The Artane Band () is a

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...

for young musicians based at the Artane School of Music in Artane in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Name

The band was originally called the Artane Boys Band, with members drawn from the pupils at Artane Industrial School, an

industrial school Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

which closed in 1969. Its name changed to "Artane Band" in 2004 when girls were first admitted.

History

Foundation and ethos

The band was formed in 1872 and first performed in public in 1874 for the visiting

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

, later

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

. The band performed outside Ireland for the first time at the London Exhibition of 1884. The band also played for

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

during her visit to the industrial school in 1900 and performed for King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

in 1911 during his visit to

Maynooth College St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland. ...

even playing "God save the King". The band has also played for US Presidents Kennedy, Nixon and Clinton during their state visits to Ireland. It became well known for playing at

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...

at major matches of the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

(GAA), playing before the match and at the half time interval, and leading the All-Ireland final teams' pre-match procession around the pitch. Its first GAA matches were on Whit Monday 1886, and the association encouraged spectators to sing "

Amhrán na bhFiann "" (), called "The Soldier's Song" in English, is Ireland's national anthem. The music was composed by Peadar Kearney and Patrick Heeney, the original English lyrics by Kearney, and the Irish-language translation, now usually the version heard ...

" and other Irish songs to the band's accompaniment; this reflected a commitment to cultural nationalism shared by the GAA and the Christian Brothers who ran the school. The GAA invited the band to play at 1947 All Ireland Football Final at the Polo Grounds, New York, after which the went on to play in Boston. The band also played at Wembley Stadium in London in 1957 when it hosted its first GAA matches.

Artane Industrial School allegations

Allegations of historical

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

at Artane Industrial School were publicised in the 1990s and confirmed by the 2009 report of the

Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (CICA) was one of a range of measures introduced by the Irish Government to investigate the extent and effects of abuse on children from 1936 onwards. Commencing its work in 1999, it was commonly known ...

. However, the commission's report said the band had been a positive experience for its members. There were calls for the band to change its name to break the association with the discredited institution. As of 2016, the band management regarded its name as relating to the Artane district and not the defunct industrial school.

Later activities

The school moved to its the old refectory building following a fire in 1969, which also damaged uniforms, instruments, and music scripts. The band was helped resume with donations from the GAA, donations of music (and arrangements) from other bands including the US Navy and Marine Corps bands. In 1993, the band led the first Moscow St. Patrick's Day Parade. The band has also performed with include Bing Crosby, Neil Diamond, Finbar Wright and Frank Patterson. 1998 saw the GAA join the board of management of the school, with the foundation of the Artane School of Music Trust, and in 2002 girls join the bands for the first time. In 2009, the school was awarded the Dublin Lord Mayors award for its services to the community by Lord Mayor

Eibhlin Byrne Eibhlin Byrne is a former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Lord Mayor of Dublin from 2008 to 2009. Byrne has held a number of senior positions including (current) Acting Director of the Daughters of Charity Child and Family Service, Head of ...

. and also played at the

Oxegen 2009 Oxegen 2009 was the sixth Oxegen festival to take place since 2004. It took place on the weekend of Friday 10 July, Saturday, 11 July and Sunday, 12 July at Punchestown Racecourse near Naas in County Kildare, Ireland. Kings of Leon, Snow Patro ...

music festival. In 2011, the band performed during Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Croke Park. 2015 saw the establishment of the Artane Youth Choir for secondary school students, and the adult Artane Community Choir. In 2016 the organisation celebrated its "130 year partnership" with the GAA. In 2018, following "extensive renovations", the hall was officially reopened by the Lord Mayor of Dublin Nial Ring.

Other groups and activities

The Artane Senior Band was founded in 1988 to provide former youth members with the option to continue playing. Since 2000, the band has also welcomed adults who had not previously been youth members of the Artane Band. Since 2003, the Artane School of Music has provided instrument and vocal tuition to students on the performance module of the undergraduate degree in music at the DCU Mater Dei Centre. The ''Artane School of Music Annual Showcase'' is a concert performed every year. In 2019, the annual showcase event was held in the National Concert Hall.

In popular culture

The drummer and co-founder of U2, Larry Mullen Jr, played with the (then) Artane Boys Band. The

Hothouse Flowers Hothouse Flowers are an Irish rock band that combine traditional Irish music with influences from soul, gospel, and rock. Formed in 1985 in Dublin, they started as street performers. Their first album, ''People'' (1988), was the most successf ...

saxophonist Leo Barnes and Robert Arkins of The Commitments, were also members of the band. Uniformed members of the band appear on the CD cover image of

INXS INXS (a word play, phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian Rock music, rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboar ...

's 1992 album ''

Welcome to Wherever You Are ''Welcome to Wherever You Are'' is the eighth studio album by Australian rock band INXS, which was released on 3 August 1992. With grunge and alternative music breaking into the mainstream, INXS tried to establish a new direction for itself ...

'', and in the music video for U2's 1998 single, "

Sweetest Thing "Sweetest Thing" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It was originally released as a B-side on the "Where the Streets Have No Name" single in 1987. The song was later re-recorded and re-released as a single in October 1998 for the band's compila ...

Recordings

* ''The Music of Ireland'' (7" EP), The Artane Boys Band, Conducted by J. W. Hickey, Connoisseur Records, 1975.The Artane Boys' Band Of Dublin - Irish Military Marches
/ref> * ''Hold my hand / Amhran na bhFiann & The Sunday Game'' (7" EP), Artane Boys Band, Evergeen. * ''The Winds of Change'' (LP), The Artane Boys Band, Harmac, 1989. * ''Home of the Artane Boys Band'' (LP), The Artane Boys Band, Harp Records/Pickwick Recordings, 1982. * ''Ireland on the March'' (LP), The Artane Boys Band of Dublin / The Fintan Lalor Bagpipe Band of Dublin, Avoca Recordings Ltd. USA, 1968.

References

External links

* {{official, http://artanemusic.ie/artane-band/ Marching bands Band Musical groups from Dublin (city) Croke Park 1872 establishments in Ireland Youth music Music schools in the Republic of Ireland