The Londonderry Bands Forum is working with the North West Cultural Partnership and Britannia Concert Band to deliver a concert in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, in the build up to St Patrick’s Day 2023, featuring bands from Northern and Southern Ireland in a Shared Island performance.
The Community Relations Council has supported the project through the CR/CD Small Grants Scheme.
The project features: Britannia Concert Band; St James Band; and Communication Workers Union Band.
Britannia Concert Band
Comes from a mainly Unionist tradition and is one of the oldest bands in Northern Ireland dating back to the 1860s. The band takes on many local engagements including garden parties, council-led initiatives and cross-community projects organised by the North West Cultural Partnership or Londonderry Bands Forum. The band incorporates 50 musicians.
St James Band
St James’ Brass and Reed Band Dublin is considered to be one of the oldest Bands in Ireland, dating from the 1700. The band comes from a strong Nationalist tradition. The band incorporates 40 musicians.
Communication Workers Union Band
The Communication Workers Union Band is the only remaining Union linked band in Dublin. The band incorporates 30 musicians.
Divided by History, United by Music
The project, entitled Divided by History, United by Music, will showcasing how history has divided communities but how music has brought them together in a different setting. The aim of the trip is to build up cross border understanding by bringing together bands from different traditions to play music in Dublin Cathedral and establish links which will then be reciprocated for a further concert in Londonderry later in 2023 and possibly in further events in Dublin in 2024.
Therefore, the objective is to encourage bands from different traditions to work together using music/culture as an introductory link to engage in conversations around more difficult topics.
The objective is to breakdown stereotypes about the marching band culture in a positive way, to bring a different audience of musicians to St Patricks Cathedral, to get musicians from different traditions to work together and culture being a positive and not a threat to anyone.
Workshops
Two sets of individual workshops are being held: one to be held on the 28 February 2023 in Northern Ireland; and another workshop in the Republic of Ireland on the 7 March 2023.
The way the project will work then is that the bands will participate in a series of workshops on the 11 March in the afternoon at Liberties College in Dublin with a rehearsal of the combined pieces from 12 – 1.30 PM and another workshop between 2.30 – 4 PM. The performance itself will start with the Dublin Bands from 7.30 – 8 PM, then the combined pieces will be played from 8 – 8.30 PM with the Britannia doing their own set from 8.45 – 9.15 PM, with another set of combined pieces from 9.15 – 9.45 PM.
Building Relationships
This relationship between these bands has not happened before but was cultivated as members of the Britannia had left the band in Londonderry and moved to Dublin and started playing with the Brass Bands in Dublin to keep their talent going. The link therefore is new and Londonderry Bands Forum is planning to use this link to bring them back to Londonderry in the future for a concert. Therefore, the first workshop and concert is crucial to build relations that lead to more collaboration in future.
