The official opening of an exhibition commemorating 160 years of St John's Band curated by St John’s Brass and Reed Band in association with Limerick Museum will be held in Saint Mary’s Cathedral on Thursday 21st August at 6pm.
Over the past 160 years, St. John’s Band has undergone many name changes. It was founded in 1865 as the Victuallers Band. In those days, brass bands typically had political affiliations or represented a regional or city guild. Guilds were similar to trade unions and the Victuallers Band was a Limerick butchers’ guild band. Consequently, most of its members were pork butchers. Later, it became St John’s Temperance Band, associated with the temperance movement, which campaigned for complete abstinence from the consumption of alcohol. Then, it became known as the Workingmen’s Brass and Reed Band, and finally St John’s Brass and Reed Band. Similarly, St. John’s Band has had many homes, including Hatters Lane (off John’s St); Scotts Lane (off Broad Street), St John’s Square and Crosses Yard.
From 1954 to 2011, the Band was based in a hall behind St John’s pavilion on Mulgrave Street. There followed a period on Garryowen Road, before it moved to its current home in the Redemptorist Centre of Music on Island Road.
Tony McCarthy, Chairman of St John’s Band said
Despite changes of name and location, St Johns’s Band has essentially remained the same entity for 160 years with the same core values and mission: to bring together people from Limerick city and its environs in a spirit of music and community. It has always been a fun and friendly band as the band website states: ‘We warmly welcome anyone, regardless of age, social, racial or religious circumstances. All you need is a love of music.’ St Johns’s Band is one of the great marching and musical combinations in Limerick City’s great band tradition. Under the present conductor Dr.Andrew Jordan, it continues to make a great impact on the musical life of Limerick City and beyond.
Dr Matthew Potter, Curator of Limerick Museum said
St John's Band in partnership with Limerick Museum has curated this magnificent exhibition, which will continue in Saint Mary's Cathedral, for three months until 15 November. It displays a rich collection of memorabilia, photographs, instruments, uniforms, and artefacts chronicling over a century and a half of musical heritage and community engagement. I want to thank the Arts Office of Limerick City and County Council Arts and the Heritage Council for their generous funding of his magnificent exhibition.
