Athlone Ravens to make history at European Championships

The Athlone Ravens Marching Band is set to make history this year by becoming the first junior Irish marching band ever to compete at the Drum Corps European Championships in Holland. The Ravens are two-time All-Ireland champions and the impressive standard of the band's U2-inspired show in 2010 enabled it to qualify for the European Championships which take place on September 24 next. The local group is now looking forward to flying the flag for Athlone and Ireland at the big event. It's expected to be the highlight of a momentous 2011 for the group, which will also perform at upcoming St Patrick's Day festivities as well as at this summer's Rose of Tralee festival. The Athlone Ravens Marching Band has gone from strength to strength since its foundation in 2008. It now consists of 44 members, aged between six and sixteen. After winning two consecutive All Ireland titles, the Ravens will this year compete for three in a row, and for European success, with a Queen-inspired 'We Will Rock You' production. The founder and manager of the band, Colm Bolger, stated that he was immensely proud of the band members' efforts to date. “The Ravens come from all parts of Athlone, including The Batteries, Monksland, Iona Park and Brawney, to name just a few. I am very proud of all of these children for the dedication and hard work that they put in during each and every practice session. It's a fantastic sight to see how they have grown,†he said. The Drum Corps European Marching Band Championships will be held in Parkstad Limburg Stadion, Kerkrade, Holland. The costs associated with Athlone group's participation in the event are in the region of €20,000. As a result, a number of fundraising events are to take place over the coming months. Supermarket bag packing, quiz nights, and sponsored participation in this summer's triAthlone are among the fundraising initiatives planned. “I would like to ask the community of Athlone and surrounding areas to try and support the Ravens in this historic event,†said Colm. “Any donations and support would be greatly appreciated.†Donations can be made to the Ravens' travel account. The account's sort code is 932264. The account number is 25659231. For further information, contact Colm at: colm.athloneravens@gmail.com