The Gael Pipefest in Bexhill
| Published: 23rd April 2008 07:49 |
‘The Gael' Pipefest for Bexhill
There is nothing like the sound of bagpipes to conjure up a mood, whether it be a lament or a rousing march. You cannot beat it.
Bexhill is due to host it's own Pipefest on Saturday 24th May 2008, and everyone is invited to come along.
The event is being organised by Pat Donohugh and Tim Hickmott from the Edinburgh Bagpipe Company, located in Bexhill.
The aim was to amass up to 50 pipe bands from all over the world, especially bands or individuals south of Luton as this is seen as the forgotten lands when it comes to bagpipes.
Reasons for organising this event are two fold. Three charities will benefit from any funds raised - The NSPCC; SSAFA; and Marie Curie Cancer Care. Funds will be obtained via sponsorship for any and all entrants to the Pipefest as well and collecting donations on the day.
The Set of Tunes For The Day
The Route that is planned for is:
St Richards College in Ashdown Rd, we hope to have the Lady Lord warden of East Sussex there and we will as a massed band, play as she opens the event, Amazing Grace and then a marching tune, that tune is still to be chosen, then out onto Magdalene Rd, left into Sea Rd, right along the front to Sackville Rd,along Sackville Rd to Western Rd, up Western Rd, right and down Devonshire Rd, Left along the Sea front to Galley Hill for the Massed band and end.
The tune sets are almost set, we plan 3 choices;
Tune set 1 :Scotland The Brave : No Awa tae Bide Awa : Rowan Tree
Tune set 2 : Scotland The Brave : No Awa Tae Bide Awa : Rowan Tree : Green Hills : Battle's O'er Colin's Cattle : Pipers
Tune set 3 : Scotland The Brave : No Awa tae Bide Awa : Rowan Tree : Green Hills : Battle's O'er : Colin's Cattle : Cock O' the North : Atholl Highlanders : Wi' a
Massed band at Galley Hill : Highland Cathedral and ending with Heilan' Laddie
for access to maps to view the route click on the following link;
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=bexhill+on+sea,+east+sussex&ie=UTF8&ll=50.877477,0.470352&spn=0.168971,0.462799&z=11&iwloc=addr&om=1 http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=st+richards+college+Bexhill,+East+Sussex&ie=UTF8&ll=50.848928,0.47164&spn=0.021134,0.05785&z=14&om=1
For those visitors to Bexhill who require accommodation why not try those establishments listed on our accommodation pages
The Edinburgh Bagpipe Company
Bexhill's very own piece of the Highlands was started by a New Zealander, Allan Walker in 2005 in Edinburgh. He then moved to Cheshire and after a year decided to sell the business. Pat and Time then took the chance to buy the business and move it down to East Sussex.
They got underway with their new venture in a small office in St. Leonards and after 3 months found that it was too small for the operation they already had, let alone the plans that they had for the Edinburgh Bagpipe Company. Having expanded the sales operation to include drums and uniform, four months later they found themselves a nice position in Bexhill. Being a larger shop, following their move they widened their scope to include gifts, kilt hire and tuition. They called the Bexhill shop ‘The Gael@.
"We have had so much fun over the fifteen months since we took The Gael on", Pat said in July 2007, "many hours of sleepless nights and ancient battle re-enactments that Tim and I have performed whilst attempting to decide on issues such as paint colour and where to put the stock". "Here we are now, we've taken the shop next door on and enlarged The Gael and are planning a Pipefest for Bexhill in May, 2008".
"The partnership is still together and there's an easy alliance akin to a political one between the two nations, only raising it's head on the sports field. Tim has been tutoring eight students and is teaching the Great Highland Pipes in a local school and I have joined up with a local gold medallist piper to establish a Highland Pipe Band Academy. We have called it the Robertson Pipe & Drum Academy and it exists to promote quality instruction and performance in pipe band music. We hope to offer the opportunity to sit the College of Piping exams here in the South sometime in the future".
We instigated the first ever workshops by Jim Kilpatrick and Jim McGillvray and it went down a storm, an unheard of occurrence south of London. So we are delighted that it would seem the music of The Gael is increasing in popularity here in the heart of Sussex as well as around the world".
"The Pipefest will be open to all bands, especially those from the South, the French coast and Southern Ireland as we are all so much on the fringes of the bagpipe scene".
For all those who are interested, but have not pledged their support for the event please email the organisers at pat@edinburghbagpipes.co.uk
