It may bear the name of a small rural village but the Rathanna Marching Band is making a major impact on competitions of national standard. The All Ireland Fleadh Ceoil held recently in Listowl was the platform on which the band achieved its highest accolade in its 21 year history, a 3rd place finish at national finals. Although the band has qualified for these finals before, this is the first time to finish in the top three, a fantastic achievement considering the improving high standard from year to year. The competition involved each band doing a 15 minute display on which marks were awarded for music, field work, colour guard, and drill. The band scored highly in each category and in the face of stiff competition were delighted to do so well, indeed the hard work, commitment, and effort demonstrated by all members was truly justified on the day, leaving the other bands to search map indexes to identify where there latest opposition has come from!!! Credit must be given to the band committee and parents who ensured the band was once again immaculately turned out for the event; rumour has it that some uniforms were still being washed at 4am the night before! The fact that a band still exists in this area after 21 years is an achievement in itself, but to have the band at its highest level ever is even more so exceptional, and it is thanks to you the general public who support our fund raising that this is possible. The experiences of band members past and present will linger fondly in their memories for a long time, but the practical skills learned will last a life-time. The band continues to grow from strength to strength and are now major contenders to win next years event. Watch this space!