Mullingar musician says dream came true with contract to play in the usa

Eilís Ryan


A talented young musician in Mullingar has said this week he “nearly cried with happiness” after being selected to play with the Sacramento Mandarins, a drum and bugle corps which is part of the prestigious US Drum Corps International (DCI).
Tom Farrell, from Mullingar’s Lynn Road, who plays the trumpet, has been awarded a contract with the DCI-affiliated Sacramento Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps after participating in their camp at the weekend.
He is the first Westmeath person – and only the fourth Irish person – to play in the DCI.
Tom, a member of the Mullingar band Good Man Sheila, is a former member of Mullingar Town Band, and since moving to Dublin to pursue his studies in Aviation Technology at the Dublin Institute of Technology, has become a member of the Vikings Band, based in Tallaght.
“My DCI dream is becoming reality,” said Tom this week, after overcoming some world-class competition to win a contract with the Sacramento Mandarins.
“I didn’t expect to get contracted but when I was told I got one I nearly cried with happiness. It’s really a dream come true.”
But the young musician wasted no time before thanking those who had helped him along the journey from aspiring musician to accomplished band member.
“Just want to say thanks so much to the guys at Vikings drum corps, they’re all the main reason why I decided to travel over here and audition,” he told friends on his Facebook page.
“I also got to say thanks to the Mullingar Town Band for putting up with me for years. The activity is so small in Ireland but these bands never give up,” he continued.
Tom especially credits the Mullingar Town Band for giving him a great start: “I was in the Mullingar Town Band since I was very small. I really enjoyed my time there and they were great to me from the beginning. Hubert and Kim Magee are a blessing for the town of Mullingar as they work tirelessly with the band all year round,” he said.
A delighted Tom also paid tribute to his parents, Tom and Dympna Farrell, of Mullingar’s Lynn Road, and to his sister, Zoe.
“I want to thank them for putting up with me and my crazy adventures!” he joked.
Tom will play in the Sacramento Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps’ brass section, and for the popular young Mullingar man, it will mean a fairly hectic schedule in the coming year.
“I’m over here right now,” he told The Westmeath Examiner from Sacramento.
“I’ve to fly [here] every month for a weekend camp, and then, at the end of May, I fly over for 'move-ins’, where we learn our show.
“Our first shows are in California; then we jump on a bus and move from state to state to compete at different competitions.”
Kim Magee, who is over Mullingar Town Band, was thrilled for the former member, and revealed that there is great pride in Tom’s achievement.
Drum Corps International is described as the governing body for junior drum and bugle corps in the USA and Canada. Member corps have to qualify for membership through competition.
“I started to discover what Drum Corps International was in my last few years with Mullingar and I was amazed by it,” says Tom.
The European equivalent is Drum Corps Europe (DCE), and as a member of Vikings Drum Corp, he got the chance to participate in the DCE after the Vikings won all their Irish competitions, and came ninth in DCE – but he wanted the chance to go for “the big league”, and with lots of encouragement from his friends, decided to go for it.
“I sent a video to the Mandarins, a world class corps from Sacramento, California.
“They asked me to come to callbacks camp, which was this weekend.
Tom also sent home a word of thanks to his friends in Good Man Sheila. “The lads have helped me get better and even did a gig for me to help me get over to the January camp so I really appreciate it,” he said.