Oran Mor at the EUSPBA AGM

The EUSPBA Annual General Meeting was held in Albany this year, and the Oran Mor Pipe Band was invited to play a set at the Ceilidh. We had a great time, and we introduced some 2010 material.

If you root around on youtube, you may find some videos of the performance, but for now we'll leave you with this, a picture of Eric MacNeill doing his fist-pumps (thumbs clearly INSIDE the fists).

:)

The van der Leeuw Wedding

Today many of us in the band were at the van der Leeuw wedding in the Catskills.

Congrats to Erik and Maggie, we wish you a happy future, and we thank you for a GREAT party.

Capital District Games, and Pig-roast!

Wow, what a great end to the year. The band put forward two excellent performances, as well as a "Pipe Band Idol" performance that was second to... well we don't really know who was second... but Scotia Glenville won it! Congrats to them!

Saturday Night we had a pig-roast, our traditional year-end party, where all were invited.

Sunday Night, we drained the kegs.

On Monday Morning the last of us dragged our butts home.

This is Oran Mor, signing off.

See you next season!

World Pipe Band Championships

Well, we didn't qualify, but we played great.

It was pouring rain. Maureen fell in a mud-puddle. We were third on the morning.

But, nonetheless, an outstanding musical performance. I believe we tied for 11th overall in the Qualifier. Only 5 spots away from making the final.

Thanks to all those who got up at 4am to watch us play online! We appreciate your support greatly.

Congratulations to us, and to all of the other Grade 1 bands that made for an excellent contest.

Perth Highland Games, Scotland (!!!)

What a day!

We took FOURTH place in our Grade 1 debut in Scotland, edging out bands such as Manawatu, and the Band Club!

1st: Strathclyde

2nd: Inverary and District

3rd: Triumph St.

4th: Oran Mor

Here's a YouTube of our performance.

World Championships, here we come!

Herkimer Irish Fest

We had a great time at the Herkimer Irish Fest!

The band put together two excellent performances in Competition-Style, and also some great Beer-tent shows. We're very encouraged with this weekend's performance, with the World Championships less than a month away!

T-shirt sales at an all time high!

Thanks so much for your hostpitality, GAIF!!! We're dying to be back next year!!!

Glasgowlands Games

The band competed at the Glasgowlands festival today. We took 2nd overall to the City of Washington, but we feel like we put together two excellent performances.

Congrats COW! Well done.

Round Hill Games

The band performed at Round Hill Games today, and had two successful performances (MSR and Medley).

Here are some photos from the day!

http://picasaweb.google.com/richter.stephanie/RoundHillHighalndGames#

As promised...

Some photos and videos from Bonnie Brae...

Success at Bonnie Brae

Sunburns and mud couldn't hinder Oran Mor's success at the Bonnie Brae Highland Games in New Jersey this past weekend. The band took home a Grade 1 victory over the City of Washington Pipe Band in ensemble preference.

A special thanks to the Gehringer family for hosting a post-games get-together for Oran Mor and City of Washington. It proved to be quite an enjoyable evening that was full of suprises - from "extraordinary" percussion to a standup bass with a custom flame paint job!

Photos and videos coming soon!

Kilts Off!

This Sunday, May 17, join the Oran Mor Pipe Band for "Kilts Off" -- a day to bring your cooler, your grill, and your instruments to Collins Park in Scotia (across the street from Jumpin' Jacks). Starting at noon, all area bands (full or partial - whoever can come!) are welcome to gather, perform, critque, and support each other. A few judges have also been invited to attend. Hope to see you there!

RSPBA upgrades OMPB to Grade 1

The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association -- host of the World Pipe Band Championships each year -- has recently decided to upgrade Oran Mor to Grade 1 for the 2009 season. In 2008, the band competed in Grade 1 in North America, but was not approved for an upgrade in Scotland.




Oran Mor at the Queen Mary Highland Games -
Their first Grade 1 win in North America

Click here to read the pipesdrums article in regards to the RSPBA's 2008 decision.

"As a band who has always made a point to set the bar as high as possible for itself, Oran Mor is thrilled at the opportunity to play in Grade 1 at the Worlds - the absolute pinnacle of Pipe Band competition. Many bands don't make it out of the qualifying heat in the morning, but we will make it our goal to put on a good enough performance to do so," said Pipe Major Andrew Douglas. "Relative to other Grade 1 bands around the world, we are young and quite inexperienced. However, we consider ourselves a very hard-working and determined band that is ready for this challenge."

Spring Training is a Success!

The Oran Mor Pipe Band had its Spring Training Workshop in Saratoga Springs, NY this past weekend.

It started off with a Concert on the Friday night at Saratoga's Abundant Life Church. Oran Mor Played most of their expansive repertoire for the crowd, in a facility that was second to none.

Saturday and Sunday had classes all day with the members of OMPB. A wide range of topics were covered, for all types of pipe band musicians - and pipe band organizers!

Saturday night, we put on a great Ceilidh featuring Matt Kelly the DJ, celtic singer Kevin McKrell, and stand-up comedian Matt MacArthur!

Thanks everyone for a great weekend!

it's about that time...

Today (Monday, April 6) is the date that all snail-mail registrations for the Oran Mor Spring Training Workshop need to be postmarked by. So, get your butts to the post office sometime today!

But, for those who just don't have the time, we will be leaving ONLINE REGISTRATION and PayPal payment active until Wednesday, April 15 - oh, the wonders of technology!

Register here: http://www.oranmorpipeband.com/Registration.html

Any questions, contact Stephanie (richter.stephanie@gmail.com) or Eric (eric.macneill@gmail.com)

Introducing www.oranmorpipeband.com

Oran Mor Pipe Band's new home on the internet is www.oranmorpipeband.com

Check back for up-to-date performance schedules, media, and more!

Most recent news:

Oran Mor Pipe Band Spring Training Workshop
April 17-19 ~ Saratoga Springs, NY

Check out the new events page for concert, workshop, and ceilidh details --- even online registration and payment!

Don't miss out on this great weekend!

Albany St. Patrick's Day Parade

See Oran Mor perform at the 59th Annual Albany St. Patrick's Day Parade!

Saturday, March 14, 2009
Parade steps off at 2pm

Route: Quail St toCentral Ave. East to merge with Washington Ave. Turns at City Hall and travels east on State St. Turns left at Pearl St.

Many thanks to the South End Irish for sponsoring the band in this parade.

Visit http://www.albanystpatricksdayparade.com/ for information on other activities going on around Albany.

Success in California...

February 15, 2009; Long Beach, CA – Members of the Oran Mor Pipe Band return home to Albany this week with a win under their belts (or kilts!). On February 15, 2009, the band competed at the annual Queen Mary Scottish Festival in Long Beach, CA. Held in and around the 1930s Clydebank-built ocean liner, Grade 4 to Grade 1 bands from all over the west coast performed. Under the instruction of Pipe Major Andrew Douglas and Lead Drummer Eric MacNeill, the band was invited to participate in the Grade 1 competition against the Los Angeles Scots Pipe Band. Their performances were critiqued by esteemed judges from Scotland, Canada, and the United States. Oran Mor came out ahead in one event, although the Scots were the aggregate winners of the weekend. This win, however, marks Oran Mor's first victory in a Grade 1 competition in North America.

Video of the winning performance can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pejD7cEzBes