The hunt for Brown Aughintober: Grade 2 band secures Grade 1 L-D

The Aughintober Pipe Band of Castlecaulfield, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the heights of Grade 2, and now has added experienced Grade 1 band member David Brown as its new Lead-Drummer, replacing Chris Johnston.

A County Tyrone resident, Brown has played with various Grade 1 bands over the years, including the Australia Highlanders since 2007. He competed with the Royal Ulster Constabulary Pipe Band for 12 years, and was also L-D of the Grade 3 Tullylagan Pipe Band of Northern Ireland.

Johnston recently departed Aughintober for Perth, Australia, where he will play with the Grade 1 Western Australia Police Pipe Band, which has been rebuilding to return to competition form in 2011 after a five-year hiatus from the contest arena.  

“Aughintober has just finished their first ever year in Grade 2, with the drum crops wining the Ulster Championships,” Brown said. “The piping finished fourth in the Final of the World’s, so I am hopeful that we will be able to make an impact in the grade this year but it will take a lot of hard work.”

Brown said that he hopes that his sons, Stephen and Michael, who also played with Australia Highlanders, will also join Aughintober.

The band finished eighth in Grade 2 at the 2010 World Pipe Band Championships after being upgraded from Grade 3A, in which in 2009 it finished fifth at the World’s and won the grade at the Scottish Championships and was third at the British. Aughintober competed at only two RSPBA championships in 2010, but attended five events in Northern Ireland.