Belfast has been confirmed as venue for the UK Pipe Band Championships for the next three years, despite the squeeze on public sector budgets.
Stormont hosted the contest last Saturday for the second time, an event which is understood to have cost the public purse around £140,000.
But fears that the championship may be removed from the calendar due to financial constraints were allayed when the City Council and world-governing body the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association reached agreement on a deal right up until 2018.
"This has proven hugely popular with bandspeople and supporters from all over Ireland, Scotland, Europe and beyond, and we're delighted to guarantee its place on the piping rota for three more years," Belfast City Council's events manager Gerry Copeland said.
However, it also effectively rules Belfast out of re-bidding to host the World Pipe Band Championships, which haven't been held in the city since 1962.
Stormont had hosted the inaugural UK Championship last year, and last Saturday the entry fell back to 92 bands from 115 last time.
But this, it emerged, was due to a number of bands being unable to book places on ferries due to the clash with Scotland's Euro 2016 qualifier in Dublin.
Belfast lord mayor Arder Carson had been due to take the salute at the prize-giving ceremony, but was forced to withdraw due to a family bereavement. Deputy major Guy Spence stepped in at late notice.
On the playing side, reigning world champions Field Marshal Montgomery were winners of the top grade, narrowly getting the better of Scottish giant Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia and Inveraray & District, with Dubliners St Laurence O'Toole fourth.
It was FM Montgomery's 62nd major victory in the last 25 years - a record all achieved under pipe major Richard Parkes MBE.
Three of the other seven grades were won by Northern Ireland bands - Bleary & District (grade two), Upper Crossgare (3B) and Marlacoo & District (4A).
For FM and Bleary, that's two majors out of two (each also won Britsh crowns at Bathgate two weeks earlier), and both start hot favourites in the European Championships in Forres next weekend, when they are among only a handful of Irish making the arduous trip to the Highlands.
BANDS
• Grade one - 1 Field Marshal Montgomery, 2 Shotts & Dykehead, 3 Inveraray & District, 4 St Laurence O’Toole, 5 Greater Glasgow Police (also best drums), 6 Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate.
• Grade two - 1 Bleary & District, 2 Buchan Peterson (also best drums), 3 Johnstone, 4 MacKenzie Calendonian, 5 PSNI, 6 Manorcunningham.
• Grade 3A - 1 Isle of Islay, 2 Craigmount, 3 Aughintober (also best drums), 4 Ballybriest, 5 Closkelt, 6 Concord (Netherlands).
• Grade 3B - 1 Upper Crossgare (also best drums), 2 Colmcille, 3 Achill, 4 Finvoy, 5 Bothwell Castle, 6 Tralee.
• Juvenile - 1 Dollar Academy; 2 George Watson's College (also best drums), 3 George Heriot's School, 4 Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia, 5 Preston Lodge High School, 6 West Lothian Schools
• Grade 4A - 1 Marlacoo & District, 2 Cullybackey, 3 Cleland Memorial (also best drums), 4 Ullapool & District, 5 St Patrick’s Bandon, 6 Major Sinclair Memorial.
• Grade 4B - 1 Royal Burgh of Stirling (also best drums), 2 Portavogie, 3 Mid Argyll, 4 Gilnahirk, 5 McDonald Memorial, 6 Carnoustie & District.
• Novice - 1 Stirling & District, 2 Oban High,3 George Watson’s College, 4 George Heriot’s School, 5 Ulster-Scots Agency (also best drums), 6 Kelty & Blairadam.
DRUM MAJORS
• Adult - 1 Paula Braiden (Cullybackey), 2 Lauren Hanna (Drumlough), 3 Andrea McKeown Gibson (Battlehill), 4 David Brownlee (Derryclavin), 5 Brian Wilson (Lomond & Clyde), 6 Alicia Dickson-Hamilton (Matt Boyd Memorial).
• Juvenile - 1 Lauren Abraham (Ballybriest), 2 Emma Barr (PSNI), 3 Caitlin Graham (Upper Crossgare), 4 James Kennedy (Whitewater), 5 Gemma McDowell (Tullylagan), 6 Joanne Graham (William Kerr Memorial).
• Junior - 1 Beth Preston (Bessbrook Crimson Arrow), 2 Lana Gibson (Major Sinclair), 3 Rachel Lowry (Armaghbreague), 4 Kathryn McKeown (Battlehill), 5 Kathy Hunter (Manorcunningham), 6 Jason Nicholl (Tullylagan).
