Markethill Lambeg Drumming

The last Friday of July marks the annual Lambeg drumming competition in the Co Armagh town of Markethill. Recently a friend of mine said that this competition is an experience that everyone should experience once in their life. With the shear noise levels I now understand why he said just once.

Through traffic in the town is stopped for the evening and crowds gather to view the spectacle. You will not see any other venue where there are so many Lambeg drums gathered together in one place, and all playing at the same time. Arriving at 6pm, I left by 8.30pm, my ears not being able to take any more!

The following images, I hope, will give an impression of how seriously the competitors take this event. For those interested in the technical details, I was using a D3 with on camera flash and a 24-70mm f2.8 lens.

The whole evening is very much taken up with old friends  catching up on news, tightening drum skins and entering into the playing area.  Judges listen carefully for the right tone and beat, although the casual onlooker would be unable to distinguish the difference.  However the local fish and chip shop did a roaring trade!