Alastair Donaghy, Stephen Creighton big winners at Ulster Solo Championships

Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland—April 12, 2025—Alastair Donaghy of Beragh, Northern Ireland, won the overall trophy in the A-Grade piping after a tie with James Frazer was broken by the Piobaireachd result, and Dublin’s Stephen Creighton won the aggregate A-Grade snare drumming trophy at the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Northern Ireland Branch presented the Ulster Solo Piping & Drumming Championships at Cookstown High School.

Solo Piping

A-Grade
Piobaireachd
1st Alastair Donaghy
2nd Kris Coyle
3rd James Frazer
4th James Stone
5th Marc Warnock
6th Drew McAnally
Judge: Greig Canning

MSR
1st James Frazer (1,1)
2nd Alastair Donaghy (2,2)
3rd James Stone (3,3)
4th Kris Coyle (4,4)
5th Alan Glenholmes (5,5)
Judges: David Caldwell, Mark Faloon

Hornpipe & Jig
1st Alastair Donaghy
2nd James Frazer
3rd James Stone
4th Alan Glenholmes
5th Kris Coyle
6th Reece Doherty
Judge: David Chesney

B-Grade
Piobaireachd
1st Andrew Nelson
2nd Alistair Williams
3rd Alan Glenholmes
4th Eddie Boland
5th Arthur Bass
Judge: Greig Canning

MSR
1st Reece Doherty
2nd Marc Warnock
3rd Drew McAnally
4th Andrew Nelson
Judge: Mark Faloon

C-Grade
1st Alistair Williams
2nd Conall Mc Namara
3rd Tom Cowan
4th Ewan Mitchell
5th Bobby Curtin
6th Matthew Browne
Judge: David Caldwell

Juvenile
Under 18
1st Shaun Townsley
2nd Jack Rankin
3rd William McFarland
4th Laura Neill
5th Jodi Fanthom
Judge: Mark Faloon

Under 16
Piobaireachd
1st Maddox Stinson
2nd Daniel McBlain
Judge: Greig Canning

Light Music
1st Daniel McBlain
2nd Maddox Stinson
3rd Jacob Stewart
4th Rory Rodgers
5th Emma Boyce
6th Harry Steele
Judge: Mark Faloon

Under 14
1st Henry Spencer
2nd Alan Waddell
3rd Willie Rooney
Judge: David Caldwell

Novice
1st Niamh Lau
2nd Harrison Foster
3rd Cillian Orr
4th Mollie Watson
Judge: David Chesney

Practice Chanter
Advanced
1st Emily Brownlee
2nd Bláithín Cunningham
Judge: David Chesney

Novice
1st Harry Hamilton-Bell
2nd Anna Murphy
3rd Ellie Doherty
4th Lucy Stinson
Judge: David Chesney

Solo Drumming

Snare
A Grade
MSR
1st Stephen Creighton (1,1)
2nd Cameron Lawson (2,4)
3rd Alex Buchanan (5,2)
4th Matthew Shaw (3,5)
5th Ashley Fyffe (6, 3)
6th Stuart Wilson (4,7)
7th Conor Lawlor (7,6)
Judges: Ian Lawson, Adrian Hoy

Hornpipe & Jig
1st Ashley Fyffe (1,1)
2nd Alex Buchanan (2,2)
3rd Stephen Creighton (3,3)
4th Cameron Lawson (4,4)
5th Conor Lawlor (6,5)
6th Matthew Shaw (5,7)
7th Stuart Wilson (7,6)
Judges: Ian Lawson, Adrian Hoy

B-Grade
Intermediate
1st Stuart McLees
2nd Aaron Jess
Judge: Ian Lawson

C-Grade
Junior
1st Steven Bready
2nd David Murphy
3rd Ben Mckeown
4th Peter Wilson
5th Matthew Brown
6th Jason Todd
Judge: Ian Lawson

Juvenile
Under 18
1st Joshua Green
2nd Rory Lamont
3rd William Smiton
4th Stefan Kelly
Judge: Adrian Hoy

Under 16
1st Lewis Doherty
Judge: Adrian Hoy

Under 14
1st Callum Freeburn
2nd Matthew Brownlee
3rd Jacob Laird
4th Lexi Kerr
5th Ashley Steele
6th Jacob Nicholson
Judge: Adrian Hoy

Unaccompanied (playing without a piper)
1st Henry Turkington
2nd Joshua Toole
3rd Hugh Smiton
4th Isaac Lennox
5th Lucy Watson
6th Joshua Patterson
Judge: Adrian Hoy

Drum Pad
Advanced
1st Jack Semple
2nd Jayden McIlmoyle
3rd Carson Brown
Judge: Ian Lawson

Novice
1st Áine Fitzsimmons
2nd Jacob McIlwaine
3rd Megan Steele
4th Luke Maguire
5th Tommy Cuddy
6th Bobby McIlwaine
Judge: Ian Lawson

Tenor
A-Grade
1st Jonny Cousins
Judge: Gary Smyth

C-Grade
1st Stacey Hanna
2nd Isla McGonigle
3rd Georgia McCrory
Judge: Gary Smyth

Under 14
1st Lucy Semple
2nd Jack Montgomery
Judge: Gary Smyth

Under 16
1st Oliver McIlwaine
2nd Hannah Todd
3rd Alexis McCrory
4th Erin Wilson
5th Chloe McCullagh
6th Jane Mc Gurk
Judge: Gary Smyth

Bass
Open
1st Ewan Smyth
2nd Craig Rogers
3rd Robert Coady
4th Erinn McIlwaine
Judge: Adrian Hoy