Closkelt on top at 2025 Mid Ulster Championships

Cookstown, Northern Ireland – June 7, 2025 – The Mid Ulster Championships were held in excellent weather at Cookstown High School, and it was Closkelt that came out ahead of Ravara. Tullylagan won Grade 2 against six other contestants, including the Grade 3A Major Sinclair Memorial, which played up and placed third, though the band was second in the Grade 3A competition, to Matt Boyd Memorial.
Field Marshal Montgomery will reportedly play in its first contest under new Pipe-Major Matt Wilson at the Antrim & Newtownabbey Pipe Band Championships in Antrim, Northern Ireland, on June 28th.
The Mid Ulsters once again went with a massed bands finale, eschewing the lengthy march past traditionally seen at RSPBA contests, where every single competing band and drum-major marches one by one by a reviewing stand, giving the honorary competition chieftain a military-style salute.
Our thanks to the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Northern Ireland Branch for this gallery of images:
Grade 1 (MSR, minimum four parts each tune)
1st Closkelt (1,1,2,1)
2nd Ravara (2,2,1,2)
Bass Drumming: Ravara
Judges: Richard Parkes, John Reville (piping); Keith Orr (drumming); John Moles (ensemble)
Grade 2 (Medley)
1st Tullylagan (2,2,1,1)
2nd Manorcunningham (1,1,4,3)
3rd Major Sinclair Memorial (Gr3A) (3,3,2,2)
4th Clogher & District (7,6,3,4)
5th Cloughfin (4,4,5,7)
6th Kildoag (5,5,7,6)
7th Irvine Memorial (6,7,6,5)
Bass Drumming: Major Sinclair Memorial
Judges: D. Middleton, William Garrett (piping); Iain Lawson (drumming); Colin Moffett (ensemble)
Grade 3A (MSR)
1st Matt Boyd Memorial (2,3,1,6)
2nd Major Sinclair Memorial (1,1,4,8)
3rd Kildoag (3,2,7,4)
4th Clogher & District (7,8,2,1)
5th Cullybackey (8,5,5,2)
6th Irvine Memorial (5,4,6,7)
7th Cloughfin (4,6,10,5)
8th McNeillstown (6,7,3,9)
9th Drumlough (11,11,9,3)
10th Syerla & District (10,10,8,10)
11th Ballyboley (9,9,12,11)
12th William Kerr Memorial (12,12,11,12)
Bass Drumming: Clogher & District
Judges: Richard Parkes, John Reville (piping); Keith Orr (drumming); John Moles (ensemble)
Grade 3B (MSR)
1st Drumlough (3,1,1,1)
2nd Syerla & District (1,2,2,3)
3rd Ballyboley (2,3,4,2)
4th Upper Crossgare (4,5,3,4)
5th Moneygore (6,4,5,5)
6th William Kerr Memorial (5,6,6,6)
Bass Drumming: Drumlough
Judges: D. Middleton, William Garrett (piping); Iain Lawson (drumming); Colin Moffett (ensemble)
Grade 4A (MSR)
1st Moneygore (1,1,5,1)
2nd Cottown (2,5,4,2) (ens.pref.)
3rd Black Raven (4,4,2,3) (ens.pref.)
4th Raphoe Ulster Scots (5,3,1,4) (ens.pref.)
5th Altnaveigh Memorial (3,2,3,5)
6th Down Academy (6,7,6,6)
7th Graham Memorial Clontibret (7,6,7,7)
Bass Drumming: Black Raven
Judges: Richard Parkes, John Reville (piping); Keith Orr (drumming); John Moles (ensemble)
Grade 4B (March Selection)
1st Carrigaline (1,3,4,1)
2nd Bready Ulster Scots,3,4,2,2)
3rd Tullylagan (2,2,5,4)
4th Down Academy (6,7,1,3)
5th Hollymount (4,5,3,7)
6th McDonald Memorial (5,6,6,5)
7th Letterkenny & District (8,1,9,8)
8th Queen Elizabeth (7,8,7,6)
9th Major Sinclair Memorial (9,9,8,9)
10th Kirkistown (10,10,10,10)
Bass Drumming: Down Academy
Judges: D. Middleton, William Garrett (piping); Iain Lawson (drumming); Colin Moffett (ensemble)
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