Ronan Maguire

Piper Supreme

              One of Ireland's top solo pipers at present is Ronan Maguire from the village of Shankill, Co. Dublin. Born in Co. Dublin in 1967, Ronan began playing pipes at the age of ninet. His father Joe initially taught him and since1985 has received invaluable tuition from Stephen Power (ex 1st Battalion Scots Guards) of Waterford City. From an early age, it became clear that Ronan had a special talent and he notched up many successes in solo contests in the Dublin area. In 1985, Ronan joined the St. Laurence O'Toole Pipe Band in Dublin City and is now the Pipe Sergeant of that band and of the band merged in 1999 with the St. Joseph’s Clondalkin P.B. - the St. Laurence O'Toole Clondalkin P.B. Ronan has been a consistent prize winner on the solo piping scene and has picked up many major prizes. Some of the highlights of his career to date are listed below.
              In 1997 Ronan was invited to give a recital to the Northwest of England Piping Society in Manchester and also that year he was invited to play at a number of prestigious solo contests in Scotland. These included a contest on the 18th. August in Glasgow which was modelled on the Piping Competitions of the Falkirk Trust in 1781. Ronan was required to submit six M.S.R. sets and also to play a 20th. Century piobaireachd allocated to him by the organisers. Ronan also competed in the Argyllshire Gathering in August that year where he was required to submit four piobaireachds and six sets of M.S.R. He also took part in the Northern Meeting in Inverness in September. Ronan, was the first piper from the Republic of Ireland to be accepted for either of these competitions. In 1998 Ronan was a prize winner at the Northern Meeting at Inverness in both Piobaireachd and S&R sections and was placed 1st at the All Ireland Senior Grade Solo Piping Championship and also had a clean sweep of all the senior prizes at the Ulster Championships in Belfast - (Piob., M.S.R. and Hornpipe & Jig)

The following table lists some of the achievements and milestones in Ronan's piping career to date :

1985              All Ireland Championship (Junior Grade)         - 1st.

1985/1986      Leinster League Championship                       - 1st.

1986              All Ireland Championship (Senior)                   - 3rd

1988/1989/1990      Leinster Championship                           - 1st.

1988              Armagh Pipers Championship (Piobaireachd)  - 1st.

1989              All Ireland Championship (Senior)                   - 3rd

1990              Leinster Championship                                   - 1st.

1991              Ulster Championship (Piobaireachd)                - 1st.

1991              Leinster League Championship                        - 1st.

1991              MacAllan Trophy, Lorient, France                   - 1st.

1991              All Ireland Championship (Senior)                   - 1st.

1991              Scottish Piping Soc. of Ulster (Piobaireachd)   - 1st.

1991              Scottish Piping Soc. of Ulster M.S.R.              - 1st.

1991              London Society, Strachan M.S.R.                    - 3rd.

1991              London Society, Highland Club (Piobaireachd) - 3rd.

1993              Scottish Piping Soc. of Ulster M.S.R.              - 3rd

1994              Scottish Piping Soc. of Ulster (Piobaireachd)   - 1st.

1994              Scottish Piping Soc. of Ulster M.S.R.              - 1st.

1995              Leinster Championship                                    - 1st.

1995              Scottish Piping Soc. of Ulster (Piobaireachd)   - 1st.

1995              Scottish Piping Soc. of Ulster M.S.R.              - 2nd.

1996              All Ireland Championship                                 - 4th.

1998              All Ireland Championship                                 - 1st.

1998              Ulster Championships (Piobaireachd)               - 1st

1998              Ulster Championships - M.S.R.                        - 1st.

1998              Ulster Championships - Hornpipe and Jig         - 1st

1998 /1999   Piper of the Year                                               - 1st

1999              All Ireland Championship                                 - 2nd

              Given his many successes in the solo arena, one could be forgiven for thinking that Ronan had little time for anything else. On the contrary, as well as his duties as Pipe Sergeant in the newly merged St. Laurence O'Toole Clondalkin P.B., Ronan has given generously of his time in tutoring others, both soloists and bands. On the solo front he has been teaching the young John Doyle from Gorey who won the All Ireland Under 16 Championships in 1995 and on the band front he has been providing on-going assistance to both the New Ross and District Pipe Band from Co.Wexford and also teaching in both Sweden and the U.S.A.