'It's extra special, it could be 30 years since we've hosted an event this big': Co Fermanagh band celebrates 100th anniversary with number boost and new uniforms on parade

Turning 100 on Friday, the Loughkillygreen Accordion Band have decided to gift themselves with brand new uniforms – the first they’ve had in 30 years.

And as part of a celebratory bash at their hall they’re holding an anniversary parade, the march itself something of a rarity as the organisation is so far in the countryside it doesn’t get to host many typical band activities.

“We’re as rural as you get, a small Orange hall near Newtownbutler; there’s literally one field between us and Co Monaghan,” band master Simon Wiggins told the News Letter. “We actually don’t hold an annual parade, this event is just because it’s the 100th anniversary and we have the new unforms.

“It’s extra special for us, as we’re not used to running something like this. It could well be 30-odd years since we last hosted an event as big as this, so people are very excited.”

The band has deep ties to the history of the area, with generations joining it. Simon himself got involved through his father, and says it’s not unusual for family traditions of playing to be passed down to children and grandchildren, all of whom march together.

“It’s a strong part of the community,” he says. “Some of those involved in the band might not be involved in any other organisations, so it’s a way of keeping people together, and it’s filled with families.

“The band’s there 100 years, but the lodge goes back closer to 200 years; it’s a real part of the local area.”

But there’s also been a major influx of new members in the last 10 to 15 years, rejuvenating it and ensuring its future can be as long and storied as its century-long past.

That was a deliberate move on Simon’s part. When he took over the top seat in 2012, numbers were in a serious slump; deciding to look outwards, he toured schools and churches hoping to get interested people young and old to come to open days and try out instruments.

“To be honest, we only had two turn up that first night,” he says, “but they brought another couple and talked to their friends, and within two years we had 16 new members – amazing, it was a massive boost and really kept the band on the road.

“It was trial and error, I’m just pleased it’s worked out. We’re very healthy in numbers now, with new uniforms plus a whole new set of new accordions and drums over the last few years.

"But on Friday evening I do plan to emphasise that, whether they’re new to the band or have been here for decades, our members are part of a 100-year history; there’s a legacy and an identity we want to carry forward into the next 100 years.”

According to Simon, there’s a bit of a split in favourite tunes between the long-term members and the newer recruits. “Some people love ‘the Sash’, others say ‘Orange and Blues’ is a nice marching tune,” he reveals. “Myself, it’s a recent addition, ‘Fields of Ulster’. Because it’s new to us, I’ve enjoyed playing it.”

Of course, the members are eager to unveil their new uniforms in the band’s traditional navy blue colours. “Our uniforms were close to 30 years old, we were a bit overdue,” says Simon. “The members will be pleased to get a fresh look – and something that fits better.”

Loughkillygreen formed in 1926 as a flute band, just five years after the border with the Republic that lies so close to its Orange Hall was created.

In the 1960s it pivoted to accordions, reflecting a contemporary shift in marching band traditions, and by 1968 had also welcomed a more diverse membership involving men, women and young people.

The band suffered an unusual interruption in the Troubles – it couldn’t rehearse due to terrorist threats to an army checkpoint installed on the lane to their hall, but survived as an important community outlet.

It now boasts around 30 members, keen to get going with their modern instruments and renewed energy.