10 Years On: Maghery Retain All-Ireland Senior Flute Title 2016

It is ten years since Maghery Fife and Drum Band retained their All-Ireland Senior Flute title at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Ennis.

Having ended Mullaghduff’s remarkable nine-year reign the previous year, Maghery returned to the Fleadh in 2016 looking to prove that their 2015 victory was no one-off.

They did exactly that.

Maghery took first place in the Senior Flute competition, with Mullaghduff finishing second. It gave the Donegal band back-to-back All-Ireland titles and confirmed their position at the top of the section.

The result was particularly significant given what had happened the year before. Mullaghduff had won the Senior Flute title every year from 2006 to 2014, before Maghery finally ended their run in 2015.

Now Maghery had successfully defended their own title.

The victory sparked huge celebrations among the Maghery supporters in Ennis, with the band producing another strong performance on the day. Drill instructor Anne-Marie O’Donnell later reflected on the performance, saying she knew from the opening step and note that Maghery were going to retain the title.

The 2016 result would prove to be the beginning of an even more significant run. Maghery went on to win the Senior Flute All-Ireland title again in 2017, 2018 and 2019, making it five consecutive victories.

But the second title was an important one in its own right.

Maghery had gone from ending Mullaghduff’s dominance in 2015 to successfully defending the All-Ireland title just twelve months later.

2016 All-Ireland Fleadh – Senior Flute

1st – Maghery Fife and Drum Band, Donegal
2nd – Mullaghduff Fife and Drum Band, Donegal

Back-to-back All-Ireland titles for Maghery.