Strick Up The Band;
Búionn Piobairí
Barra Naofa.
by Eibhlín
Uí Cheilleachair
Bunaiodh
Buionn Piobairi Barra Naofa sa bhliain
1928. Roimhe sin bhi "Fife and Drum Band"
i mBeal Atha'n Ghaorthaidh agus nuair a cuireadh
deireadh leis an mbuionn sin chuaigh roinnt des
na baill a bhi ann sa Bhuionn Piobairi.
Timpeall an ama sin chuaigh Seamus O Se, Dinny
Leary agus Danny Hyde R.I.P. go dti Shanbally
"to buy the Band". Bhi Buionn Piobairi
Shanbally ag cur deireadh lena mbuionn fein agus
bhi se oiriunach do mhuintir Bheal Atha'n
Ghaorthaidh uirlisi ceoil agus culaith eide a
bhaint amach mar seo. Is fir ar fad a bhi
pairteach sa Bhuionn Piobairi an uair ud agus ar
feadh i bhfad ina dhiaidh san.
The
Pipe Band was very active in the 1930's as there
were a lot of elections being held during that
decade. The Band used to take part in the
Annual Manchester Martyrs Parade in Macroom
around this time. They attended alot of
Feiseanna and other festivals and they travelled
to all parts of South Kerry and from West Cork
to Kinsale. The local Tug of War team
always travelled with them and took part in Tug
of War contests wherever they went. The
group travelled in Tadhg Twomey's and Danny
Shea's lorries. These lorries were covered
over and seated.
Diarmuid O hEaluithe,(Jerh
Healy), Gurteennakilla remembers his first
outing with the Band. When he was about 15
years of age the Band were invited to Kenmare to
welcome Eamonn De Valera after he had won an
election. It was a very blustery night
with high winds and Diarmuid was given the flag
to carry before the Band. The wind was so
strong that Jerry Moynihan, Lackabawn had to
come to his aid to keep the flag from blowing
away.
His best memory of
his days with the Band is welcoming home the
great Dan O Mahony to his native Ballydehob. The
townland where Dan was born was called Goirtin
Na Coille. Dan was the World Champion
Wrestler in the late 1930's having beaten all
the top wrestlers in America and other
countries. The band were a bit late
arriving in Ballydehob and after putting on
their uniforms and tuning the pipes they
proceeded to play through the town. He
remembers a huge crowd being present and
bonfires go leor and the women dancing on the
street. There were two other Bands taking
part in the celebrations, one from Bandon and
the other from the city. Bandon were
leading the Parade and Buionn Piobairi Barra
Naofa joined in at the back. the Marshall
in charge was up and down the road outside the
towm keeping everything in order and then he
made an announcement over the Public Address
that Ballingeary Pipe Band had been requested to
lead the Parade. It was a great honour to
be chosen by a World Champion and in the
following months while Dan O'Mahony stayed
around his hometown and organised regattas
and other functions Ballingeary Pipe Band were
always invited to participate. Sadly Dan
O'Mahony was killed in an accident involving his
car and a parked lorry while on his way home
from a Wrestling meeting in Dublin.
Is cuimhin le Diarmuid la go raibh an Bhuionn
Piobairi ag seinnt tri bhaile Scoil Mhuire
(Schull) i rith an tsamhraidh. Bhi slua
mor timpeall agus bhi roinnt poncánaigh (Yanks)
ann chomh maith. Bhi poncánach amhain
togtha leis an gceol agus thaitin an Bhanna
chomh mór leis gur thug sé an dream ar fad
isteach i dtig tabhairne agus cheannaigh se
deoch do gach duine diobh. Ag an am sin ni
raibh ach beirt as an grupa a bhí ag ól.
B'shin 45-50 bliain o shoin.
In the 1950's Fr. Traynor from Lucan in Dublin
used to spend alot of holidays in Gougane Barra
and Beal Atha'n Ghaorthaidh. He had a great
interest in Pipe Bands and brought down 25-30
members of a Pipe Band from Bray for a week.
they camped in James Battie's meadow and spent
the week playing music with the local lads.
On the Sunday they came to the village and
played with Buionn Piobairi Barra Naofa after
Mass. Fr. Traynor is buried in Gougane
where the old cells are. His grave faces the
lake.
In the 1950's the
Band re-grouped and at that time Fr. O'
Neill P.P. (a native of Kinsale) who had been an
army Chaplain obtained army jackets for the Band
members. These jackets were dyed black
with orange braiding and worn with saffron
kilts. By now there were 12 Pipers in the
band . Many new members joined the band in
the 1960's when it reformed again. Things
were going very well at this stage and the band
was being trained by Micheal O Laoire R.I.P. and
Liam O Liathain both form Cork. Around
this time Micheal O Laoire and
Fionnbarra O Murchu organised a Mass Bands
Competition in Beal Atha'n Ghaorthaidh in which
many Bands paticipated.
I
1962 bhuaidh an Banna Ceoil duais i gCoracaigh
tareis pairt a ghlacadh i gcomórtas Bhannaí
Ceóil na Mumhan. Bhuaidh siad duaiseanna
chomh maith i Mala i 1980, 1981, 1982 agus ag an
Pan Celtic i gCill Airne.
Ta alan athruithe tagtha ar an saol os na
blianta atá luaite ach tá an Bhúionn Piobairi
fos laidir.