Welcome to the new website home of The Birmingham Irish Pipes and Drums

This site will regularly be updated with news, pictures, forthcoming events and videos of events that we play. Feel free to leave any comments on our guestbook or contact us with any comments or enquiries.
During March we were incredibly busy playing at some great St Patrick’s Day Parade events. We played at the Birmingham, Derby, Huddersfield and Sandwell parades all over a period of 10 days. Immensely busy but incredibly enjoyable with fantastic crowds cheering the band around all the events. All the parades were blessed with great weather which ensured huge crowds at all the events.
The week after the Birmingham St Patrick’s Day Parade we took part in our first competition of the season – The Birmingham Indoors held by the Midlands Branch of the RSPBA. In a group of 13 our B team Trio of Pat Cox, Joel Grigg and Thomas Coughlan came a brilliant 3rd. The A team with Bill Grigg, Oran Grigg and Emmett O’ Reilly came 8th. In the Mini Band competition where we fielded 6 pipers, 2 side drummers a tenor drummer and a bass we came 2nd. A great result for the band. On the day the prize giving was incorrect and we were called up 3rd. This was corrected by a phone call later in the day letting us know we were 2nd.
We played many events leading up to the summer including The Friends of Solihull Hospital Fete, Acocks Green Carnival and Astwood Bank Carnival interspersed with competition at Corby Highland games where we came last out of 7 bands, (a disappointing day but lots learnt) and The Ashbourne Highland Games where we came 6th out of 10. This was a great result as we were up against some very seasoned competition bands and this is only our 2nd season in competition.
Practices take place on a Tuesday evening at SS Mary and John School in Erdington Birmingham. Beginners class is from 6.45pm to 7.45pm and playing members practice from 8pm to 9,45pm. We have a great batch of beginners coming through and we look forward to them joining the ranks over the next few months.
Coming up we have The All England Pipe Band Championships at Chatsworth on the 31st August. We are playing for Stoke British Legion on the 1st November for a Poppy Fund Raising Appeal and The Remembrance Day Parade for Perry Common Royal British Legion No.1 on Sunday 11th November. Please look at our events calendar to keep up with all our events