History of the Nassau County Firefighters Pipes & Drums
Nassau County is located on Long Island, NY and is comprised of nine battalions made up of seventy-two fire departments. All of the departments consist of highly trained volunteers with a few departments having some paid membership.
In July of 1985 members of the Lynbrook, NY Fire Department decided that a county-wide Emerald Society was long overdue. They held a membership drive at the Nassau County Parade and Drill, held in Levittown, NY and the society was established.
Firefighter Paul Newman of the Levittown Fire Department, also a piper with the world renowned New York City Police Department Pipes & Drums, was charged with forming a pipe band. He would become the bands first Pipe Major. In October of 1985 the first meeting was held at Levittown Fire Department headquarters. The band was originally known as "Fir Na Tine" which means "men of fire" in Gaelic. Fir Na Tine made it's official debut in 1989 at the dedication of the Fallen Firefighter's Memorial in Eisenhower Park, East Meadow, NY.
The band performed at such events as the Garden City, NY and the New York City St. Patrick's Day parades as well as the ceremony honoring the heroes of the Avianca plane crash. Alas, the band did not last and played together in 1994 for the last time.
New blood was infused in 1996 and the band was reborn. Tony Egan of the Long Beach Fire Department led the charge and would later become the band's first President. The new members had to learn from scratch as only two of the original band members returned. Renamed the Nassau County Firefighter's Emerald Society Pipes & Drums, and keeping the name Fir Na Tine proudly displayed on the band patch, today's band membership is 50% volunteer firefighters and the rest is family and friends of the volunteer fire service. The band is a "democratic musical society, representing the Nassau County Firefighter's Emerald Society and founded for the sharing of Irish culture and music."
In 2003, the association with the Emerald Society was formally dissolved and the band reformed as the Nassau County Firefighter's Pipes & Drums.
The band has been on the street again since 1998 and has accomplished a lot in a short time. The band performed in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Indianapolis, Indiana in 2000. Since 2001 the band has performed every year in the Savannah, Georgia St. Patrick's Day Parade.
The band plays at fire memorials throughout Long Island and performs at any line-of-duty death of a Nassau County Firefighter. The band is very active during the summer months playing many fire department parades in Nassau County. .
Pipe Majors
Paul Newman 1989 - 1990
Frank Larkin 1991 - 1992
Kevin McGillicuddy 1993
Bobby Hughes 1994
Ed Murphy 1998 - 1999
Bobby Hughes 2000 - Present
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