Looking back on 75 years of piping

THE pipes, the pipes they are a calling and out Tulla way three men, Michael O’Rourke and Michael and Oliver Quigney, have been answering that call for over 50 years and have more than played their part in passing on the piping tradition to a generation of people.
County final days in the park aren’t the same without the drone of the pipes or the parade behind the Tulla pipers and while band members continue with this time-honoured tradition, they are also in constant demand to head up parades and attend cultural and celebratory events across the county and country.
The acclaimed Tulla Pipe Band, which is 75 years this year, was formed on January 7, 1936 by Denis Byrnes, Denis Meehan and Michael Hogan. The band was established under the name St Patrick’s Pipe Band and their first outing was to lead a Corpus Christy procession in Tulla.
Michael O’Rourke, a pipe player with the band for 52 years told The Clare Champion the leader of the band at that time was an ex-army band member called Mr Walsh, who was employed “for a measly sum of £2.10 a week”. The band trained six nights a week and would play at various occasions across the county but transport at that time was not what it is today, Mr O’Rourke explained.
“In one instance they went out to Mullagh to a county ploughing championship and they travelled on an open lorry operated by the local haulier, Pat Fogarty,” he recalled.
The 1940s saw a number of changes for the band, with the effects of the brewing world war hitting Ireland.
“Around 1940, with the state of emergency and World War II, they signed over the band to the army and they became the official band for the Ennis Battalion. They paraded at the official army parades locally and at the famous standing down parade in 1946, where all the southern division marched past,” Mr O’Rourke outlined.
In or around 1946, the band came back to the ownership of the parish, where two local priests were instrumental in progressing the band further.
“Fr John Corry and Fr Walsh resurrected and transformed the band. I suppose that was the golden era of the band from 1948 to about 1953. They played at the All-Ireland Junior final between Kilkenny and Clare in 1949,” he continued.
During this period the band members were introduced to their first uniform, as up to then they had no official attire. The first uniform was a Hamilton kilt with a white shirt. It now dons a jacket and black Stewart kilt.
The 1950s brought further challenges with mass emigration when 17 of the then 22-member band emigrated. Some returned and others came in to take the places of those who had left.
In 1958, it was Mr O’Rourke and his cousin, Michael Quigney’s turn to step up and join. They walked into the band hall that day with very little musical experience.
“At that time we were enthusiastic admirers. We were involved with the athletics club at the time and we were asked to join,” Mr Quigney explained.
“The band always impressed me and whenever I went to a hurling match in Tulla I was just fascinated by the drummers. The swinging of all the sticks really caught my eye.
“When our time came, it was Pat Leyden that was the instructor. When we arrived there were people there learning how to play the chanter and we just fell into line. We first picked up the pipe. It was quite difficult. Nowadays, it is much easier to fill them because you have a different type of bag for holding the air. At that time it was leather and it was much harder to fill it, you really needed to have strong lungs,” Mr Quigney recalled.
Mr Quigney’s brother, Oliver was soon hot on their heels and he took to the drums for the first time.
“I joined in 1960. We all joined the athletic club, so when you were a member of one organisation in Tulla, you were kind of roped into every other one. I play the drums. I had a flare for that. Over one or two winters you would all train before you would be fit to play. Our big occasion would be the St Patrick’s Day Parade and you’d have to be ready for that day,” he said.
The three men did not know then the level of enjoyment they would get from the band. Indeed, they did not know how long their involvement with the band would last but last it did and they continue to take pleasure from playing with the Tulla Pipe Band.
Chairman Fintan Leamy acknowledged that for any organisation to survive 75 years it needs very strong leaders. He said the Tulla band is fortunate to have had many since its foundation and none more so than Michael O’Rourke, Oliver and Michael Quigney.
“They have always been relied upon to attend both band training and public engagements which, allowing for their other life-long passions of family, work, GAA and music is remarkable dedication over such a long period of time. All three have held various ‘top table’ positions down the years, not to mention the many seasons they’ve spent helping to train younger members, which is fundamental to our continued existence.
“There’s no doubting that their 160 years of combined service, coupled with their ‘is feidir linn’ approach has significantly helped in keeping the band moving forward and we know they are not finished yet,” he added.
Michael Quigney said, “Being in a band for 52 years, you make a contribution to it. It is a life-long dedication and we make certain sacrifices and I think our wives could agree with that as we have abandoned them on fine Sundays to be with the band. The band is a part of our social life. There is a great comradery in the band and there are great characters in the band. You’ll always have great craic.
“Michael O’Rourke has given an amount of time to the band. He has given hours of dedication and the band owes him a great debt of gratitude. He worked himself to the bone to keep this going. There were dark years when morale was low and he kept it afloat,” he added.
Among the favourite and bigger outings of the trio is the Féile. “Recently, we went to the Feile na nGael in Loughrea and the reception we got was fantastic. The reception was such that I was up off the ground walking,” Michael Quigney recalled.
The band has played for some historic figures and dignitaries in its 75 years and Mr O’Rourke recalls playing for former President Dr Patrick Hillary for his homecoming when he was elected, for Erskine Childers, for DeValera and for John F Kennedy in Shannon in 1963.
However, St Patrick’s Day kicks off the band-parading season for the Tulla Pipe Band and they make their traditional appearances in Tulla, Gort and Scariff. The band currently stands at approximately 20 members, both men and women.
The three believe that during their time, standards have “definitely improved”.
“We would be more of a competition band than we would have been previously but we still think of ourselves as a band that plays at festivals and parades like we used to,” Michael Quigney said.
The trio were instrumental in the development of the band’s current uniform in 2002 and they have all held the position of chairman at some stage.
The band was recently honoured by Clare County Council at a civil recognition ceremony held in the Courthouse in Tulla, where special tribute was paid to their longest serving members, Michael O’Rourke and Michael and Oliver Quigney. Mayor of Clare, Christy Curtin presented the band with a scroll.
Most recently, the band played at the opening of the Astroturf pitch in Tulla, where FAI stars such as John Delaney and John Aldridge were present. At this event the band were further honoured and were invited to attend an international game in the Aviva Stadium.
The band always welcomes new members and anyone interested in getting involved can contact PRO Noel Leamy on 087 2935716 or engagement secretary Oliver Quigney on 086 8896306.