredagh Singers who invited us to play with them.” The Youth Band will now break till the New Year but they would like to thank everybody for all their support over the past year and wish everybody a Happy Christmas and Musical New Year.