World champion musician to tell his story at special Tyrone event

A WORLD champion musician is to be the focus of a special event in Fivemiletown next month.

Irvine Memorial Pipe Band in Clabby are delighted to be able to bring Terry Tully, the renowned piper of distinction and former Pipe Major of Dublin based St Laurence O’Toole Pipe Band, to the Valley Hotel.

Taking place on February 7 at 7.30pm, the ‘An Audience with Terry Tully’ event will additionally feature performances by Stephen Creighton, leading drummer of the drum corps who currently holds the world championship title; and pipe sergeant, Northern Ireland man, Brendan Murphy.

The evening will take the from of previous popular ’Audience with…’ events, such as solos, duets and interviews with guests.

Terry Tully followed in the footsteps of his father and grandparents in taking up the Highland pipes, becoming a successful solo piper winning many competitions from juvenile to senior grades.

Following the untimely death of his father in 1984, he succeeded as Pipe Major of the band. This saw the continuation of many wins for the band, with Terry leading the transition from Grade 2 to Grade 1, culminating in becoming World Champions in 2010.

After leading the band for over 30 years, Terry retired in 2013 as Pipe Major handing over the reins to son Alen and finally retiring from competition in 2019

Terry’s name is synonymous with traditional Irish music in the world of bagpipes. He has combined leading the band with composing and has many publications to date and another in the offing which should be completed later this year.

Collectively, St Laurence O’Toole is an award-winning band, but many of its members are also solo champions in their own right, and in the Valley on the February 7, audiences will have an opportunity to see two musicians of exceptional calibre perform on pipes and drum.

Stephen Creighton is the lead drummer of the St Laurence O’Toole Pipe Band. His achievements as a solo drummer include being the 1989 World Solo Junior Champion, competing in 30 World Solo Finals, winning five Senior All Ireland Solo Drumming Championships, five Senior Ulster Solo Drumming Championships, and becoming the 2023 United Kingdom Senior Solo Champion.

Brendan Murphy is a well-known name in local piping circles, now in his seventh season with the band and is the current Pipe Sergeant. He started his piping career at the age of 10 under the tutelage of the late Norman McCutcheon, and has played with both Field Marshal Montgomery and Strathclyde Police Pipe Band’s winning World titles in Grade 1 and Grade 3.

This is a free event organised by the Irvine Memorial Pipe Band with part funding kindly provided by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council. Whilst obtaining a ticket is recommended it is not essential and the band looks forward to welcoming pipe band fans from the locality and much further afield.