History

A pipe band named 'St. Brigid's Pipe Band' existed in Dundalk during the 1940s until sometime during the late 1950s. It was a successful prize-winning band, winning numerous prizes at feiseanna and pipe band contests throughout Ireland. There was also a St. Patrick's Pipe Band in Dundalk during the late 1940s and 1950s, and there are recorded pipe band competition results showing that both bands had a healthy coexistence in Dundalk for several years. A member of that St. Patrick's Pipe Band, the late Billy Marks, later went on to help form the Cúchulainn Pipe Band with Patrick Martin Sr. in Shelagh, Hackballscross. Cúchulainn Pipe Band disbanded during the early 1990s. In subsequent years Dundalk pipers and drummers would have to travel further afield to other bands such as Carlingford Pipe Band. That said, there was a steady presence of a small number of military pipers and drummers stationed in Aiken Barracks, Dundalk with the Defence Forces' 27th Infantry Battalion. It wasn't until late 2022 that Marc and Ciara Keller decided to revive the pipe band tradition in Dundalk. They decided to re-establish St. Brigid's Pipe Band Dundalk, invoking the heritage of the original namesake band.

Dundalk has a rich history of hosting high profile events featuring pipe bands. One of the earliest and most notable was when Dundalk hosted the Gaelic League's 'Oireachtas na Gaeilge' of 1915. The Oireachtas was a national gathering to celebrate Irish language, arts, and culture. Opening on 25th July 1915 there were 20 pipe bands in attendance, reportedly watched by a crowd of over 8,000 people. Some years later a 'Pipe Bands of Ireland' contest was hosted at the Athletic Grounds, Dundalk, on June 19th 1949. This event featured an open grade, and also a junior grade that was won by the original St. Brigid's Pipe Band Dundalk. A second such event was held at the same venue on 20th May 1950, with St. Brigid's this time taking home second place in the junior grade.

On Saturday 8th May 1954 Dundalk hosted a 'Tóstal' Pipe Band Competition. 'An Tóstal' (The Gathering) was a government-sponsored initiative in the 1950s to attract tourism through a series of festivals, parades, and exhibitions. Dundalk's Tóstal Pipe Band Competition attracted 30 bands from all over Ireland, and a few from Scotland, with the open grade being won by Shotts & Dykehead, who were already former world champions twice over at that time. A second Tóstal pipe band competition was hosted in Dundalk the following year. 1965-67 seen Dundalk host an annual 'International Pipe band Contest' at the Marist Grounds, attracting over 40 bands each year. In 1968 Dundalk hosted the 23rd All-Ireland Pipe Band Championships at Oriel Park, attracting over 60 bands and an estimated 5,000 spectators.

Today's iteration of St. Brigid's Pipe Band Dundalk has several ties to the aforementioned historical bands. Some of the first members to sign up had previously played in Cúchulainn Pipe Band during their youth. Several other current members, namely the Stewart family, have direct family ties to members of the original St. Brigid's Pipe Band Dundalk of the 1940s and 1950s. Rebuilding St. Brigid's Pipe Band Dundalk is a journey we have only just embarked upon. We have an extremely rich heritage that serves as a stable foundation to rebuild upon. We like to say that St. Brigid's Pipe Band Dundalk was established in 1946 (not 2022). We just took a few years off as a break!