History

Founded on November 11, 1911 as a non-political and pioneer band that forged links with the local Irish National Forresters branch, St Colmcille's Pipe Band is the third oldest in the country. It was always a regular fixture at various events around the county such as GAA county finals and St Patrick's Day parades.

The band was also a respected competition outfit and first made its name on the international stage when travelling to Brittany in the South of France in 1954 to play in a pre-cursor to the now renowned Festival Interceltique in Lorient.

Having dipped in and out of the competition circuit, the band re-established itself in 1987, with the hiatus coming in 1992 in the shape of a second place prize in Grade 4A at the highly prestigious Cowal Highland Gathering in Dunoon, Scotland.

The band fell on hard times in the following years and slipped out of existence for a period before reforming in 2008. St Colmcille's is now in a strong position to re-enter the competition arena in 2010 and looks forward to celebrating its centenary in 2011.