Newsletter

Welcome to the FDNY Pipes and Drums electronic newsletter. The purpose of this newsletter is to keep our members and friends up to date on the band’s happenings. Feel free to send this on to your friends and family too! If you received this newsletter and aren’t a regular subscriber, but would like to be click this link to receive our updates!

We will be sharing stories of gigs we have performed as well as gigs coming up in the future. We will share accomplishments of our members in the band, fire department and even in their personal lives!

2009 was full of many stories. We honored Paul Warhola from Engine 221 at his Line of Duty funeral on August 14th, 2009. Paul was a 16 year veteran who suffered a stroke while on duty and succumbed to his injury 2 days later.

In March the band headed south to New Orleans to march in their parade with a group called the Irish Channel Corner Club. In New Orleans fashion there were plenty of beads to go around.

The band toughing it out in the rain, marching with pride.

The FDNY Pipes and Drums Saint Patrick’s Day party was another huge success. As always we had a packed house of people who were hungry for corned beef and cabbage and thirsty for Guinness! The band put on a great show for our friends and family and had a special guest who performed with the band this year! Patrick Dowdell, who serves in the United States Army, and is the brother of side drummer James Dowdell (Ladder 174) played his pipes with us in the circle and was honored by our Chairman Liam Flaherty. James and Patrick have been around the FDNY since they were young lads as their father Kevin was a Fireman. Sadly, Kevin (Rescue Company 4) lost his life on 9/11. Patrick was set to be deployed and our chairman thought it would be fitting to have him join us on this special day.

Here are some of our members making their way up 5th Avenue on St. Patrick’s Day.

We had a few members who made their first march up the Avenue. When the band played at the hall we gave them our traditional toast and put them in the middle of the circle to play a tune for them. This is a huge day for our new members who have worked diligently memorizing the required 20 tunes as well as hours and hours of practice before their grueling audition!

Congratulations to Kevin O’Connor (Engine 37), Matt Doyle (Ladder 173), and Dan Saalfrank (Ladder 169).

Competition Circle

The Competition band had its best year in the band’s history. The band has shrunk in size since our surprising upset in Ireland in 2006 when we took 2nd place in Grade 4A at the All Ireland Championships. This has not slowed down the pace and momentum of this talented and dedicated group. The band went to 4 games this year and walked away with 1st place in piping every time! The drum section excelled too taking at least 2 firsts and a 2nd in drumming. Overall as a unit we took home 3 first prize trophies this year. Two of the victories came from the Hunter Mountain Irish Festival with our Medley selection and the New England Piping Championships with our March set, which had 10 bands and 14 bands respectively.



The band poses with the silver plate after winning the March portion of the New England Piping Championships at Loon Mountain in September.

These wins were not easy as Grade 4 EUSPBA is full of talented bands. One of the biggest thrills for the band came at the New England Open Medley Challenge, which is open to Grade 2 through 4 bands, where we placed 5th overall beating all Grade 4 bands as well as one Grade 3 band! We were extremely pleased when we found out we beat the famous Scots Guard from Scotland and the Manchester Grade 2 pipe band in at least one judging category. The band ended up finishing 2nd overall out of 77 bands in the EUSPBA end of year standings. We were 6 points short of first place. Despite this we had the best point average out of all the bands. We are definitely looking forward to continued success in 2010. 

The summer of 2009

The summer is generally a quiet time for the band as our members are vacationing across the world. We take off the summer months from group practice and try to limit the number of gigs we do to give our members a small break coming out of the grueling St. Patrick’s Day season. We couldn’t resist this year though when we got an invitation from the San Diego Firefighters to come out and play at a fundraiser they were putting on at their fire museum.

The Band Circles up in San Diego at a fundraiser held at the SDFD Museum.

We were also the main attraction at the season opening of the Del Mar Racetrack. The FDNY Pipes and Drums marched out onto the track and played for the massive crowd who enjoyed our performance judging from their rousing applause. The track and the San Diego firefighters then treated us to a VIP tent where we enjoyed a day of horse racing and making new friends. No one came back a millionaire but we took home some great memories that day!

FDNY Memorial Day

This day is held annually on the first Wednesday in October to coincide with Fire Prevention week. It is the most solemn day in the FDNY as it is the day we remember all those who have fallen in the past year as well as those who have died in the past. Since its founding the band has played a large role in this ceremony. It is held at the Fireman’s Monument at 100th street and Riverside drive in Manhattan. Due to winds in excess of 45 mph the ceremony was moved to St. John of the Devine at 110th and Amsterdam Avenue this year.

USS New York

On November 2nd we were honored when the United States Navy asked us to play as the USS New York made its entrance into New York Harbor. Its official commissioning ceremony would occur a couple days later. There was a great turnout from New Yorkers as well as Military and Fire Department units to see this impressive ship steam up the Hudson River with 7-1/2 tons of Trade Center Steel in her bow.

On November 7th once again the FDNY, NYPD and Port Authority Pipe Bands joined forces to play at the Commissioning ceremony held along side the USS Intrepid that is permanently docked along the West Side Highway in the Hudson River. It was quite a sight seeing these two mighty ships docked next to each other, with one having seen so much action in previous wars and the other preparing to go into service to continue protecting our country.

Members assemble for a picture with the USS New York in the background.

September 11th

This day is always a busy day for individual members of the Pipe Band. Members can be found at different firehouses or private ceremonies all remembering and honoring those killed on that tragic day. The main ceremony located at the site where the proud towers once stood was held again with the FDNY, NYPD and Port Authority bands all coming together to play. Pipe Major Jerry Brengel, Pipe Sergeant Brian McMahon, Drum Sergeant Ted Carstensen and Bass Drummer Tim McGuire represented the FDNY this year and as always put on a memorable performance.

The drummers warm up prior to our march.

The evening of September 11th brings the band together at the site at dusk. We started this tradition on the 5th anniversary held on September 10th. The band was at one of our favorite spots, the Suspenders Pub, just a block away from the Trade Center site. As the night wore on someone spoke and said, “It is almost midnight Brothers.” A bunch of guys said lets march to the site and play at Midnight on September 11th. The band rounded up, tuned up and as a group marched from Suspenders to the side of Engine 10’s Firehouse and played in a circle. There were hundreds of people at the site. They all fell silent as we played to remember our two members we lost, Durrell “Bronko” Pearsall and band Chaplain Father Michael Judge, as well as the hundreds of other firefighters. This was the beginning of a great tradition that now takes place at dusk on the side of Engine 10 where the memorial plaque is located for fallen FDNY members.

Our senior members lay a wreath at the site as the band plays in remembrance. Honorary member Edward Kilduff, Chief of the Department, gives a toast in honor of the brave men who died that day. This year despite the pouring rain the crowd was massive and it gets bigger every year as people hear of our moment at the trade center. Thank you to everyone who came out to support this solemn event!

The color guard leads the Band to the wreath.
All 9/11 photos shown here and above are courtesy of Geralyn Shukwit.

Christmas Mass and Party

The band held its annual Mass and Christmas party at Immaculate Conception in Queens. As usual Jimmy Ginty did a superb job getting the event organized. The band remembered all our members who have passed away over the years. After the mass given by Father Chris, the band and their families celebrated the Christmas season with a nice dinner. The Chairman put his mace aside and went through his annual stand up comedy routine.

Our Chairman Liam Flaherty, along with Charter Member Bill Duffy Sr., presents Mike Currid with an honorary Balmoral at the Christmas Party.

The Year 2010

The Pipe Band is off to a busy start this year as we have already played several events, including retirement parties, fundraisers and plaque dedications.

The most exciting event planned thus far is the band extending its international reach by heading to Spain, just north of Valencia along the Mediterranean coastline.  In March, the Castellón Del La Plana Fire Department is celebrating their 150th anniversary and has asked us to come participate in their festivities. The band will be marching in two parades and participating in some other arranged events.

The itinerary for the trip is as follows:

10th of March: The band arrives in.

1th of March: Cultural visit and the band will play in a short parade ending with a fire works display. At 6pm the

As Dan was coming home another member was leaving to go help a country devastated by a terrible earthquake. Our Drum Major and Piper Liam Flaherty was activated as part of the NY Task Force 1 to go to Haiti to help with the massive rescue effort. After cooling their heels for a day at the Stewart Air Force Base in Newburgh due to the airport in Haiti being unable to handle all the relief traffic, the team finally landed and hit the ground running. They rescued many people from collapsed buildings, most notably a brother and sister who were trapped for over 5 days in a supermarket.

The NYTF-1 rescuing a small child from a collapsed supermarket.

The team returned satisfied with their accomplishments. Mayor Bloomberg had a reception at City Hall for all the members of the Joint Task Force Team. We’re glad to have Liam back with the band! 

The Yankee’s Win!

The FDNY Pipes and Drums Marching up the Canyon of Heroes celebrating the Yankees World Series Win.

Alumni Lunches

The senior members of the Band will be holding luncheons for alumni as well as active members of the Band. These will be held on the first Wednesday of February through April 2010. In April they will decide on future dates. These lunches will be held at Mulcahy’s in Wantagh, LI. For more information on this event contact Eddie McLaughlin, Tom McEnroe Sr, or Jim Ginty.

Saint Patrick’s Day Parades

3/6:      Bethpage Parade
3/14:    Throggs Neck Parade
3/17:    New York City Parade
3/21:    Pearl River Parade
3/28:    Bay Ridge Parade

Band Events February and March
2/18:    Funeral mass for FF Deronja of Ladder Company 12
3/4:      Staten Island Parks Department is honoring the FDNY Ceremonial Unit
3/9 – 3/15: Spain Trip
3/12:    Honor Legion Dinner
3/13:    Fire Safety Seminar in Manhattan
3/13:    Elks Lodge St. Patrick’s Day Dinner
3/18:    Lt. Dan Band at the 69th Regiment Armory
3/22:    Plaque Dedication at Engine 37 and Ladder 40
3/23:    Plaque Dedication at Engine 1 and Ladder 24
3/27:    FDNY vs. NYPD Hockey
3/29 – 3/31: FDNY Pipes and Drums
trip to play at the Grand
ol’ Opry in Nashville.

For more details on the events listed above please go to our Web Site and Click on the event you are interested in.

Band will be at the center square participating on the 1st Day of the XXII Festival International of Music Fiesta.
12th of March: At 6pm the Band will be participating in a parade with all of the musical groups involved in the festival.
13th of March: At 12pm, we will be sending two representatives from the Band to attend a reception with the Mayor of Castellón City. The Mayor will be doing a small presentation for all the bands attending the music festival. After the reception there will be a parade.

14th of March: At 10:30am the Band will play for 30 minutes for the Special 150th Anniversary of the Fire Department of Castellón. At 11am the Band will start the finale of the XXII Festival and will play with all of the groups for 15 minutes. The Band will play again for 15 minutes on live TV in Spain. At 10pm we will participate in the Finale parade.

15th of March: The Band will be pulling out of Castellón in the wee hours of the morning to return to New York just in time for St. Patrick’s Day.

This year also brings reason to celebrate as we welcome home side drummer Dan Saalfrank. Dan was overseas with the Air Force where he serves as a Staff Sergeant. His unit was deployed to the Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. Dan says he is very much looking forward to getting back to work at Ladder Company 169 in Brighton Beach.

CD Baby, the company who distributes our CDs and digital music, decided in the wake of the horrific earthquake that struck Haiti they would donate a dollar from every CD sold. Although we’re unsure of the end result, we’re sure they raised a good amount of money to help the people in need. We were happy to be a part of this good will!

The Band had two special guests attend our practice on February15th.

Ryan Canning (above) and Alisdair McClaren (below) of the National Piping Centre in Glasgow dropped in to take a listen to our Band and give their advice.

They were very helpful and full of suggestions especially for our Grade 4 competition band.

They helped tune the full band and then we enjoyed spending some time with them afterwards. We would like to thank them for taking time out of their busy schedules to work with us. We would also like to thank Eric Stein from the Metro Cup for arranging this gathering

In Our Thoughts

Bass drummer Jack McLaughlin recently had hip replacement surgery. He’s doing well. We look forward to him making a full recovery and returning quickly to the band.