27th
October 2007
New
addition to the Connolly family.
Congratulations
to Roy and Gillian Connolly on the new arrival of their
2nd son.
Lewis Robert Connolly who was born on Saturday 17th November
2007 weighing in at 7lbs 2ozs.
27th October 2007
World
Solo Drumming Championships.
So
the boys arrived safe and sound in Glasgow and for a bonus
point got there with loads of time to prepare – the only
problem was the room they were allocated to practice in
was a broom cupboard (apparently someone asked for a space
to change into a Superman outfit but no-one owned up)!
Saturday was obviously a big day for everyone so the plan
for Friday night was early to bed with lights out at 10.30pm;
apparently it was lights out for Bryson at 4 in the afternoon
though after a few apple juices on the ferry, but that’s
another story. The remainder tried to keep to the regime
and prepared as if they were competing in a marathon except
none of them could run the length of themselves and definitely
wouldn’t look that great in lycra so it was a light meal
of deep fried pizza, chips and a couple of mars bars each
for good measure.
They say breakfast is the main meal of the day so the boys
took that literally (there’s a pattern developing here as
you’ll note) and had a hearty mixture of rolls and square
sausage with a splash of fried egg on the side, all washed
down with a bucket of tea and they were fired up ready to
go. The hotel was just across from the University so even
our guys couldn’t get lost but to be safe they tied a thread
to Nigel and sent him out first, he did find the practice
room (the broom cupboard above) but managed to get that
changed to a smaller space so they could put all those yoga
sessions to good use.
Competition start time and they were on in three different
sections; Aaron came third in his section and got through
to the semi final with Nigel and Neil playing well enough
in their groups but not getting through. So they could all
watch the final with feet up and slippers on, the final
had a truly international feel with competitors from bands
all over the world - as it turned out Barry Wilson won through
and congratulations to him and ScottishPower for a great
achievement.
The
après-ski is such a key part of male bonding on these
weekends so the boys spent a fair bit of Saturday night
getting well and truly bonded! I wouldn’t say they’re not
trusted away from home but as you can see from the photograph
there was always a WAG on hand to make sure there was no
misbehaving.
The evening ended and everyone was tucked up in bed dreaming
about roll movements, drag runs and flams……well Pinky was,
the others crept back out of bed and headed out again without
telling him.
Special mention has to be made of Ian Bryson’s chivalrous
behaviour lending his footwear (which were brand new and
a really dodgy shade of beige) to a needy band colleague
thus rendering himself shoeless in the pouring rain on a
puddle filled Sauchiehall Street – who says there’s no Gentlemen
left in the world!
The boys say their prize for playing beyond all expectation
and showing potential on a par with the winner goes to Willie
Wilson, a player worth keeping an eye on, a really nice
guy and absolutely no delusions of grandeur at all…..
The journey home was uneventful and the boys spent the
time talking through the previous day’s competition and
where they might’ve gone wrong. Roll on next year!
25th
October 2007
The
journey to the World Solo Drumming Championships.
We
have three lambs being thrown to the lions in Glasgow this
weekend along with their sticks and a piper or two for good
measure.
Good
luck to Aaron, Neil and Nigel for the event but before all
that they have to negotiate the journey to Glasgow - so
boys please see below a checklist as a reminder for the
trip:
If anyone finds one of our guys lost in Glasgow please
return them to the address printed on their coat. Kidding
aside, good luck from all in the band…..more to follow,
if they actually get there in time to compete…..
20th
October 2007
Nigel
& Kathryn's Engagement.
So
another good man has finally fallen. Nigel
Anderson (drummer) & Kathryn Mattison
have got engaged. "Anders" refused to take on
board all the good advise given to him by his fellow bandsmen.
He took Kathryn to 'Bloody Bridge' in the Mountains of Mourne,
outside Newcastle and went for walk up the stream over the
rocks and boulders etc, got half way up and came to a lovely
romantic spot beside an old foot bridge (Awhhhhh) got down
on one knee (the romantic in him) and popped the question.
She said yes straight away.
Congratulations to you both and we hope your date does not
affect the competition season!!!!!
28th
September 2007
Aaron
& Annemarie get engaged.
Congratulations
goes to Aaron Turkington & Annemarie Lugton on their
recent engagement.
Annemarie
is from Ormiston, near Edinburgh.
'Turkey'
took her to the Giants Causeway at Portrush and got down
on one knee. The wedding is planned for 6th june 2009 in
Edinburgh.
Well
done Turkey, made it at last. Now get that date changed
to a non-competition day!!!!!
15th
September 2007
All
Ireland Solos, Dublin. (Results)
Congratulations
once more goes to Scott Barr who WON on Saturday at the
All Ireland Solos. Scott moved up a grade to compete in
the Under 14's as he was the only entry in the Under 12
section. He beat off some serious competition including
players currently competing in Grade 1 regularly. This is
a fantastic achievement and just goes to show what practice
does!!!!
At the back end (so to speak), despite
all our entrants playing well the drummers didn’t pick up
placings in the prize list so Scott’s trophy came home on
it’s own this time. Good luck to Aaron and the boys at the
World Drumming Solos in Glasgow next month.
8th
September 2007
Congratulations
to Scott Barr.
Continuing
his solo successes from the start of the season, Scott lifted
4th place at the Under 15 Young Piper of the Year! A great
result setting him up well for this coming Saturday as he
moves up a grade to compete for the Under 14 All Ireland
Title. Best wishes for a good run.
Oh and nearly
forgot to mention folks......he also lifted the trophy for
best dressed piper on the day! Not just a good set of fingers
then :-)
25th
August 2007
COWAL
Championships. (Results)
We couldn’t make the trip to Dunoon due
to another commitment however that didn’t stop us from keeping
an eye on how the contest unfolded. It was more of the same
for the last Major of the season in the top two grades –
Field Marshal Montgomery lifted 1st place to round the summer
off with an incredible 4 out of 5 Major Championship wins!
In grade two, Cullybackey finished off a very successful
season taking 1st prize with Seven Towers following up in
second place. As always congratulations to all who took
part and came away with a prize.
So all in all a great season for some bands,
not so great for others and with a Major win under our belt
this year we’re happy to be up there among the prize winners.
Good luck with all the hard work coming up in the winter….
18th
August 2007
North
West Championships. (Results)
How
do you follow a weekend in Glasgow where everyone enjoyed
themselves and no-one fell off the boat? Portrush was the
last stop on the band contest calendar for us and we wanted
to play well, go out on a high and stay dry if possible
- we didn't achieve all three but none the less had a good
day trying.
Playing in competitions this year has been
like learning to swim all over again only with a drum strapped
on and although the forecast promised brightening up in
the afternoon what we got was drizzle and showers with some
rain in between. We knew what to do and at this stage in
the season we were used to playing in wet suits; our preparation
was going well and things were taking shape.
Draw time came and we served and volleyed
our way through the performance on the tennis court and
really enjoyed playing our medley for the first time in
a long while in competition. The finale saw us take second
place behind Cullybackey with Seven Towers and Killeen third
and fourth. Well done and congratulations to them.
Ian Young picked up third in the Senior
Grade Drum Major contest and Emma Barr second in the Novice
Grade and they're both topping off really good seasons.
So our competition season is over for this
year and all eyes are on working hard over the winter to
come out lean, mean and right on our fighting weight for
the start of next season. We also hope to welcome some new
members into the band and encourage anyone thinking of joining
to get in touch.
See you on the line next year…..
11th
August 2007
The
World Championships. (Results)
So
it's been and gone and we left the field with a big raindrop
trickling down back of our necks - what a day, even for
Glasgow this had to be seen to be believed. I've never known
a "Worlds" like it! In saying that, the weather
didn't put the real opportunist ice cream vans off who actually
seemed to be doing a roaring trade to be fair and then there
was the guy in the stall who brought 150 umbrellas with
him and sold the lot!
The early birds among us were up catching
worms and got to the venue on the coach at 7.30am, the remainder
lay blissfully asleep in their beds. When they woke up some
actually thought they'd been hibernating because it had
turned into winter overnight. We got a warm coffee and a
hearty breakfast alfresco into us and were ready for action.
Qualifying was first on the agenda and
we had a decent enough run so although the wait for the
final draw was a way off we were quietly confident about
getting through. Sure enough we'd done enough to get through
so our next objective was to play our best, do ourselves
justice and hope that would be enough to push into the prizes.
As it turned out we didn't play as well
as we can and coming off, there was an air of dissatisfaction
among the guys; that feeling soon vanished along with our
thirst as we sampled some light refreshments in the comfort
of the mud bath that had formed inside the beer tent.
Our instincts were telling us we hadn't
done enough and although we're proud of the 4th place we
got we had hoped to play better. Ahead of us were The Band
Club in third place, Seven Towers in second and the winners
Cullybackey. They all deserve congratulations and we wish
them all the best. Special congratulations to Field Marshall
Montgomery who retained their Grade 1 World Champion status,
a fantastic achievement! Arlow won Grade 3a and Cullenfad
won Grade 4a to continue really good runs and well done
to them.
Closer to home our Drum Major Ian Young
came through in 4th place in the Senior Drum Major contest
and well done to Ian from the band.
The Worlds are also about the après
ski so it would have been rude not to visit the residents
bar in our hotel and to be fair a few of the boys visited
a number of bars to make sure the local brew was up to standard
before hitting their pillows; indeed the sore heads verified
the brew was bang on the next morning and meant that for
some of the journey to the boat the coach was a wee bit
quieter than normal.
Cant wait till next August….
4th
August 2007
Ulster
Championships. (Results)
We're a week closer to the "Big One"
and with the benefit of previous trips behind me I can just
hear all the Rab C Nesbitt impersonations on the bus as
we meander our way to Glasgow on Friday (as a Scotsman this
doesn't bother me at all…..honest). Anyway, I'm getting
ahead of myself that's next week and here we are just in
from Moira.
I did a good deed (Samaritan wise) for
a man in need earlier in the day and thought that might
swing it with the Yin and Yang thing and we'd get rewarded
with a 1st place later in the afternoon - however it didn't
work out that way…..
MSR was the order of the day and we were
drawn last. Our preparation seemed to be on track, on we
went and our approach was steady and controlled; a good
start and were on our way. After the performance the vibe
was good so we waited for the march past with a positive
outlook.
Yin and Yang? You can forget any more good
turns; no more Mr Nice Guy! We got third behind Cullybackey
and Seven Towers and joking aside, well done to them and
good luck for next week. There was some silver lining though
with our wee star Emma Barr picking up third place in the
Novice Juvenile Drum Major grade and Ian Young lifting second
in the Seniors.
So our eyes are on qualifying for next
weeks Worlds Final - if we do that and play the best we
can, do ourselves justice then who knows. Good luck to all
bands next week, especially those from our side of the water.
1st
August 2007
New
Arrival.
Congratulations
to Sam and Sharon Cleland on their new arrival.....making
a lovely family of four girls.
Rachel Helen
Cleland, who was born on Tuesday 31st July 2007 weighing
in at 10lbs 7ozs.
28th
July 2007
European
Championships. (Results)
Although
the band didn’t make the journey to Inverness we did have
representation there in Emma Barr (Junior Drum Major contest).
Regular visitors to this site will know Emma has consistently
been among the top prize winners so far this season and
on Saturday all the hard work and dedication paid off, she
won the European Championship in her grade! A fantastic
achievement and congratulations go to Emma and her family
from everyone associated with the band.
Band wise, the Northern Ireland contingent
also did very well with Field Marshal Montgomery coming
through as Grade 1 Champions and Seven Towers winning Grade
2 with Killeen nipping in behind them to take second place.
Annsborough won through in Grade 3A and Cullenfad picked
up the 4A prize. Slightly further a field; mention should
go to St. Laurence O’Toole who got in among the top 5 in
Grade 1. Well done to them and all the winners and runners
up from us!
21st
July 2007
North
Down Championships. (Results)
Is
it really two weeks since Newcastle? It's almost as though
we were never away and to be fair given the head of steam
we had built up in Ballymena and Newcastle we'd have taken
an outing last Saturday to keep the momentum going.
Having lived in Bangor I knew the area
(well a few of the local watering holes anyway) and the
venue was looking really well. It was a later draw than
normal, we weren't due on till after 4.15 but we were looking
forward to staying amongst the prizes even if we would have
to stay up later than we were normally allowed; that meant
a later than normal start and a chance to review and sample
all the low fat produce on sale - a few of the boys are
on diets getting ready to show the six pack on the beach
on their summer holidays after the season finishes so the
burgers were few and far between. The drummers set about
their work and were going well, word from the pipers was
they were also going well so things were shaping up nicely.
We went on with a positive controlled attitude
and got things moving in the same vein enjoying our performance
all the way through. The nods between the guys afterwards
told us we were happy with the performance. The nodding
plus the Pipe Major's new brogues must've done the trick;
we came 1st as a band with Cullybackey behind us and well
done to them. As the results unfolded we were joint 1st
in piping; 1st in drumming; won best bass section and got
1st in M&D. In the Drum Major competition Emma Barr
came through 2nd in the Novice grade and Ian Young grabbed
the same prize in the Seniors so a great day for the band
all round!
We're not heading to Inverness next week
but best of luck to all the bands who are and hopefully
the Northern Irish bands will come home with some silverware
to polish till next year.
Next outing for us is the Ulster Championships
in Moira, see you there….
07th
July 2007
ALL
IRELAND Championships. (Results)
Aaaah,
the smell of the sea in the air and the whiff of fish n
chips - it must be Newcastle….I’m going to move away from
the weather watch theme this time, but what I will say is
we were all expecting to give our capes another airing;
however the opposite was the order of the day and the buckets
and spades could come out after all!
This was our first outing after winning
the British Championships in Ballymena so we were looking
to keep our noses in front of the pack and have a run to
be proud of. Our preparation went really well and in final
tuning all the right signs were there - even the temptation
of an ice cream couldn’t put us off. We were playing MSR
and were drawn last in the grade, on we went and got off
to a strong controlled start and maintained our level throughout.
We even managed a wee smile for the BBC cameras in the circle.
First place overall was plucked from us
due to the Grade 2 Ensemble judge's decision, by Cullybackey
and well done to them; we were second, Seven Towers were
third and the trip across the water in their Pheonix Hondas
was worth it for Glasgow Skye coming in fourth. We did tie
first with Cullybackey in piping and won the drumming prize
along with M&D. Ian Young came second in the senior
grade and Emma Barr got fourth in the novice grade of the
Drum Major contest so the trophy cabinet needs another shelf.
In grade 1, congratulations goes to St
Laurence O'Toole who took home the 62nd All Ireland Championship
title. Well done!!!!
23rd
June 2007
BRITISH
Championships. (Results)
Well
folks, who would predict it? Yes you guessed it... the rain
was on again! After a bright and hopeful start to the day
the clouds appeared and just before Ravara were due to perform
the heavens opened, and heavier it got as the performance
went on. We were soaked to the skin.
It
must have helped concentrate the efforts as we lifted 1st
place, with Cullybackey close behind in second. Another
home band, Seven Towers, also made the Top 6.
The
contest was well run with ample parking, food and toilet
facilities laid on. Those looking a break from pipe bands
had only a few minutes walk down into the town.
The
finale was another success for the second week running,
with all the bands flowing through in quick succession once
the march past began. The gathering was privileged to recieve
an address from Northern Ireland's First Minister, Rev Dr
Ian Paisely.
The
price giving went well with plenty of silverware being shared
between the Scottish & Irish. Well done to all those
who received a prize. Special congratualations to our drum
major Emma Barr on taking 6th place - definately shaping
up to be the talent of the future!
16th
June 2007
Co
Down Championships. (Results)
No
surprise on Saturday at Banbridge - the rain was on once
again. A miserable day all round.
The attractions where plentiful to entertain
those brave enough to venture out into the winter weather
ranging from The Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Old Fashioned Cars,
Irish Folk Groups and of course the Pipes and Drums themselves.
Ravara had an interesting day all round,
disappointment for their Drum Majors but satisfaction with
the band lifting first place in the MSR competition. Cullybackey
came in a hot second and Killeen third.
FMM cleaned up in Grade one lifting both
the MSR and Medley sections thought SLOT disrupted a clean
sweep by taking the best drum corps prize.
The march past onto the finale was the
best of the season to date and hearty congratulations most
go to EVERY pipe major involved in urging their band on,
so that for once we got away at a reasonable hour of the
day.
Here's looking to next week when maybe
just once we shall have nice dry weather that isn't too
hot either for the pipes.... (Ravara is playing 3rd out
of 17 entries, at 12.48hrs).
9th
June 2007
Mid
Ulster Championships. (Results)
A
strange thing happened in Cookstown – for the first time
in 2007 at a pipe band contest in Northern Ireland it was
sunny! Not a cape or an umbrella in sight meant we could
prepare in shirt sleeves and the gathering crowd were hoping
the heat would fire all the competitors up.
We were looking forward to playing our
medley selection with the plan to keep ourselves in among
the prizes, when draw time came we felt the preparation
had gone well enough and were raring to go. Another good
start allowed us to settle into the run quickly and meant
we were able to enjoy it to the finish. Both ends thought
we played well and there was progression in the air which
is one of our key intentions as the season unfolds.
The end result put us in second place behind
Cullybackey, well done to them and as always the same congratulations
to the winners and runners up in the other grades. We did
keep up our good run in M&D taking first place and Emma
Barr was also well deserving of her third place in the Novice
Drum Major competition - keep it up Emma!
One thing for sure - the smell of sun cream
definitely beats that of damp jackets drying. We might even
need it again for Banbridge…
2nd
June 2007
Co
Antrim Championships. (Results)
The Dumbarton
rainwater had just left the kilts and jackets when we had
them back on once more on our way to Fermanagh; Enniskillen
was next on the calendar. After last week's top six placing
we were aiming to maintain the pressure and hopefully keep
the band's name among the prizes.
Again we had an early draw with first on in the grade and
up till around 3 o'clock the weather held as we'd hoped
it would after two weeks of consecutive soakings but as
we got to within 20 minutes of competition time we found
out why Fermanagh is so green - it poured down. There was
only one thing for it, get really wet again! Literally just
as we approached the line the rain stopped but it was impossible
to find a dry piece of tartan to wipe the hands on before
we started to play; yet, straight into the medley with a
good intro and we were settled into the performance. After
we marched off and had the customary few words there was
a feeling of buoyancy (not just because of the rain) in
the ranks.
There was
a collective reward as we got 1st place with Cullybackey
close on our heels - congratulations and well done to all
the prize winners and runners up in all grades.
A big well
done also to Emma Barr for her 4th prize in the novice drum
major competition.
The debate
now starts as to whether we bring flippers and water wings
to Antrim next weekend, given the recent form maybe that's
not as daft as it sounds…
19th
May 2007
Scottish
Championships. (Results)
Like
most of the bands travelling across the water our day started
off in the early hours as we gathered in Larne. The ferry
was due to sail to Troon but weather conditions meant a
re-routed journey to Cairnryan and a late departure that
would eat into time the other end. On arrival we got straight
into the preparation looking to keep up the good run of
recent performances – draw time came and we were on; after
our run we played for the drum majors so the get together
and post mortem was delayed for a few moments.
Our
early draw meant we had a chance to listen to some of our
competition as well as the grade 1 bands. The weather played
a real part on the day and the P/M’s had to contend with
constantly changing conditions to set their bands up.
Time
for a few glasses of lemonade then we had to head off to
catch the return sailing – the results came through on the
coach and we were placed 5th overall, congratulations to
Seven Towers for winning the grade. We did get placed 1st
in ensemble so there were positives to take home and a real
platform to work from.
Congratulations
also goes to to Ian Young, our senior drum major for securing
1st place.
So
the spoils of the first “Major” of the season were settled
in Dumbarton in between the wind, rain and the odd glimpse
of sunshine. Well done to all the winners and better luck
next time to those who didn’t come away with what they hoped
for.
Next stop Enniskillen, lets hope it’s a dry one!
12th
May 2007
Malahide.
(Results)
And so the
Pipe Band road show really gets underway with a move from
Banbridge to Malahide – the main differences being Banbridge
was indoors and dry and Malahide was outdoors and soaking
wet (more of that later)!
Fresh on the
heels of the Banbridge performance we intended to keep the
momentum with another good medley run and take the opportunity
for a Dumbarton dress rehearsal.
The event
organisers had pulled together strong fields in all grades
for the 10th anniversary so we knew the competition would
be keen.
First on and
with a positive start we set our stall out early and got
through the run with continued focus on the improved ensemble
sound we’ve worked hard on through the winter. The talk
between the guys after we played was optimistic and whilst
we knew there were good bands to follow, we felt we had
a chance of getting in among the prizes.
As
it turned out we were second overall to Cullybackey (congratulations
to them and the other grade winners also) but best drum
corps and first in ensemble made the journey home more pleasant.
On the whole, P/M Connolly felt the band’s continued progress
augured well for next week, let’s hope he’s right!
For
all those at the finale, well done for braving the weather
– we all got completely soaked with first of all heavy rain
then hail stones as global warming hit Malahide in a spell
of 5 minute madness. The prize for ingenuity goes to Willie
Jennings for turning the bass drum into a communal umbrella,
at least 6 of the guys stayed reasonably dry.
Well
done to our Drum Major Emma Barr, who took home 3rd place
in the Novice Juvenile section.
Grade
winners for the 10th anniversary of the Malahide Festival
include: Grade 1 St. Laurence O'Toole, Grade 2 Cullybackey,
Grade 3A Annsborough, Grade 3B Drumlough, Grade 4A St. Lawrence
Howth, Grade 4B Dr. Wright Memorial.
So
the spotlight moves across the water for the first Major
of the season. Good luck to all the competitors from us.
5th
May 2007
Banbridge
Indoors. (Results)
Well
folks, the season has begun!
As the band gathered in the ‘staff room’
you could feel an air of healthy expectation in the ranks.
“Will my pipes strike at the first attempt? How will I cope
with the move into Grade 2?”
As the pipers began to warm up, the sound
was there and the anticipation mounted. Could we hold it
on the stage?
After two solid intro rolls the band quickly
settled. Tempos were just as we wanted them to be and we
were holding it together. The sweat began to roll down foreheads
as we entered the strathspeys with a positive accented beat.
The judges looked up and all toes began to tap – did they
like it? Time would tell. We finished with a well controlled
reel – the best all day. Today the whole band felt the hard
work put in to improve the ensemble sound over the winter
months had paid off, everyone agreed this was a good start
to the season.
P/M Connolly remarked ‘probably the best
indoor performance he can remember by the band, really musical’
– he was happy. The ‘back end’ also felt that whilst there
was room for improvement, as a first outing this was a performance
to be proud of. The result was now out of our control and
lay in the hands of the judges.
22nd
April 2007
Learners
Make Their Debut!
The
Learners Class at Ravara is beginning to reap the rewards
from those seeds that were planted a few years ago.
Scott
Barr, Aaron Connolly, and Ben McKee made their
Debut outing with the Band on Sunday 22nd April at a Church
Parade in Ballygowan. Kitted out in McBeth for the 1st time,
it was certainly a fantastic achievement for these young
lads and a credit to all their dedication and commitment
over the last couple of years, WELL DONE LADS !
It was especially a proud day for the Parents, and the Tuition
Team, and we would like to thank the Parents for their continued
support of their children and the Band, THANK YOU !
This now provides the incentive for the rest of the Learners,
namely Hannah Cranston, Lauren Cranston, Travis Heaybourne,
and Cameron McKee, and with continued commitment and hard
work their Debuts are only around the corner, KEEP UP THE
GOOD WORK LADS AND LASSIES !
21st
April 2007
Ulster
Solos.
Our young learners in the band have done themselves great
justice during the pre-season solo competitions.
On
3rd March at Seven Tower Solos Scott Barr came 2nd in the
U14 Chanter and Josh McKee 3rd in the U16 Piping. On 31st
March at the Independent Ulster Solos Scott came 1st in
the U14 Chanter and Josh got 1st in the U18 Piping 2/4 March.
On 7th April at the Cullybackey Solos young Scott lifted
another title coming 1st in the U14 Chanter.
Finally on 21st April at the Ulster Solos a new entrant
Ben McKee came 3rd in the U14 Chanter and Scott Barr (now
up a grade) got 2nd in the U16 Chanter.
Hearrty
congratulations to all our young stars of the future!
2007
Season
Wedding Bells All
Around.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
The members of the band would like to pass on their best
wishes to two happy couples who tied the knot over the winter
period.
David
& Elaine Cleland are keeping the Ravara tradition alive!
May we wish them and many happy years together.
Congratulations
also goes to Ryan
Robinson and Ashleigh on their engagement.
Finally,
Alan
Barr
passed the big 40 point during the winter period - slippery
slope from now on in chum!!!!!!
2007 Season
Welcome.
The
members of Ravara would like to give a very hearty welcome
to Debbie
Whitten, Dean
Faloon (coming from Battlehill PB) and Stuart
McLees (from North Belfast
PB) who have chosen to join the ranks for the 2007 season.
We hope they enjoy their time with the band for many years
to come!
We also bid a sad farewell to Claire Gibson,
Robert Black and Neil Ussher who have moved on to new pastures.
May we wish them every success in their new project and
maybe someday we shall see them back again?
2007 Season
Lottery
Grant Complete.
Well
finally folks the Lottery grant is complete. Ravara would
like to pass on their gratitude to the Arts Council for
their excellent support. The band benefited from a substantial
investment by the Arts Council, through a lottery award,
in which we managed to purchase a complete set of the Latest
Premier Drums including the Hosbilt Bass&Tenors, Drum
Harnesses, 12 sets of Fletcher bagpipes, a set of Polypenco
Pipe Chanters, a set of practice chanters and 2 Deger chanters
to name but some items.
All this equipment is already in use with both the competition
band and with getting the young learners on the floor. THANKS.
