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.’