Ronan Maguire
- Piper Supreme .
One of Ireland's top solo pipers at present is Ronan Maguire from the village of Shankill,Co.
Dublin .
Born in Co. Dublin in 1967 , Ronan began playing pipes at the age of eight . He was
taught piping by his father Joe and by the late Billy Brierton of the neighbouring
St. Kevin's Pipe Band in Bray . He has also studied piobaireachd with Stephen Power
( ex Scots Guards) of Waterford City .
From an early age , it became clear that Ronan had a special talent and he notched
up many successes in solo contests in the Dublin area . In 1985 , Ronan joined the
St. Laurence O'Toole Pipe Band in Dublin City and is now the Pipe Sergeant of that
band .
Ronan has been a consistent prize winner on the solo piping scene and has picked up
many major prizes . Highlights of his career are listed below .
Last year Ronan was invited to give a recital to the Northwest of England Piping Society in Manchester and this year he was invited to play at a number of prestigious solo contests in Scotland . These included a contest on the 18th. August in Glasgow which was modelled on the Piping Competitions of the Falkirk Trust in 1781 . Ronan was required to submit four M.S.R. sets and also to play a 20th. Century piobaireachd
allocated to him by the organisers .
Ronan also competed in the Argyllshire Gathering in August this year where he was
required to submit four piobaireachds and six sets of M.S.R. He also took part
in the Northern Meeting in Inverness on 4th. September where again he had to submit
four piobaireachds and four sets of M.S.R. Ronan is , as far as we are aware , the first piper from the Republic of Ireland to be accepted for either of these competitions. Next month , Ronan is on the move again . This time to London where he will take part
in the Caledonian Society of London competition on November 2nd.
The following table lists the major achievements and milestones in Ronan's piping
career to date :
All Ireland Championship(Junior Grade)- 1st.
Leinster League Championship- 1st.
Ulster Championship (Piobaireachd) -1st.
Leinster Championship1st.
Armagh Championship(Piobaireachd) -1st.
Leinster League Championship -1st.
All Ireland Championship (Senior) -1st.
Ulster Championship (Piobaireachd) -1st.
MacAllan Trophy , Lorient , France -1st.
London Society , Strachan -3rd.
London Society , Highland Club (Piobaireachd) -3rd.
Scottish Piping Soc. of Ulster (Piobaireachd) -1st.
Scottish Piping Soc. of Ulster M.S.R. -1st.
Leinster Championship -1st.
Scottish Piping Soc. of Ulster M.S.R. -3rd.
Leinster Championship -1st.
All Ireland Championship -4th.
Scottish Piping Soc. of Ulster (Piobaireachd) -1st.
Scottish Piping Soc. of Ulster M.S.R. -1st.
Scottish Piping Soc. of Ulster (Piobaireachd) -1st.
Scottish Piping Soc. of Ulster M.S.R. - 2nd.
Given his many successes in the solo arena , one could be forgiven for thinking that
Ronan had little time for anything else . On the contrary , as well as his duties
as Pipe Sergeant in St. Laurence O'Toole's P.B. , Ronan has given generously of
his time in tutoring others, both soloists and bands . On the solo front he has been teaching the young John Doyle from Gorey who won the All Ireland Under 16 Championships in 1995 and on the band front he has been providing on-going assistance to both the New Ross and District Pipe Band from Co. Wexford and the Cullen Pipe Band from Co. Cork . Ronan has a fine ear for tuning a band and is likely to have an illustrous career ahead of him as a Pipe Major and Instructor as well as a soloist .
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