Aughnamullen East Community Pipe Band have been representing their locality, their county and their country for fifty years.
A number of locals came together in 1975 to form the band with no instruments or no money but what they had in abundance was belief.
Five decades on, two of the ‘originals’ are still stepping it out since day one.
Committee members say the commitment and support locally has been key to the success of the band from starting out from humble beginnings to one of the most recognised and respected bands in the region.
Thomas McEntee has been there for day one and says due to the support and a few firm rules set in place at the beginning the rest was history.
The band is performing at the Big Tom Weekend this Sunday in Castleblayney and to mark this golden jubilee, they are hosting a dance in Aughnamullen Centre on Saturday the 27th of September.
Caroline Geoghegan has been involved with the band for 30 years, she says they have travelled the world down through the years and it’s just been great to be a part of it all.
Paddy Fealy remembers the first time the band took to walking down through Aughnamullen performing for the crowds that gathered.
At the time he was in the band as a young boy alongside his father and he said that was a very special moment.
