A 60th New Year's Eve milestone for the famous Longford Pipe Band

This New Year’s Eve, the Longford Pipe Band will perform in the plaza outside St Mel’s Cathedral and musically ring in the New Year to the backdrop of the beautiful cathedral. 

Attending the performance has become a cherished family tradition for many. This particular Wednesday, December 31 however is a special one for the band as it will mark the 60th anniversary of its founding by the McGuinness brothers.

It will also be quite a poignant occasion in that it may very well be the last NYE the band will play. Speaking to the Longford Leader, band member Siobhán McGuinness explained that while the future is uncertain, “nothing is set in stone just yet.”

“The band has been doing NYE every year since 1966 so this will be our 60th year,” Siobhán says. “At present, there are 13 in the band, all volunteers, however some of our members are quite elderly now so for that reason, we’ve limited the number of engagements we take on. Our oldest member is 83. We’ll keep going for as long as we can.” 

Siobhán added, “Myself and my sister Gráinne had a vested interest in the band because our dad Benny was one of the founders. He was a pipe major and one of the main reasons we wanted to keep it going. I have been playing for 35 years now. My cousin Carol, and my uncles Tom, John, and James all still play as well. 

James was actually one of the founders as well but he then had to leave for a bit as he was accepted into An Garda Síochána. Aside from members of the McGuinness family, we have active band members who would have been playing with the band for 30 odd years. 

People like Christy Devlin - who was involved in the beginning - Adrian Deeley, Michelle McGuire, Paddy Lennon, Seamus Rawle, Jude Nevin, and Clodagh Kennedy. Without these dedicated people involved, we couldn’t have kept going for so long.”

Even though the fate of the band lies in limbo, Siobhán has been exploring options to help keep their music alive in Longford. 

“We are currently in talks with Music Generation to try and do some form of recruitment but costs are an issue in that regard. The council is also on board so hopefully it will all work out.” 

This New Years Eve, it will be business as usual as the band members gather at St Mel’s Cathedral to perform as the bells  ring in the new year. 

Siobhán explained, “We will be gathering at 11.45pm on the cathedral grounds. We’re hoping to perform in the triangle outside the cathedral, like how we used to do. People dance on the road and gather around us as we play. It’s just so lovely. To keep everyone safe, we’ve asked the Gardaí to be there on the night so people can gather safely and dance.

 “We'll  also be handing out  banners and flags too. We tend to get around 120 people and it's always a great night. We usually play until around 12.10am. 

“We’ve seen families come for years, it’s a tradition for many. Parents come with children and then year on year, the kids get older and come as adults themselves. It's so nice  to see .” 

Anyone interested in  joining the Longford Pipe Band should contact Music Generation Longford.

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