0:00:03 > 0:00:04Over the past 50 years,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07Ulster has become the bedrock of the pipe band world.
0:00:09 > 0:00:10Across the country,
0:00:10 > 0:00:14hundreds of musicians strive to keep this tradition alive.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Does anybody think that that there is going to be good enough?
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Because it's not, like. It's pure rubbish.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24Thiepval Memorial have been piping for more than 100 years.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Under Pipe Major Alyson's fearsome command,
0:00:28 > 0:00:31they've become one of Ireland's top bands.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36McDonald Memorial are a pipe band that includes three generations
0:00:36 > 0:00:37of the same family.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40They're trying to hold on to their family tradition
0:00:40 > 0:00:43in an increasingly competitive world.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45It can be a challenge for bands even to stay together.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47It's a hobby, at the end of the day.
0:00:47 > 0:00:48You have to remind yourself of that.
0:00:48 > 0:00:5115 minutes, get your hats on and ready to go.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54This year will be their toughest yet.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Alongside a gruelling competition season, they're also preparing
0:00:58 > 0:01:02for Northern Ireland's biggest piping event, the Belfast Tattoo.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13It's three months until the World Piping Championships.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20In Dromore, the McDonald Memorial pipe band have gathered
0:01:20 > 0:01:21for a practice session.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26- The hardest part of the night, waiting on the pipers tuning up. - LAUGHTER
0:01:26 > 0:01:29I suppose we'll give them another half-hour and see how they're going.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33If it wasn't for the drummers, they'd have no band.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Drummers just talk about themselves. They're just wannabe pipers.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38You can listen to a set of pipes without a drum
0:01:38 > 0:01:41but try listen to a drum without a set of pipes.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44- Ah, now, you need to be careful now. - No, well, that's opinions.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46That's opinions.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55McDonald Memorial are a family pipe band with a long history.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Sonia is a Pipe Sergeant in the band.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06The band is named after my great-grandfather David McDonald.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09He went to the Battle of the Somme. He was the piper.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11He piped the soldiers out of the trenches.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15His son put the band together in his memory, you know.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18And it has carried down now into the next generation.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21In the 1980s, the band were at the top of their game
0:02:21 > 0:02:25but the pressure of competition caused them to crumble.
0:02:25 > 0:02:26Five years ago,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30a new generation of McDonalds decided to reform the band.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32We're going to do it as if we had a contest, right?
0:02:32 > 0:02:35So it'll be pipes down, pipes up again. All right?
0:02:38 > 0:02:41By the right. Quick...march.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Thanks to a mix of old and new talent,
0:02:43 > 0:02:48the band are slowly climbing their way back up the grades.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51We aspire to win. Winning means you're moving up the ranks.
0:02:51 > 0:02:52It gets tougher.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55You know, there's a lot of pressure further up the scale but,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58you know, you want to ensure that, more than anything,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00the kids that are coming along are enjoying it.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03You know, so it is a bit of a waiting game,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05but I think you're waiting for something good.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12- That was not me.- So, if you'd have done that in a competition...
0:03:12 > 0:03:15- Ah, no hope.- Keep playing. - We have to keep playing.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18That was a fail. We were last.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21It was a car crash.
0:03:21 > 0:03:22LAUGHTER
0:03:22 > 0:03:25- I thought it was one of your excuses.- Oh, no, no, no.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33The border town of Convoy in Donegal may not have a main street
0:03:33 > 0:03:37but for more than a century, it has had a pipe band.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Alyson is Pipe Major of Thiepval Memorial.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50That's a challenge. Getting the pipes right.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55She's one of only two female Pipe Majors in Ireland.
0:03:55 > 0:04:01I first became Pipe Major in June 2003. I was just about 20 that week, actually.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03It was an emergency meeting.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08I think all I mind hearing was, "I propose Alyson for Pipe Major"
0:04:08 > 0:04:10and somebody was, "I second it."
0:04:10 > 0:04:14I mind, suddenly, I started going, "What?"
0:04:14 > 0:04:17- Quick. March! - DRUMROLL THEN PIPES PLAY
0:04:20 > 0:04:24I absolutely knew nothing about tuning pipes,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27tuning chanters, tuning drones.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29I absolutely knew nothing, like.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Thanks to Alyson's leadership,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Thiepval Memorial have become one of the top bands in the country.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40For a band to play together, they have to practise together.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42You could have the 20 best players in the world
0:04:42 > 0:04:44stand here in the hall tonight,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to go on
0:04:47 > 0:04:49and play a medley together
0:04:49 > 0:04:51because they have all got their own different styles of playing.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57So, they need to then come together as one and play one style.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00It's not as easy as it sounds.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08There's no fun and games on it, like.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12The same craic is not on it as, maybe, when we played
0:05:12 > 0:05:15in grade 4B, or in grade 3.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18You have to be serious about it.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27The bagpipes are an ancient instrument
0:05:27 > 0:05:30with a musical history that can be traced back to 1000 BC.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33First played for entertainment,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37they later became associated with the military.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39The popularity of civilian pipe bands surged
0:05:39 > 0:05:41following the two World Wars,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44particularly in the Ulster Scots tradition.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Serious players pride themselves
0:05:47 > 0:05:50on the provenance and quality of their pipes.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55I think it was roughly 2002, I bought them.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00From a fella, a man who bought old army pipes.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04He'd have bought, you know, antique pipes, about 80 year old.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Roughly.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08- Do they still play well?- Yeah.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11All you need's somebody to play them.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17Bagpipes have a reputation for being extremely difficult to learn.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19If you get frustrated easily,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21the pipes are not the instrument for you.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24They're just so temperamental, like,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27I don't know of any other instrument that one or two degrees
0:06:27 > 0:06:29changes the whole instrument,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32or moisture changes the whole instrument.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35You could be standing on a Saturday, be ready to go to the ring,
0:06:35 > 0:06:40pipes going well, all of a sudden, out comes the sun. Bang!
0:06:40 > 0:06:42You lose... Your drones go and your chanters go.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44It can just happen like that.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Constant practising for piping competitions
0:06:48 > 0:06:52doesn't stop Alyson having to run a busy farm.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Ah, I start work at six
0:06:54 > 0:06:57but, say, a day like Saturday past,
0:06:57 > 0:06:59where we had to go to a band competition,
0:06:59 > 0:07:04I was up at quarter to five and started milking at five o'clock.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06So it means starting a wee bit earlier them days.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10I suppose that's four nights a week, right enough.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12So, no time to sleep any more.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17I think it comes down to how much you want to do something.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19If you want to do something bad enough,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22you'll find the time and you make it happen.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27On top of managing the farm, playing at competitions every Saturday
0:07:27 > 0:07:30and the upcoming World Championships,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Alyson has also accepted an invitation
0:07:32 > 0:07:34to play at this year's Belfast Tattoo.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43The event will showcase some of the finest marching bands and pipe music
0:07:43 > 0:07:46and will climax in a massed pipes and drums set.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51McDonald Memorial have also been asked to perform.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56For the McDonalds, this presents a huge challenge
0:07:56 > 0:08:00as they've never played a set like this before.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03The biggest challenge is going to be a medley selection.
0:08:03 > 0:08:0618 tunes in total, we have a marching-on set.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08That is a combination of, like, 9/8 marches
0:08:08 > 0:08:12and moving from one style into another time signature.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14When you're still at learning stage,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18throw this into the mix in the same year, it is a big challenge.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22We're relying on some of our kids to just get that right.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25They have to really nail it on the night, you know,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27or it'll stick out like a sore thumb.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28To add to the pressure,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32this year they're also competing in the World Piping Championships.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34With only a month left to practise,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Sonia needs to focus the band on their set.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41The priority tonight is to concentrate on the competition set.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44It'd always be nice to win, or get a prize
0:08:44 > 0:08:46but, I think, in the first instance,
0:08:46 > 0:08:48we just want to get through it
0:08:48 > 0:08:51and not make a complete fool of ourselves, you know.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00Sometimes you go to practice and you've no idea what's coming at you.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Everyone does have an off night, erm,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06but they're just the very odd occasion where you have that night
0:09:06 > 0:09:08where everything goes wrong.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Who is that? I think it's round here. That was just terrible.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22Absolutely terrible. You were behind me right the way through that.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25There was mistakes over here. There was skirl over there.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28You were even flying on.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32The band perseveres for another hour but without much success.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42- Terrible.- What next?
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Pipe Major Norman decides to stop the practice for tonight.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Don't play any more tonight. Go home, listen to your own playing,
0:09:49 > 0:09:53- and then come back on Wednesday night with a bit of improvement. - Getting worse.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58The complexity of playing bagpipes is really quite amazing.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01It takes a lot of work. You need to be playing every single day.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04It is, for anyone who takes it on,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07a massive commitment if you want to go anywhere with it.
0:10:10 > 0:10:11In Donegal, Alyson's band
0:10:11 > 0:10:14is also preparing for the World Piping Championships.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30But this morning, she has other pipes on her mind.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33The first time they heard it, you could just see them jump,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37like, their ears pricked up and they were, what's that?
0:10:37 > 0:10:40But, aye, they got used to it, they have no choice.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43If they want to be in this parlour, they have to like pipe band music.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59With the band's heavy practice schedule,
0:10:59 > 0:11:03Alyson's time is further stretched between the farm and the band.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06You're nearly, basically, six hours every Monday night,
0:11:06 > 0:11:10I would be here from eight o'clock till 11 on a Tuesday and Thursday.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13I would be three hours of practice on a Wednesday night.
0:11:13 > 0:11:1512 hours on a Saturday.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18That's scary when you add it up, actually.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20It's nearly a working week.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22The commitment is huge.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Somebody just went off there, third part, in the low A,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27too quick into the GDs.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Try a third part on. One, two...
0:11:30 > 0:11:32At the level Thiepval have reached,
0:11:32 > 0:11:36the music becomes much more technically demanding.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Take a pause on the way first, and then up in the GDs.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Alyson won't accept even the slightest of errors.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48First, we're straight in, there's somebody going straight off.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50- It's you.- Could be me.- Well, don't!
0:11:50 > 0:11:52One, two...
0:11:54 > 0:11:57My theory is, pick out the people who's not playing together
0:11:57 > 0:11:59and sort that issue out, like.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Just don't stand in the hall and keep saying, "Let's just play it again."
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Play it again. You know, if there's a problem,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07identify who the problem is
0:12:07 > 0:12:09and try and work on them.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Still out here. A fraction ahead of me.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14One, two...
0:12:16 > 0:12:18You went on to C before me.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21D and D. You're slipping back. One, two...
0:12:21 > 0:12:25If a piper doesn't get it right, they run the risk of being dropped,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28sometimes minutes before they're due to perform.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32I suppose, as I got more experienced as a Pipe Major,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34dropping players didn't bother me as much.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36But what players have got to realise,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40it's not about me, it's not about you. It's not about them.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42They have to get into their head
0:12:42 > 0:12:45that they have to do what is right for the band.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47- Do you make mistakes, Alyson?- Never.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06In Dromore, the McDonalds are continuing to prepare
0:13:06 > 0:13:09for the World Championships.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Today, they're getting the band name printed on the bass drum.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Ronnie has played in the family band
0:13:16 > 0:13:20since he picked up the pipes nearly 40 years ago.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22You should have been running up there.
0:13:22 > 0:13:23CHUCKLING
0:13:23 > 0:13:26I'm the boy that runs behind the scenes and does everything
0:13:26 > 0:13:28and organises things.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31But I don't mind doing it. It's the McDonald band.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36For him, it's about more than just competition grades and prizes.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41My father, he started it and he taught all my children.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44And now they're all piping in it.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47I'm sure, if he was still here today, he would love it
0:13:47 > 0:13:50because he'd have loved telling us where we're going wrong.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Because you couldn't please him.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Ronnie is deeply committed to the band's survival.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00This means making sure there's a new generation of players
0:14:00 > 0:14:02coming up the ranks.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Any young one comes into the band, we get them kilted out
0:14:04 > 0:14:06and they come in all the competitions
0:14:06 > 0:14:08and they walk onto the field with their kilts on,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10and that keeps them interested.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12You have to keep them interested.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16That's us, gents.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Very good. That's quite a job, Colin.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- He'd be proud to play that now. - Yeah. Good job.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32After months of hard practice,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36the bands are travelling to Glasgow for the World Piping Championships.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39The biggest competition in their year.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Despite the early start, there's no time for sleeping.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Every available minute has to be used to practise.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Over the weekend, 40,000 people will watch more than 200 bands
0:15:13 > 0:15:16battle it out to be crowned world champions.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19The players' nerves will be pushed to their limits.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25The McDonalds have been practising and tuning for the past hour.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28For Ronnie, the worst has happened.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31His chanter is causing problems.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35I'll give it another couple of goes, see if it's all right.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40There isn't enough time to retune his chanter.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Ronnie decides it would be best if he didn't play.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49- What?- I don't mind standing.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51You can't say much. You can't argue.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53You're in a situation.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Guys, 15 minutes.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Get your hats on, get ready to go.
0:15:58 > 0:15:59If the chanter's not right,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02you don't want to go in and ruin their chances.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04I know it's hard to stand down,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06but what do you do, like?
0:16:06 > 0:16:07Best of luck, folks.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10I'll see you when we're out of uniform.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Each band will play in a qualifying heat.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19That performance will determine if they make it into the final.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23But for Ronnie, his day is over before it's even begun.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28On the other side of the green,
0:16:28 > 0:16:32Alyson is getting Thiepval ready for the Grade 2 qualifier.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34They're also having problems.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37He's hit his pipes too hard a few times and he's had an early E,
0:16:37 > 0:16:42so he needs to make damn sure that doesn't happen in the ring,
0:16:42 > 0:16:43or he's dead!
0:16:45 > 0:16:47HE PLAYS A NOTE
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Whoa-oa-oa! What happened?
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Somebody went into the wrong tune. Who was it?
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Does anybody think that there's going to be good enough?
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Cos it's not, like. It's pure rubbish!
0:17:09 > 0:17:13McDonald Memorial are about to perform.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25It's like sport.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27It's a competition. You want to do well.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29We need to be playing together.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32We need to have a good start, a good finish, steady blowing,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34a nice sound.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44APPLAUSE
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Hold on, slow down. Slow down. Slow down!
0:17:51 > 0:17:52That was a really good run.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56I'm very pleased with that, guys. Thank you and well done.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03It's now Thiepval Memorial's time to play.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05All right.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10'This wee nerve kicks in, you know?
0:18:10 > 0:18:13'And you start to panic in your head and you're like,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16'"Oh, have I played that part twice already?"
0:18:16 > 0:18:19'Silly stuff, you know? Your mind goes into overdrive
0:18:19 > 0:18:22'and you start assuming and imagining stuff.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24'It's just like a wee panic attack.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30'And you'll go, "Right, cop yourself on. Settle yourself down.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32'"Everything will be grand."'
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Pipes down.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47- I thought the march was good.- Aye. - It was as good...
0:18:47 > 0:18:51- As we've had all day.- There were so many things going wrong.- Yep.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57It would take a miracle for us to qualify, like.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02The McDonalds have gathered to hear
0:19:02 > 0:19:05whether they've qualified for the final.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07This is worse than going on to play.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Will the months of practice have been enough?
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Even money. 50-50.
0:19:12 > 0:19:18- TANNOY:- 'I now have the qualifiers for the 4A final. Dunbar RBL.
0:19:18 > 0:19:19'Cleland Memorial.'
0:19:19 > 0:19:22WILD CHEERING
0:19:22 > 0:19:23'Kinross & District.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26'And Ullapool & District.'
0:19:26 > 0:19:28CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:19:28 > 0:19:29So disappointing.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32I can't believe we're in this position.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36- We always qualify for the finals. - Yeah.- So this is completely...
0:19:36 > 0:19:39- Maybe it's a lesson. - I don't know what to do.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Thiepval Memorial have also failed to qualify.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49I just think, all you ever ask, from these days here,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52that nobody goes in and makes a real balls-up
0:19:52 > 0:19:55and then beats themselves up for the next six months.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59It's been a disappointing weekend for both bands.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02All they can do is pack up and head home.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08The highs and lows of competition are
0:20:08 > 0:20:12a stark contrast to the role pipers have played throughout history.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20In the carnage of the Great War, pipers would rise unarmed
0:20:20 > 0:20:24from the trenches and pipe their comrades into battle.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30The McDonald Memorial Pipe Band is named after one of those pipers.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34Gary has researched the McDonald family history.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39My grandfather David, he was a veteran in the First World War,
0:20:39 > 0:20:41fought in the 36th Division,
0:20:41 > 0:20:45and he piped during the Battle of the Somme.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52We can only imagine what it was like to stand up and to actually
0:20:52 > 0:20:55have to put your head above a trench, with a set of bagpipes,
0:20:55 > 0:21:00and play the pipes, knowing the danger that faced you.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08This year's Belfast Tattoo will commemorate those who fought
0:21:08 > 0:21:10and died during the Battle of the Somme.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15What makes our band tick is the memory of our grandfather,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19and we are absolutely privileged and honoured to have been asked
0:21:19 > 0:21:21to be involved in the Tattoo.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Quick march!
0:21:31 > 0:21:34With the Tattoo only days away,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37all the bands have been brought together for the first time.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40They have four gruelling days of rehearsals ahead.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46In a show of this scale, they have more than just music to get right.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48This isn't working visually.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52OK, this centre circle is not working visually for us.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55OK, so go back out into the outside circle.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58At 10 o'clock at night, it should be going well.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Tattoos are a military celebration of music,
0:22:01 > 0:22:05with the word itself coming from the Dutch phrase "doe den tap toe",
0:22:05 > 0:22:08meaning "turn off the taps".
0:22:08 > 0:22:11It became a signal for soldiers to leave the pub
0:22:11 > 0:22:13and return to barracks.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15The Pipe Major insists that someone has to bring
0:22:15 > 0:22:18a hip flask every week, and I am the fall guy.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Why do you think his face is so red normally?
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Any artificial means necessary to keep him calm,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28and the hip flask is one of those things that seems to work.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29Left, right, left.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32The bands will be joined by hundreds of other performers,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34both military and civilian.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38It is hard to stay in line when the piper in front of you is skinnier.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Not as wide.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Getting this number of musicians to play in harmony is proving to
0:22:48 > 0:22:49be a challenge.
0:22:51 > 0:22:52No. No. No.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54No, no, no. The chorus is,
0:22:54 > 0:22:58# Ba-dum-ba-dum-ba-dum... #
0:22:58 > 0:23:00I am glad we had the dress rehearsal tonight,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03because there were a few wee teething problems,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05- and that's them out of the way. - For you, was it?- No, not for me.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07For the whole massed bands.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10- I thought it went quite well. - I thought I was pretty perfect.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12I've been coping with it OK, but it might be a wee bit more
0:23:12 > 0:23:15nerve-racking tomorrow night, when that curtain goes up,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18and there's quite a few thousand people staring at you, you know?
0:23:25 > 0:23:29After months of preparation, it's finally showtime.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35As the crowds stream into the arena, backstage,
0:23:35 > 0:23:39the bands are having a last-minute practice.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41We are a few minutes away from starting.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43This is what all the hard work has been about,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45so now is the time to do it.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48It's not nerves, just a wee bit of adrenaline.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52This is a completely and utterly new departure for our band.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Can't wait...till it's over.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56No!
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Who ballsed that up? What are you at?
0:24:00 > 0:24:02MAN SINGS
0:24:02 > 0:24:03LAUGHTER
0:24:06 > 0:24:10I wouldn't feel any pressure at something like this, no.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12There's nobody here judging you and, plus,
0:24:12 > 0:24:17you're in a large group of players, so there's less nerves.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22All excited, Hannah?
0:24:22 > 0:24:23Buzzing.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28And quiet, please.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30APPLAUSE
0:24:32 > 0:24:37In this centenary year, we turn our thoughts to the men and boys
0:24:37 > 0:24:43who faced the enemy over the 141 days of the Somme Offensive.
0:24:43 > 0:24:49We especially remember the many who made the ultimate sacrifice.
0:24:52 > 0:24:57It makes you feel really good to be part of the show this year.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00- Aye.- Because of the 100th year. - Oh, definitely.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07Like, isn't it really good to be associated with that?
0:25:07 > 0:25:09CHOIR SINGS
0:25:13 > 0:25:16After a moving commemoration of the Somme,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20it's time for the massed pipes and drums.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25McDonald and Thiepval Memorial take to the floor,
0:25:25 > 0:25:27along with three other pipe bands.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04After their first set,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07the bands leave the stage to wait for the finale.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13That was great. I was a wee bit nervous before the curtain went up.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17I started to feel the pulse there, but it was fine.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Once it started, I was enjoying it.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23I thought it was pretty good. Better than I expected, actually.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25The harder bit is to come later on.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32As the show continues with a spectacle of dancers, musicians
0:26:32 > 0:26:36and bands playing classical and contemporary music, backstage,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40thoughts turn to the historical significance of this year's Tattoo.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44We were nervous tonight, but can you imagine what a young soldier,
0:26:44 > 0:26:4718, 19 years old, the nerves that that soldier would have felt
0:26:47 > 0:26:50in World War I, 100 years ago?
0:26:50 > 0:26:53It puts what we felt tonight into perspective, I suppose,
0:26:53 > 0:26:57when you think of what those guys went through.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59After a long wait,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03the bands make their way back to the floor to close the show.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09And finally this evening,
0:27:09 > 0:27:16let's begin the Belfast Tattoo 2016 grand finale!
0:27:38 > 0:27:40It was just a great atmosphere tonight.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43The finale was just unbelievable.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45It just gives you a great buzz.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48It just makes you feel so, so proud to stand here tonight
0:27:48 > 0:27:50and be part of this amazing event.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02APPLAUSE
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Absolutely amazing.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13After the exhilaration of the show,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16the bands can finally relax and let off some steam.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18I just want to play more. It wasn't enough.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21I don't know who is buzzing more, the crowd or us.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24They may be the lowest-ranked pipe band at the Tattoo,
0:28:24 > 0:28:28but the McDonalds have proven they are a band with a future.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31It has been a big challenge for everyone, and we've met it,
0:28:31 > 0:28:34and, I mean, I'm very proud to be there with them.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38I'm proud of the way everyone behaved and performed.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42We're like one big family. We get on fantastic.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46We work together, we know what we have to do and we just do it.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48Uncharacteristically,
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Alyson is thinking about giving her band some time off.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55I think we might take two, three weeks...
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Well, I said a month but a month might be
0:28:58 > 0:29:00a bit much now I am starting to think.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02I wouldn't say I'm obsessed, no.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06I wouldn't say I'm obsessed, but I do have a passion for it.
0:29:18 > 0:29:23# It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll... #