The Joint Association Council of The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Northern Ireland Branch and the Irish Pipe Band Association in conjunction with The Executive Office, Derry City and Strabane District Council, and Ulster-Scots Agency presents
The All Ireland Pipe Band + Drum Major Championships 2025 – which will take place at Ebrington Square, Derry/Londonderry on Saturday 5 July.
This will be the 78th iteration of the All Ireland Championships, an event which rotates annually between ourselves and the Irish Pipe Band and is a flagship event in our local pipe band calendar. After twelve years, the Championships return to the Maiden City on the 5 July, after a week of lead-up events across the city and wider district.
Andrew Graham, Chairperson of The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Northern Ireland Branch said:
“I am pleased to have been present at the official launch of the 78th All Ireland Championships, which this year will take place in the wonderful surroundings of Ebrington Square in Derry/Londonderry. This flagship event in our pipe band calendar is always a highlight every two years when our Branch hosts it within Northern Ireland and I am very much looking forward to welcoming the Bands, Drum Majors, Highland Dancers and of course, our spectators back to the city for the first time since 2013. I am also excited this year to see the inclusion of a number of fringe events across the district during the week leading up to the main day’s competition.
It is great to see a sizeable number of our bands and Drum Majors from across Northern Ireland and IPBA members from Ireland entered to compete this year. We are also very pleased to welcome bands and Drum Majors from Scotland and the USA who are also journeying to the province for this year’s Championships.
On behalf of the RSPBA Northern Ireland Branch, I give my sincere gratitude to all our funders who are supporting this event. The First Minister and deputy First Minister and The Executive Office; The Mayor, Cllr Seenoi-Barr and Derry City and Strabane District Council; and Ian Crozier and the Ulster-Scots Agency. I want to pledge thanks to our wonderful Branch team who have worked so hard over the last six months to bring this event to a reality this year. I also extend my continued appreciation to our colleagues within the Irish Pipe Band Association for their continued partnership and friendship with our Branch as part of the Joint Association Council. While there is still some more work to do, rest assured, the sound of pipes and drums, and the visual spectacle of Drum Majors and Highland Dancers at Ebrington Square will be very much alive on the first Saturday in July this year”
Brian McMahon, Chairperson of The Irish Pipe Band Association – Cumann Buíon Píobaire na hÉireann said:
“I am delighted to be once again joining with my friends and colleagues of The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Northern Ireland Branch for the All Ireland Pipe Band Championships. I am also delighted that this, the 78th hosting of this great event, will take place in the historic city of Derry/Londonderry.
The first event took place in 1946 as a result of a visit the late great Eddie McVeigh made to Dublin . Hearing pipes near the top of O’Connell Street , he followed the sound of the pipes and made his way to the practice rooms of the Fintan Lalor Pipe Band . The visit led to light banter and chat about who had the best bands in Ireland – the North or the South. The inaugural competition was held in the Iveagh Gardens in Dublin and was won by the Fintan Lalor Pipe Band. Many musical greats in the pipe band scene in Ireland have performed at the All Ireland events over the years and there have been countless memorable performances. I always feel a great sense of history that we are following in the footsteps of these great musicians of the past and that at the contest in July, we will witness some of the greatest living proponents of our art in action in Ebrington Square.
The All Ireland Championships is organised annually by a Joint Association Council (JAC) comprising of The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Northern Ireland Branch and the Irish Pipe Band Association . The event alternates between North and South each year, as does our joint All Ireland Solo Piping and Drumming Championships. As such, our JAC group is one of the oldest cross-border committees on the island. I am very proud of the fact that the pipe band movement is a shared culture through which we celebrate the music and culture of both the Scots and the Irish and through which we can appreciate each other’s traditions and styles of playing music.
I have made very many close, personal friends North and South through our wonderful movement and I look forward to spending a wonderful day in Ebrington Square on 5th July.”
On behalf of the JAC, Brian cordially invites bands, Drum Majors and supporters to the 79th All Ireland Pipe Band Championships which will be held in Newbridge House, Donabate, Co. Dublin on Saturday 4 July 2026.
This year’s advertising poster for the event features two familiar faces – both Derry City natives, Mark Hasson (Pipe Major of Colmcille and piper in Manorcunningham) and his son Cahir, who is a drummer with Cullybackey Pipe Band. Both were present at the launch event in Ebrington Square this week with Michelle O’Neill, First Minister of Northern Ireland, Emma Little-Pengelly, deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Cllr Lilian Seenoi-Barr, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District and Ian Crozier, Chief Executive Officer of the Ulster-Scots Agency.
All information regarding this year’s Championships and the fringe events will be updated shortly on the dedicated event page.
Entries for this year close on Monday 9 June and Bands and Drum Majors can enter using the links here
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-For media enquiries or any further details please contact:
Erinn McIlwaine, Marketing & Media Chairperson on 07515 556025 or email media@rspbani.org
-For entry enquiries please contact:
Danielle McCartney, Hon Secretary & Contest Chairperson by email secretary@rspbani.org
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Photo- Pictured left to right are; Andrew Graham – Chairperson of The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Northern Ireland Branch, Alastair Patterson – Project Leader for All Irelands 2025, Betty Booth – Branch President, Lacey-Mae Smyth – Sollus Highland Dancers, Drum Major Jamie-Lee Wilson – Bready Ulster Scots Pipe Band, First Minister Michelle O’Neill, Mark Hasson – Pipe Major of Colmcille Pipe Band, deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, Cahir Hasson – Cullybackey Pipe Band, Danielle McCartney – Manorcunningham Pipe Band, Cllr. Lilian Seenoi-Barr, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District and Ian Crozier, Chief Executive of Ulster-Scots Agency.
