Willie Glenholmes appointed Field Marshal Montgomery lead-drummer

The Grade 1 Field Marshal Montgomery of Northern Ireland has appointed Willie Glenholmes of Cullybackey, Northern Ireland, to the leading-drummer role.

Glenholmes takes over from Gareth McLees, who held the position for two competition seasons following Keith Orr’s retirement after 20 years. McLees’s departure was revealed on November 5th, and the leading-drummer position was left open then.

A regular top-six prizewinner at the World Solo Drumming Championships, including third in the 2024 competition, and a winner of the All-Ireland Solo Drumming Championship, Glenholmes reportedly expressed his desire for the role and received the support of the Field Marshal drum corps at a special meeting on November 8th when the band was informed of McLees’ departure.

“I am very pleased to confirm that Willie Glenholmes has accepted the role of Field Marshal Montgomery leading-drummer,” said recently-appointed Pipe-Major Matt Wilson. “Willie has been a rock of dependability and talent for the corps, and it was made clear in a recent band meeting that he has the full support of the corps behind him. He will bring the level of enthusiasm and energy that the band needs as we navigate our first season under new leadership.”

With most of the band’s pipe section, including Wilson, who’s based in Scotland, and Glenholmes and most of the drum corps living in Northern Ireland, Field Marshal Montgomery will continue to hold practices in each locale.

Glenholmes was a member of the Cullybackey Pipe Band under L-D Adrian Hoy, Vale of Atholl, and for one year the now defunct Lomond & Clyde before joining Field Marshal Montgomery.

“Leading the Field Marshal Montgomery drum corps is the opportunity of a lifetime and I am honoured to take on the role.” – Willie Glenholmes

“Leading the Field Marshal Montgomery drum corps is the opportunity of a lifetime and I am honoured to take on the role,” Glenholmes said. “Thank you to my fellow band members for their support and encouragement. Matt and I are very glad to be working together and we are all looking forward to the 2025 contest season.”

Thirteen-time World Champions Field Marshal Montgomery will enter the 2025 season as a rare example of an elite Grade 1 band starting a new season with a newly appointed pipe-major and leading-drummer.

Wilson’s and Glenholmes’s appointments (and McLees before Glenholmes’s) mark the first changes at the top for a band with a remarkably stable leadership history.