BlueHawks and Ravens take Irish titles

The 2010 IMBA season drew to a successful close on Saturday night (11th Sept) with 8 bands competing in the Irish Championships which were hosted in Athlone Football Stadium in Co.Westmeath - Ireland.

A report by IMBA Secretary Oisin Molloy
 
Junior Class got underway at 6pm with the Tallaght Festival Band Cadets performing their 3rd show of the season. Although only newly formed, the TFB Cadets displayed a confident, entertaining performance and scored 46.65.

Next on the field was the Tallaght Youth Band Cadets who performed a great show featuring the music of "Annie". Only in their first year of competition, TYB Cadets made a huge progression up the scoreboard since their first show, scoring an impressive 63.55 at Saturdays show.

The final performance in Junior Class was welcomed onto the field by a very excited home crowd as the Ravens Marching Showband took to the field with their 2010 production featuring the music of Irish rock legends "U2". With some exciting new additions to their show, the Ravens showed the home crowd why they have been topping the league this summer. Their very impressive score of 76.75 earned them first place in the Championships.
 
After a crowd pleasing exhibition from 'DanceZone', the Premier Class got underway. The first of 5 bands on the bill were Inbhear Mór Marchers with their show 'Jesus Christ Superstar'. This is the second year in Premier Class for the Arklow based unit. A confident finals performance and steady progression throughout the season earned the band a finals score of 48.05.

Next up, the Dublin based Clondalkin Youth Band put on a great performance of their programme 'Cirque du Soleil'. A particularly impressive musical performance was delivered by the 100+ member unit as they scored 56.45.

The 3rd performance in Premier Class was awaited with excitement as the Clonmel Bluehawks performed their 2010 programme 'Les Miserables'. As Bluehawks had been leading the table all season, everyone was expecting a superb performance which was of course delivered in true Bluehawks style. A brilliant, confident performance with some superb role playing throughout earned the Clonmel based unit their highest score of the season, 67.05.

The second last performance of the day came from the Tallaght Festival Band. The stage was well set with Vegas and circus backdrops as the Dublin based unit, performed 'Viva Las Vegas'. This is another unit in their 2nd year of Premier Class who showed steady progress though the season, finishing up with a  score of 46.40.

Finally, the Tallaght Youth Band, Marching Vikings took to the field with their show 'Miss Saigon'. The Dublin based band have been consistently 2nd throughout the season and with a very strong music and visual programme, Saturdays performance earned them a score of 58.10.
 
All 8 bands then marched through the tunnel to explode back onto the field for the results ceremony. After a successful season of 5 Irish shows, the scores were awaited with anticipation from an excited crowd. The final scores of the day were as follows:
 
Junior Class:
1st: Ravens Marching Showband (76.75)
2nd: Tallaght Youth Band Cadets (63.55)
3rd: Tallaght Festival Cadets (46.65)
 
Premier Class:
1st: Clonmel Bluehawks (67.05)
2nd: Tallaght Youth Band Marching Vikings (58.10)
3rd: Clondalkin Youth Band (56.45)
4th: Inbhear Mor Marchers (48.05)
5th: Tallaght Festival Band (46.40)
 
The average of each bands best 4 results out of 5 were then calculated for the 2010 IMBA League results which were as follows:
 
Junior Class:
1st: Ravens Marching Showband
2nd: Tallaght Youth Band Cadets
 
Premier Class:
1st: Clonmel Bluehawks
2nd: Tallaght Youth Band Marching Vikings
3rd: Inbhear Mor Marchers
4th: Tallaght Festival Band
 
The evening drew to a close with the Junior Class Champions - Ravens Marching Showband, performing 'Amhran na Bhfiann' (Irish National Anthem) followed by an encore performance from the Premier Class Champions - Clonmel Bluehawks.
 
This was the first year that the IMBA have been fully certified partners with DCE - running 5 contests under the DCE rulebook and judging system. The progress and development of all Irish bands has been evident throughout the season and everyone involved has really enjoyed the European Music Games experience.
 
As the evening drew colder at 10.15pm, it was certainly not reflective of the mood. As the packed stand of band members, staff members, friends and fans cheered on the encore performance from the Irish Champions, there was a strong sense that we had all witnessed the best Irish Championships in many years.
 
Well done to all involved, here's to 2011.

Oisin Molloy
IMBA Secretary