SCOTTISH 12th
Our annual trip to Glasgow came a week earlier than usual
so it
meant that we missed our annual engagement with the Somme memorial
Lodge for
their annual church parade on the final Sunday in June
It was an early start on Friday morning, leaving Kilkeel
just
before 6am to catch the early morning sailing from Belfast to
Stranraer. The
band was blessed to have Number 1 driver Alfie on board this year, and
a
further
bonus was the fact that Willie John Heaney was unable to attend.
Therefore
the
tradition of handing packets of ear plugs around the bus was not
necessary.
Ten Pin Bowling on Friday evening proved just as eventful
as
usual.
At least 1 bottle of champagne was won and Gareth Stewart showed just
how
much
his technique has improved over the last year. A fantastic display by
Gareth
concluded with a one off routine, which involved him slipping on the
floor,
going 6 ft in the air, and almost crashing through the floor. Nice one
Gareth
Titch provided some entertainment for the local ladies,
dancing
the
night away and knocking down 34 ashtrays in the process. In fact he
introduced
an array of complicated dance moves that resulted in 16 partners being
rushed to
hospital with broken arms.
Saturday morning saw the arrival of Drum Major Darren
and
Mo
who drove up from England. He later entered the MYD Band hall of fame
as the
worst bass drummer in MYD history, just behind David
Montgomery.
Ian Boal returned to the bass drum for the Glasgow visit
after
a
5-year absence and it was as if he had never been away. Cutter took
himself
off
on holiday to Cyprus. It's reported he brought home 14 bags of New
spuds in
his
suitcase.
The band was on the road at around 9.30, parading once
again
with
Glasgow district number 3. We left Townhead and made our way to the
city
centre
to link up with the main parade, led once again by the excellent
Blackskull
flute band.
This year we were 4th in the parade, but it gave me a rare
chance
to watch the parade entering the field for the first time. I didn't
realise
how
big the demonstration actually is, it took almost 90 minutes to pass
any
given
point.
There was a large representation of bands from Northern
Ireland
in
the parade including Pride of the Hill, Pride of Ballinran, Pride of
the
Maine,
Red Hand Defenders, Millar Memorial but we were lucky enough to secure
the
award
once again for best visiting band in the parade, a great achievement
considering
the standard of opposition which also included the outstanding Imperial
Corps of
Drums from Liverpool.
Govan Protestant Boys impressed me when they were entering
Glasgow
Green and they were rewarded with the 3 main awards for the Scottish
Bands.
It was then off to the Chinese restaurant where Ronald
McAtee
cleaned out Mr Dings Kitchen. It was an incredible sight. Gary the
Cameraman
put
up some brave resistance but there was no coping with McAtee in this
sort of
form.
The return parade is always a highlight of the year, the
crowds
at
the exit from the field always provide an outstanding atmosphere and
this
year
was no different.
It was also a memorable weekend for RJ and Darren, as they
became
the first Ulster men to make it to the moon and back, quite a bit of
history.
Although apparently it wasn't up to much and they didn't stay for
long.
And while we are on the subject of Darren the Drum major,
I
have
been asked to reassure members of the public who will be watching the
band
in
Belfast on the 1st and 12th of July that after Darren's performance in
Glasgow,
crowds will be issued with Bob the Builder Hard Hats for their own
safety as
the
band is passing by.