1st Old Boys Youth Band (above) recently won the 2016 NIBA (North of Ireland Brass Band Championships) Youth section — achieving a double hat trick after winning the contest every year from 2011.

Dynamic and sublime

Led by Jacklin Bingham, the band played an own-choice programme of 'March 1914', followed by principal cornet, Louise Bell giving a sublime rendition of 'The Maids of the Mourne Shore' before the ensemble finished with a dynamic account of Alan Fernie's 'Prismatic Light'.

Adjudicator Steve Sykes was certainly impressed and noted the bands attention to detail, dynamics, fine sound. He also praised for the performance of Louise for her 'wonderful traditional cornet sound'.

Thanks

Band organisers Jacklin and Mark Bingham told 4BR: "We would like to thank the parents committee who help with the running of the band and for supporting workshops with Mike Fowles and also with Foden's Band at the Armagh Summer School."

Both 1st Old Boys youth and senior bands will now head to Ostend to compete in the 2017 European Championships and have a busy few months ahead of fund raising.

No mean feat

Mark Bingham added: "This is no mean feat, and is a mirror of the Euros in 2014 though on a larger scale when both bands successfully competed in Perth.

It is also a great story for the senior band as now we have a youth band player in nearly every section."