We hope you enjoy this documentary dedicated to our 50th anniversary!

You don’t have to be Irish to be moved by traditional Celtic tunes and popular standards that are performed by the NYPD Pipes & Drums. Easily the world’s most recognizable pipe band, members of the NYPD Pipes & Drums have traversed the globe over the past five decades, playing throughout North America, Europe and Australia. The Band was honored to perform for both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI during Papal visits to New York, and to march in the inaugural parades of President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and President George W. Bush in 2005.
A fixture in the entertainment world, the Band has been featured on television programs such as Third Watch, Ryan’s Hope, Late Night with David Letterman, the Today Show and Good Morning America; films including Ghostbusters II, State of Grace, The Departed, Pride & Glory and Salt; at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the Broadway performances of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. 

            It is, however, best known as the headline act in the annual New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  As momentous as that may seem, especially with the Band celebrating its 50th anniversary in April 2010, it is just a small part of what the pipers and drummers are all about.
            “People don’t realize all that we do during an average year,” said retired NYPD Sgt. Brian Meagher, the only active member with a half-century of service still in the Band.  It was his father, Ptl. Tom Meagher and uncle, Insp. Pearse Meagher, proficient pipers, who were sought out to help form the Band in 1960 at the behest of the department’s Emerald Society.

“We are the granddaddy of service bands, and requests pour in for our services from around the world. We have performed at a multitude of law enforcement memorials and funerals throughout the country, entertained scores of hospitalized children, military veterans, and played our music to support countless worthy causes. The smiles and cheers of those for whom we perform always inspire us. This combination of two great historical entities, being Irish and also New York City Police has proven rather potent."     
             Although the Band’s 115 current members make it the largest in the country, its beginnings were far from auspicious. In 1954, citing budget constraints, Police Commissioner Francis Adams eliminated the department’s marching band. The musical services of local high school bands were engaged when circumstances dictated. This did not sit well with the Emerald Society membership. From an ancestral and departmental perspective, the pipes and drums seemed to be more appropriate, and integral part of their being Irish.

 After a few parades led by high school bands, Emerald Society president, then Lt. Charlie Crowley, empanelled a committee to explore the idea of the Society forming its own band, a pipe band. Notable committee members, and initial bandsmen, were: Ptl. Doug Connell, Ptl. Joe Mullane, and Ptl. Donald Waugh from Motorcycle 1; Ptl. Ed Maloney from the 25th Pct;  Polw. Kathleen Cronin, Polw. Betty Elliot, and Polw. Kay Robinson of the Police Women’s’ Bureau; Ptl. Finbar Devine of the 18 Pct.
            The committee approached two well-regarded pipers from the Bronx, brothers Tom and Pearse Meagher. Tom Meagher, a recently retired patrolman, was a 26-year veteran of the NYPD; his youngest brother Pearse, a captain, was then the Commanding Officer of the 44th Precinct. The Meagher brothers loved the idea of forming a band and the two pipers accepted the challenge. The legacy of their efforts would endure far into the future.

“Originally, and for the first few following years, the Band was mostly comprised of cops from the 42 Precinct in the South Bronx; Motorcycle 1, which was also in the Bronx; and several Manhattan North precincts,” said retired Lt. Jack McGovern, a piper who, as a rookie cop in the 4-2, joined the Band in 1964. 
            “It’s hard to believe now, but the job was not very thrilled with us in those days,” reflected retired Sgt. John Tansey. A member since 1968 who served as the Bandmaster for many years, acknowledged that many high-ranking members of the department were uncomfortable with the whole notion of the Band. The reasons were numerous, not the least of which was the desire to down play the stereotype of the police force as an Irish bastion. Also, the Jesuit trained Captain Pearse Meagher, an attorney and an academic as well, was confident and outspoken enough to ruffle a few feathers at police headquarters.
            “Pearse was a real mover and shaker, probably one of the brightest men to ever serve the department,” said Tansey. “He would go head to head with anyone, if he thought he was right."  While his strong personality attracted both positive and negative attention, his intellect and showmanship served the new Band well. His brother Tom’s reputation was quite different, known for a gentle and patient demeanor. Together, they set about to establish a pipe band. Over the next four months they mined their lifetime of piping skills to teach the original members the rudiments of playing bagpipes and drums. Practices were held in school halls around the city, instruments were acquired quickly, from any available source. Some members even found their pipes in pawn shops. Marching came easily to the members, most of whom were veterans.

Low and behold, on March 17, 1961, the Band debuted in their first performance in the NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade. Clad in their police uniforms, they skirled out tunes: Minstrel Boy; Wearing of the Green; Sean South of Garryowen; Let Erin Remember; The Marine Corps Hymn and Kelly, the Boy from Killane.
            Utilizing the musical talents of metropolitan area police departments, officers from other agencies were welcomed into the Band. Many of those trained, including Lt. Martin Harding, Yonkers Police Department, and Capt. Bob Pidgeon of the Essex Co., (NJ) Police Department, went on to form bands in their own municipalities. In police circles the Band’s reputation grew slowly but steadily, and it soon became the model for bands in Newark, Cleveland, Boston and  Chicago, establishing the tradition of piping in American law enforcement. Tom Meagher also instructed the fledgling FDNY Pipe Band, helping to establish a similar tradition in the fire service. The relationships shared with these agencies back then have continued to this day.

Key to the Band’s early success was the presence of the colorful and robust Patrolman Edmund Finbar Devine. His outsized personality, and his background as a Master Sergeant in the 69th Irish Regiment, led him to become the renowned drum major. Many described the pageantry, pomp and revelry he displayed while marching up Fifth Avenue as prideful, awe-inspiring and electrifying. Upon Finbar’s retirement, author Frank McCourt would describe him as being possessed of “the erect bearing of a cadet, but the swagger of a trooper.”
            “Finbar was a real character, a big man whose personality matched his physical stature,” said Ret. Sgt. John Tansey. “He was about 6’2”, but when he put on that feather bonnet, he was regularly described as being seven feet tall. He had a real flair about him and everybody loved him, especially the press, the public, and the cops.”
            In 1964, Pearse Meagher approached Ed Sullivan, who in the days of black and white television and only five channels to choose from, hosted the top-rated Sunday night variety show, that had introduced Elvis Presley and the Beatles to American audiences.  He invited the Band onto his show, and that appearance for a staggering fee of $1000 per minute catapulted the Band to be seen by a national audience. With its reputation enhanced by two Sullivan appearances, the election of Mayor John Lindsay in 1966 solidified the Pipe Band as a New York institution.  Lindsay who was of Scottish ancestry and would wear his kilt occasionally used the Band to perform at scores of events at Gracie Mansion and City Hall. So enamored was he, of the Band, that he often joked that it served as his unofficial goodwill ambassador to Ireland.
            In 1971, Pearse Meagher engaged Irish-American philanthropist John Mulcahy to sponsor the first of several “all expense paid” trips to Ireland by the Band.  During halftime of the All-Ireland Hurling Championship match in Croke Park, Dublin, Pearse impressed the crowd as he spoke in Gaelic, presenting Taoiseach Eamon De Valera with the Keys to the City of New York, on Lindsay’s behalf.  The Band then performed a spellbinding concert for the capacity of more than 100,000 spectators.
            The more the band played, the more it became a part of NYPD tradition. At the funeral of Patrolman Patrick J. O’Connor, a Band member assigned to the Emergency Service Unit, who died in the line of duty on Thanksgiving Eve 1971, the Band gave him a hero’s solemn send off.  Soon, the Band began performing at the funerals of police officers, including those who did not lose their lives in the line of duty. A time-honored tradition that lasts to this day was born. The performance at Ptl. O’Connor’s funeral became an even more meaningful metaphoric link to the Band’s past, present and future when his sons, Det. Pat, Jr. and Det. James, joined the NYPD and became members of the Band. The awe inspiring muffled drums and piper’s lament played during these funerals has since become a hallmark of the Band.
             “The slow, reassuring tune played at the conclusion of  Mass, is the alarm for St. Peter to open the gates of Heaven and welcome a fallen comrade,” explains Brian Coughlan, an active NYPD sergeant assigned to the Bomb Squad, who joined the Band in 1989 and has served as the Bandmaster since 2004. “Being a member of the band is very important to all of us,” said Coughlan, who described his role as Bandmaster as akin to being the CEO of an organization. “We receive so many requests from all over the world. Our presence at the funerals of deceased police officers, or at events for injured officers, or even the weddings of cops, is very important to us and to them. We take an awful lot of pride in what we do, and what we mean to people.”
            In 1984, the Band traveled to Bundoran, Ireland where they marched in a parade commemorating the ten Hunger Strikers who had recently died in desperate protest to further the cause of Irish independence. The Band’s participation resulted in some heavy criticism from the British government as being politically incorrect. Band members performed repeatedly at events supportive of the Irish cause and peace process. Recent events in Northern Ireland, power sharing and the cessation of “the troubles”, have shown the Band's involvement was, in deed, on the right side of history.
            Two of the original members, now deceased, , Ptl. Edward Maloney, piper, and, Ptl. Doug Connell, drummer,  left their indelible marks on the Band. Always involved in the Band’s intricate workings, they are most dearly remembered for organizing the early Band dances at Mount St. Michaels campus in the Bronx, and later, the many fun filled weekend sojourns to the Catskills. Great friends, great times, great members.  Ed and Dougie fostered much of the early Band’s camaraderie.
            Retired Ptl. Frank Calderon, the Band’s Senior Drum Sergeant, has participated in 48 St. Patrick’s Day parades so far. “I don’t intend on missing any in the future either,” said the 74-year-old, who now spends his winters in sunny Florida. Frank has been a fixture in the drum line since both he and the Band were very young.
            Joe O’Carroll, an active detective assigned to the Harbor Unit, became a member of the Band in 1991, three years after he joined the NYPD.  Although he still considers himself a relative newcomer, the pipe major  is keenly aware of the Band’s rich legacy. Having played in lots of faraway places, O’Carroll still marvels at the international respect that is accorded to both the NYPD and the Band. “It’s really pretty incredible,” he said. “The outpouring of love and support is overwhelming.”
       John Tansey recalls just how far the Band has come from its humble beginning. In the early 1990’s, during the planning stages of the NYPD’s merge with the Transit and Housing police departments, a top NYPD executive sought him out to discuss what would be done with Transit, which had two Bands, and housing, which had one.  The NYPD Pipe & Drums welcomed those who opted to join them, but stood fast on the rule of allowing only active and retired police officers to be members.
“It was flattering to know that this was even an issue with the department brass,” said Tansey. “Obviously we’d come a long way from the days when they had no use for us.”
            “The NYPD made us feel very welcome,” said , Dan Sprague, a retired Emergency Service Unit (ESU) detective who at the time of the merge had been one of  about 25 members of the Housing Band. “The transition was very smooth, and the new members were very receptive to us.” Sprague still marvels at the reaction the Band generates, regardless of where it performs. “We have such a strong presence, but what really stands out is the effect we have on people,” he said. “We could be performing at the funeral of an out-of-state police officer killed in the line of duty, and the family members tell us what an honor it is that we are there. Their loved one just made the ultimate sacrifice, and they’re thanking us for coming. That’s a very humbling experience.”
            Never was the Band in more demand than in the  aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.  Among the 23 NYPD officers killed that day was Band member Stephen Driscoll, a police officer assigned to ESU.  Over the course of the following months, the Band was called upon to play at a seemingly endless amount of funerals for rescue and recovery workers of every stripe. Many Band members concur that no event was more stirring than when 106 Band members performed at the annual National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. in May 2002, the first such ceremony after the momentous events of 9/11. “It was extremely emotional,” said Tansey. “It really brought the magnitude of what had happened to the forefront.  Like 9/11, it is a day that none of us will ever forget.”
            Brian Coughlan mused “I can’t imagine what the next five decades will bring, but I have no doubt that our enduring legacy will only be further enhanced.  The Band began as a celebration of Irish heritage, but it has evolved into something that is vintage Americana, a universal symbol of brotherhood, camaraderie, kinship, goodwill, and unity. You don’t have to be Irish to appreciate that.”
            May the culturally rich traditions of their Gaelic heritage continue to inspire future Bandsmen. The Band is as uniquely American as it is Irish in its roots. It is a touchstone to the past of the Police Department that may soon be forgotten. The continuing involvement of its retired members ensures that the younger Bandsmen persist in tending to the institutional memories of the Police Department, Ireland and the United States. Let’s keep the tradition alive.

Déanann na pioba ceol na haingeal
(Bagpipes make the music of the angels)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

Sincere gratitude for the contributions of those who assisted in the numerous projects within the celebration of this, the Bands 50th year. From the numerous monetary contributions, to the Journal; the Communion Breakfast; the Boat ride; the Anniversary shirt; the Photo Album; the Band Videos; the Dinner Dance; the assembly of the formal wear uniform. Thank you to past and present members. A special thank you to: Robert Mladinich; Ed Burns; PBA Board; John Doolan, Heineken Beer; Agostino von Hassell; Allison Maher Stern, and to all others who helped in these efforts.