70 years on Farrell ‘Dan’ returns home to lead Dookinella band

BACK WHERE IT ALL BEGAN  Farrell ‘Dan’ Gallagher (centre), the only surviving founder member of the Dookinella Pipe Band, was back in Achill last Saturday to play with them for their 70th St Patrick’s Day parade. He’s pictured with, from left, Thomas Kelly and Michael McNamara (Dooagh Pipe Band), John Kelly and Pat Joe McNamara (Dooagh Pipe Band). Pic: Michael McLaughlin

Anton McNulty

When Farrell Gallagher helped establish the Dookinella Pipe Band in 1948 as a 15 year old, he never imagined 70 years later he would be back in Achill leading the band for the traditional St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
The Dookinella Pipe Band started off with just four pipers in 1948 but as they celebrated the 70th anniversary of the first time they played on St Patrick’s Day’s, they had 18 pipers at the helm.
One of those pipers was 86-year-old Farrell ‘Dan’ Gallagher, the last surviving founder member of the band. It was his first St Patrick’s Day in Achill for a number of years after travelling from his adopted home in Luton as the special guest of honour. It was an emotional return for Farrell after a long day of playing.
“I was honoured to be here today. I had to come and I’m delighted to come here. I didn’t think it would ever happen but they [Dookinella Pipe Band] contacted me and my wife Margaret said to me; ‘you’ve got to go to it, you won’t get a chance again’,” he told The Mayo News.
Farrell explained that after Keel formed a band in 1946, followed by Dooagh in 1947, inter-village rivalry meant Dookinella had to follow suit.
“We got together and we said ‘right we’ll make a go of it’. We got a few pound for a set of pipes and four sets of pipes cost us £63. We finally got the sets but we didn’t know how to play them. It was hilarious everyone blowing into them,” he fondly recollected with a laugh.
Despite the rivalry between the village, Farrell said thanks to the help of Keel pipers, Hughie Connaghan, Michael Mangan and Michael ‘The Tailor’ O’Malley; and Mick Fadian, Tommy Toolis and John ‘Lively’ McNamara in Dooagh, they made pipers out of them in time for St Patrick’s Day.
“These lads came to us and we got help from them and I want to thank them for that. We started learning a few tunes. I don’t know if we were 100 percent ready the first year but we just wanted to get out on St Patrick’s Day. But we were much better the second year.”
Like so many of men his generation, Farrell took the boat to England and eventually settled in Luton. When the Luton Irish Forum was formed in 1997 – which Farrell describes as a fantastic organisation – they asked him to form a band.
“I didn’t know what I let myself in for,” he laughed, but after meeting with Breege Sweeney, a fellow piper whose mother is from Achill, they formed the Luton Irish Forum Emerald Pipe Band.
Farrell said he was amazed at the numbers of young people in the different pipe bands and feels the future is bright for piping in Achill.
“I never realised what we started 70 years ago would end up as it is now. They are fantastic. There are so many young people playing the pipes to a high standard which is great to see. Piping will never go down in Achill, you could see it today.”