1999 Irish Nationals Victory
by Brian Murphy and Trevor Johnston
The Drogheda Brass Band filled a twelve year gap at the National Band Championships in Dublin on Sunday 11th April by taking a convincing win in the championship's top section.
Not only did the band win the John O'Mahoney Memorial Cup for winning the championship brass section, but they won the Boosey and Hawkes Cup for highest marks for their own choice piece and the Thwaites Memorial Cup for best overall band in the whole competitions, the first time they have done so in their 113 year history.
The band was awarded 49 points out of a possible 50 for their own choice piece, "California Legend" and received 91 points from a possible 100 for this year's set piece, entitled "The Plantagenets", making a total of 140 marks. Unusually, Arklow Silver Band and Loch Garman Band tied for second place on 132 marks each and Stedfast Band finished with 128. The large - for a band competition such as this - margin between Drogheda and those placed second was an indication that adjudicator Geoffrey Witham was highly impressed with the band's performance.
This win also means that the Drogheda Brass Band is eligible to become only the fourth band from the Republic of Ireland to represent their country at next year's European Brass Band championships, to held in Birmingham. This is just another piece of small history that the band has made in the past few years - such as being not only the only band from the republic to win a section in the North of Ireland Band Championships, but the only to retain a title as well; the band has won the second grade brass section there for the past two years.
But it has been the ambition of the band to win first prize Irish National Band Championships for the past two years, since they entered the championship brass section for the first time in almost ten years in 1996 and were placed second, just behind Arklow Silver Band.
PRO Brian Murphy had the following to say on the band's achievement:
"The whole occasion has really bowled us over. To win by eight points is a magnificent achievement ... It really is unprecedented and although it will take a lot of work, effort and fundraising, we are definitely aiming to represent our country in Europe next year."