James Fitzgerald Memorial
Brass & Reed Band

There has been a long tradition of bands in Mitchelstown spanning from the turn of the century right up to the present day. The current band was re-formed in the 1960s after a brief lapse, and was named after James Fitzgerald, better known as Jimmy Fitz, who was one of the leading lights in Mitchelstown music circles of the time.

In the 1980s the Band purchased and renovated a premises in Robert Street, which coincidentally was once the home of James Fitzgerald, which is used as a practice and meeting rooms.

The Band is totally dependent on the goodwill of the local and surrounding communities for its finances, and as there is no readily available ‘pot of gold’ the Bands selection of instruments tends to be a bit on the historical side, with available funds used to keep existing instruments in some kind of working order rather than being able to purchase new instruments.

As with many rural bands, membership is a problem, with many members leaving the ranks of the Band once they complete their education and take up employment elsewhere. Over the past number of years it has been the Bands policy to attract new members from the local primary schools, targeting 4th class students, with the expectation that they will stay with the band at least until the end of their 2nd level education. As a result, the age profile of the Band is quite young, with around 70% of the membership under the age of 18.

The Band’s uniform consists of a Red Blazer, bearing the JF crest, worn with black trousers and complimented with a black tie with red striped. Red and Black are historically the colours associated with Mitchelstown’s various sports teams.