Interactive History

From the bands inception as a response of a group of young men in Forster Street to finally provide the people of Galway a town band, through it's many hurdles, the initial thirty years of the band proved to be rocky, yet worthwhile and achievable through the sheer tenacity of its early members! The members of the band raised the funding to provide the location and instruments for the band to function, as well as surviving deaths of its members and closures as a result of violence against the bandhall during The Great War and the Irish War of Independence.

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In 1932 Paddy Walsh, Michael Spelman and Peter Rabbitt purchased the present band site for the lasting benefit of the members of St. Patrick's Band. The band itself continued through the 1930s but for periods had to suspend activities due to members emigrating from Galway.

The 2nd World War forced another closedown but members played for LDF march drills in Galway. Sergeant Bill Jones took charge of the Band instruments and there were regular route marches by the LDF led by those musicians.

Bill Jones was Bandmaster for a period after the war and the band played for Processions and concerts. Two founder members died in the 1940s, Paddy Walsh (1940) and Peter Rabbitt (1942) having kept up their involvement with the band since founding it in 1896.

In 1948 the band held their 52nd Annual concert under Bandmaster Bill Jones. Later the band continued under bandmaster Michael Mitchell and young people continued to become members, including Pat O’Sullivan (future Honorary President) who became a member as a boy in 1948.

In the early fifties the band continued to play for annual processions, events and concerts in Galway. But it also continued to be affected by emigration, with many players leaving Galway, forcing the Bandroom to be closed again. Pat O’Sullivan was among those members who moved to England in search of work.

In the late fifties a campaign was undertaken to revive the band. Michael Mitchell and Mick Spelman were promised support if they could resurrect the band. Fr. George Quinn P.P of St. Patrick’s Church, John F. King, Murtagh Rabbitt, Paddy Henegan, Tom Feeney, Michael Mitchell, Mickey Spelman, Jack Doherty (pictured here) and others helped out and a fundraising campaign followed. Instruments were repaired and the Bandroom was upgraded for practice.

Throughout the sixties, St. Patricks Band Society was involved in all the major events to come to Galway, including the visit of United States President John F. Kennedy on 29th June 1963.

New young members joined (such as Tommy Joyce) and the band would continue to entertain and provide musical recitals in Galway.

Michael Mitchell took ill during this time, prompting Jack Regan (Bandmaster) from Dublin to take his place and continue his invaluable work, the band playing for numerous events. It participated in the festivities that coincided with the opening of the new Galway Cathedral in August 1965. Under Jack Regan it led parades that welcomed Cardinal Richard Cushing and other bishops and dignitaries to Galway. It played on boats at Waterside coinciding with a fireworks display and paraded the Victorious Galway Footballers home.

There was an attempt to upgrade the Bandroom in the late sixties which ultimately failed due to financial issues. Though its premises was not fit-for-purpose, the Band continued to practice and flourish.

In the mid seventies, female players were welcomed into the band for the first time. Until then they were traditionally members of the committee and supporters, but their introduction as musicians was predictably transformative for St. Patrick’s Band.

A new Maroon and White band uniform was launched representing the Galway colours. Also a Colour Party was introduced to front the marching band with members carrying the Irish Tricolour, a band flag and flags representative of the event.

In 1978 the band were to be the stars of an RTE2 documentary, and later in 1979, played for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Galway.

In the early eighties, St. Patrick's Band were instrumental in founding the Western Region Brass and Miltary Band Association, and welcomed numerous bands to Galway for a joint festival in 1984. The same year they also played at numerous organised local festivals and parades celebrating Galway City Quencenteninal.

It turned out for US President Ronald Reagan on his visit to Galway, and for other dignitaries and national figures such as President Ortega of Nicaragua.

The Band elected its first female Chairperson Patricia Folan in the eighties and achieved one of its longest and most venerated goals - securing the funding to finally rebuild the Bandroom.

St. Patricks Band continued to provide a social hub in the centre of Galway for musical events throughout the 90's and in 1995 made its first historical international visit to Lorient, France.

The band continued to raise funds to expand its membership and celebrated 100 years in 1996 with musical celebrations throughout the year. There were visits from Irish and International bands and dignitaries such as An Taoiseach (Prime Minister) John Bruten and An Uachtarán na hÉireann (President) Mary Robinson.

In 1999 St. Patrick's Band were instrumental in the instigation of the Access Music Project to provide musical education to the unemployed. The same year the band also suffered the loss of Paddy Francis, the bandrooms long-term unofficial caretaker.

St. Patrick's Band experienced sorrow in the early 2000's with the devastating sudden loss of their Chairperson Patricia Folan. They also missed marching for the St. Patrick's Day parade which was cancelled due to an outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth. However some joy was to be found when they won their section in the South of Ireland Band Championships in 2002 and received the first Galway City Mayoral Award in 2004.

They returned to Lorient, France in 2003 and later travelled to Gratz and Vienna, Austria in 2008. 

Throughout the decade the Band visited other parts of Ireland, as well as hosting bands at home. They played at Croke Park for Irish Soccer Internationals, played a joint concert with the Butter Exchange Brass and Reed Band in Blackpool, Cork and participated in the Volvo Ocean Festivals in 2009/2010 (to name but a few). The Band also saw the introduction of a new band uniform, the maroon and white being replaced by the now familiar Green and Black.

The Bandroom continued to be a cultural hub for various musical and social events. Work continued on the Bandroom and a Baby Grand Piano was housed there to be available for the musicians of the city. It also became an election centre for various referendums during this period.

St. Patrick’s Band played for various political parties in the general election of 2011 and welcomed and paraded Michael D. Higgins back to Galway following his election as President of Ireland in November 2011. The Band would later meet the President again when they welcomed him to the Bandroom in 2015 to commemorate the succession of their new Honorary President Pat O’Sullivan after the passing of Tom Feeney in 2014. The equally sad and joyous occasion was also attended by the Mayor of Galway Frank Fahy, who presented the Band with a new euphonium on behalf of the City Council.

This decade proved to be one of the busiest in the band’s history. They were featured in a film to record the history of the Band by the Galway Film Centre project in 2013. They continued to play regular events such as St. Patrick's Day festivals, Church processions, St. Nicholas’s Garden Fete, the Claregalway Festival, Church Masses throughout Galway and sporting events in Pearse Stadium, Terryland/Eamonn Deacy Park, and the Sportsground. They also played for the first Galway Christmas Market in 2011, launched a ‘Play the Movies’ show in 2014 and played various Easter Rising Commemorations in 2016 as well as the Band’s 120-year Anniversary.

The Band continued to travel and perform nationally and internationally in this decade, notably visiting Valencia, Spain in 2017, and the considerable honour of being invited to perform in Matera, Italy as part of its opening ceremony as the European Capital of Culture 2019.
 

The start of the 2020’s presented St. Patrick’s Band with some of the most trying times of their history. Due to storms at the start of 2020, the Opening Ceremonies for Galway’s succession as the European Capital of Culture had to be abandoned. Though the band were unable to perform the show they had prepared – Musicals and Movies – they did get a chance to present it successfully at the Town Hall that February.

Once the Covid-19 global pandemic struck, like all Irish societies, St. Patrick’s Band had to abandon all practice and meetings by the end of March that year. The band tried to stay in touch virtually, and when restrictions were eased, played outdoors together in various locations around Galway. They were particularly active during the Summer and Winter periods, playing for as many communities as possible, spreading cheer where they could during such trying times.

A joyous band returned to full practice two years later in January 2022, the surprisingly low number of absentees proving a testament to the loyalty and dedication of its members. Since then, the band has moved from strength to strength. They resumed their historic role leading Galway's St. Patrick’s Day Parade, performed with over 100 musicians at the release of the Galway community inspired Opera ‘Paper Boat’, resurrected and performed perhaps their most poignant version of their ‘Play the Movies’ show in conjunction with the Eye Cinema, as well as playing multiple other gigs, including partaking in the Irish Association of Brass and Concert Bands in Athlone and presenting an incredibly successful Disney Commemoration Show to celebrate their centennial anniversay.

With the bands strong membership numbers and loyal, dedicated members, St. Patrick’s Band are now looking forward to bright years ahead...