Busiest weekend of the year for the Clondalkin youth band

The Clondalkin Youth Band (CYB) has the “busiest weekend of the year” ahead of them, according to Band Director Neal Christopher.

Considering they will be hosting the John F. Kennedy Shamrock Regiment Band from the John F. Kennedy High School in La Palma, California, in a parade around Clondalkin village on March 16, being the only Irish band participating in the Dublin Paddy’s Day parade and returning to do another parade in Clondalkin on March 17, and finally, heading to Limerick to compete in the International Band Championships on March 18, the above statement is not hard to believe!

The CYB has taken part in the Dublin parade for the past 27 years, so plenty of preparation has been involved, such as different rehearsals and workshops focused on honing the skills of different sections of the band, such as courtguard flag bearers, marchers, and singers, with Sundays being the days where they “put it all together.”

They have also been focused on picking appropriate music to play at the celebrations that will “entertain the crowd,” such as ‘Accidentally in Love’ by Counting Crows and songs by Led Zeppelin, as a way of giving back to the community that has been so supportive of them.

Neal and his band will be flying in to Shannon Airport on March 18 to participate in the championships in Limerick, having been participating in them for the last 27 years.

Plans after that consist of beginning to prepare for concert season as soon as the weather gets better and performing at schools; they are currently in discussion with Moyle Park College in regards to the latter.

They also hope to receive new uniforms before the summer and perform at the Rose of Tralee in August, as is tradition for the CYB.

Neal would like to thank the over 100 people involved in CYB for all of their help with the upcoming busy weekend, including the committee, all of the instructors, and all of the members.