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The Corps of Drums of Northern Ireland
The Corps of Drums at the Cloth Hall, Ypres, Belgium in 2003
Standing: George Clarke (Drum Major), Alan Dawson, Robert Fraser, Bertie Morrison, Eddie McNally, Bryce Thornton,
Joe Morrison, William Mullan, Aubrey Dawson, Robert McMurray,
Eleanor Morton, Alvin Mullan Jnr, Tommy Turnball, Alvin Mullan Snr, Eleanor Breadon, Godfrey Black.
Sitting: Victoria Innes, Samaul Querey, Dean Newell, Mark Hawthorn, William Rutherford, Trevor Fallon
The Corps of Drums of Northern Ireland where formed in 1999 to play the marches that were written by those who served during the Great War of 1914-18 or named after battlefields of that war. The membership to drawn up from flute players from other flute bands in Northern Ireland including Ballygowan, Ballyclare Victoria, Boveva, Castledawson, Clarke Memorial, Corcrain, Crosskeys, Killymoon, Magheraboy, Ravenhill and Donald Sloan a former member of the Ulster Amateur Flute Band, Belfast.
Our first ever appearance together was on the 1st July 1999 at the Ulster Memorial Tower in France. The monument is a memorial to the 36th (Ulster) Division who fought on the Somme on 1st July 1916 and was the first ever divisional memorial built on the Western Front. The repertoire for this tour included many flute band marches including: Gommecourt (by J. Winter), Grandcourt (written by W.B. Blythe, famous flute band composer & conductor), The Inniskillings (arranged by William Douglas), White Chateau (again written by W.B. Blythe), Happy Valley (by W.B. Blythe), Ypres (by A. Shrimpton). As you can see they either were named after battles or named after regiments etc. Our tour of the Western Front included playing at the Mein Gate Memorial in Ypres and memorial services at different war cemeteries.
On our return home, we decided to record a CD which included the marches we played during our tour. We called our first CD 'From the Somme to Ypres - A Musical Journey'. The CD was launch at the 'House of Orange' at the old premises belonging to the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland. The night was attended by Rev. Dr. Martin Smyth (Past Grand Master of Ireland). The band on the night played marches using either Boehm System flutes and the old Simple System Crown AZ's. The recording very successful which sold world-wide.
On 13th January 2001, the Odyssey Arena in Belfast hosted a celebration of local culture on a scale never before witnessed by the public. Thousands of participants from throughout the province entertained a capacity crowd for three hours, in what was probably the largest ever display of cultural diversity in Northern Ireland. Among the participants, which included Sir James Galway and Leslie Garrett, was a flute band. This, however, was not just an ordinary flute band, but rather The Corps of Drums. Following the sound of the bugle playing the Last Post, the fifty-two strong Corps of Drums entered the arena to the sound of the stirring march '1914' (a march consisting of First World War songs). There was an enthusiastic reaction to the music from the audience and before long they were clapping and singing to the familiar melodies. As the band left the arena, there was a quick dash through the corridors to re-group at the front of the stage for the finale. This involved a pipe band, the Royal Ulster Constabulary Band, the Garda Police Band, Irish folk musicians and The Corps of Drums accompanying James Galway to the sound of "I'll Tell me Ma". The band was highly praised for its performance. Many spectators could not believe that a flute band could sound so good. The event was certainly a most enjoyable experience for the band members. However, the most important aspect of the performance was the fact that a diverse and inclusive audience from throughout the province was given the opportunity to encounter a flute band at its best. Such an experience can only but remove prejudice and engender respect for a vibrant and deep-rooted musical tradition. Also that year the band performed for the Royal Air Force at Belfast International Airport for the Battle of Britain celebrations. Then in July 2001 the band toured the Somme Battlefields and again in 2003 and 2006. The band does fulfil engagements within Northern Ireland and have travelled right across the Province and the Republic of Ireland. We do take part in concerts for different Royal British Legion Branches and have performed with Silver bands and with the Pipes and Drums of The Royal Irish Regiment. In the Winter of 2005, the band started recording its second CD called 'Happy and Glorious' which included marches named after countries which formed the old British Empire or the new Commonwealth. It includes marches which have never to recorded and its hoped it will do well. It was launch in France on our last trip to the Somme Battlefields in 2006. The band has played on BBC Radio Ulster, and on the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) throughout the world. We also have appeared on BBC TV, French TV and German TV. The future looks very bright and its hoped we might record our third CD in the next few years. The band is available on engagements and you can contact us by writing to The Corps of Drums of NI, 17 Old Rossorry Park, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, N. Ireland, BT74 7LH. CD's are also available from this address price £12 P&P within the UK.