Bangor and Newtownards at war as row over hosting of County Down Pipe Band Championships refuses to go away

The “Pipe Band Championship Wars” between Bangor and Newtownards has been revived at a council meeting.

At the start of this year, a bitter row over whether a Pipe Band Championship should be held in Newtownards or Bangor reached a compromise at Ards and North Down Council, with agreement on rotating venues, beginning with Newtownards this year.

However, at the most recent meeting of the council, Independent Alderman for Bangor Central Wesley Irvine resuscitated the argument with a proposal that the County Down Pipe Band Championship be held in Bangor this year and next year, to save the council £12,000.

He told the chamber: “I believe that given the rising costs in hosting the Pipe Band Championships at the Ards Airfield, and given the difficult decisions we are currently having to make as we approach getting the rates set, that the right thing to do is for Bangor to host the event in the years 23 and 24.

“This will bring us a saving in the region of £12,000. I see the cost for Ards this year has gone up to £33,850 and I would ask members to vote for an alternate proposal.”

The council officer report recommended the local authority to authorise a revised budget of £33,850 to deliver the event in Newtownards in May 2023, subject to a successful bid to the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association of Northern Ireland and the rates setting process.

DUP Alderman for Newtownards Stephen McIlveen, and Alliance Alderman for Newtownards Alan McDowell asked Alderman Irvine to withdraw his amendment while new sites could be investigated at Newtownards with lesser costs – but the Independent for Bangor Central persisted.

In a recorded vote three elected members voted for Alderman Irvine’s amendment, 36 voted against and there was one abstention. The officer recommendation passed with 26 votes in favour, 16 against, and one abstention.

SDLP Councillor for Ards Peninsula Joe Boyle said: “We are going around the room again here, and the people I feel sorry for are the Pipe Band Association, because they are being bounced from pillar to post. From Ards to Bangor, from Bangor to Ards, maybe from Ards to West Winds, maybe back to Ards, and maybe back to Bangor.

“Time is moving on and they need to be respected. At one time we were going to ask them to a committee to ask them where they would prefer. I think this has been a shambolic journey for the Pipe Band contests here.”

UUP Councillor for Comber Philip Smith said: “This issue we had hoped had been sorted out. Some of the coverage of this in the local press has been embarrassing to say the least. Coming back to Pipe Band Wars Mark Two is not where the council wants to go, nor does the Pipe Band Championship.”

Last October, an argument over a venue for the County Down Pipe Band Championship split the DUP and Ards and North Down Council down the middle, while again exposing the ancient rivalry between Newtownards and the newly classified City of Bangor.

At that meeting, aggrieved DUP Newtownards councillors were involved in rancorous exchanges with their own party colleagues who represent Bangor district electoral areas.

The Newtownards representatives voted against a proposal to invite the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association of Northern Ireland to address councillors on their preferences for a venue, stating it was an attempt to row back on an agreement made before Covid to rotate the championship venue on alternate years between Newtownards and Bangor. The proposal was passed, as councillors were split geographically between choosing Bangor as a permanent venue or a rotational  system between Bangor and Newtownards.

However the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association of Northern Ireland refused to become embroiled in the council spat, and wrote to the council: “Your deputation request inviting the RSPBANI to your January meeting is unnecessary, as we do not have a preferred location, and in previous years the council has worked with us very successfully in both venues, on any matters including toilets, marketing, seating car parking etc.”

The RSPBANI added: “The decision must be taken by the council, to offer us a bid including a venue and services. We are reluctant to get involved in any debate between elected members of Newtownards and Bangor, as we are a governing body who delivers pipe band competitions in Northern Ireland and we wish to stay neutral on this outcome.”

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