‘We want more young people to play the pipes’
“My family has always been involved with pipe bands, so I’ve been doing this probably since the day I was born."
Emma Ferguson is one of a group of musicians who are trying to raise the profile of pipe bands and encourage more young people to get involved.
The County Tyrone teenagers have been honing their skills on the Highland Bagpipes for years.
They say being part of a pipe band has helped them thrive and connect with others from different backgrounds.
It comes as the Mid Ulster Pipe Band and Drum Major Championships are taking place in Cookstown on Saturday.
Ms Ferguson is a member of the Matt Boyd memorial band from Pomeroy, which is taking part in the competition.
“I’ve meet so many people from different cultures, different countries and different communities, that I wouldn’t have met otherwise, piping is for everybody," 21-year-old Ms Ferguson said.
The band is named after Matt Boyd, who was shot and killed by the IRA in 1993.
Ahead of the competition, members of the band recently performed at a cross-community celebration event to mark the completion of the Connecting Pomeroy project at the town’s forest park.
‘There’s nothing else like it’
Some members of the band performed outside a new visitor centre that is to serve as a shared community building, while other young musicians played Irish traditional music inside the building.
Guest at the event included First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little Pengelly.
Sixteen-year-old twin brothers Jake and Charlie McAlister are members of the Matt Boyd memorial band and played the bag pipes to welcome guests.
“Me and my brother practice twice a week, it takes a lot of work, but when you hear the sound come from the pipes it’s worth it," Charlie said.
Jake added: “When you play the pipes with a group there’s a real sense of enjoyment and teamwork, there’s nothing else like it.”
Alan Ferguson, pipe major of the Matt Boyd memorial band, said it was great to see young people getting involved but he wanted to see people from all backgrounds.
“Young people are the future of the bands, so it’s great getting a chance to showcase the instruments to generate the interest," he said.
The Mid Ulster Pipe Band and Drum Major Championships will take place at Cookstown High School.
The event features pipe bands from across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Trevor Wilson is chairman of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Northern Ireland.
"We are pleased to see this contest return once again to the town of Cookstown," he said.
“There is an enthusiastic mix of pipe bands and drum majors from the district and the centralised location of Cookstown makes this contest one that nearly all visitors from around Northern Ireland can attend.”
