credit: Scholastic
This week, both the South Bend Tribune and Fox News saw fit to dive back into the controversy surrounding the fundamental changes wrought upon the Irish Guard last month by the University of Notre Dame. Those articles caused me to re-examine my earlier piece and look for support, for or against, those changes. What I found is that not only do the recently-imposed changes seem contrary to the origins of the Irish Guard as described by contemporaneous sources, it seems like everyone is wrong about the Irish Guard’s birth date.
If you believe the official history, Scully, the Irish Guard “was formed in 1949.” But, if that is in fact so, why does the unidentified author of Irish Pipers Don Kilts, Plaids and Doublets; Hope’s Giants Set for Debut Against Purdue (The Notre Dame Scholastic, vol. 93, no. 7, Oct. 26, 1951, p. 13) write that these predecessors of the Irish Guard had been only “practicing on the chanters (a kind of pipe) since last Spring”? I find it odd that it would take almost two years to develop a group of pipers, and have them start on the complete set of pipes in September of 1951. Further support for a 1951 start date comes courtesy of author Bob Haine, who referred to the Irish Pipers as “recently formed” (Scholastic, vol. 94, no. 10, Dec. 5, 1952, p. 42). Is definitive proof provided by Tim O’Reilly, who wrote in 1957 that “[t]he Irish Guard, which precedes the Marching Band, was founded in 1951”? (Scholastic, vol. 99, no. 10, Dec. 13, 1957, p. 45). Sure seems that way.
credit: Scholastic
By 1953, it appears that the “Kilted Pipers, officially called the Irish Guard, paraded with the band [. . .] carried silver sabres [. . .] [and] did not play their instruments,” at all during the 1953 season, according to Paul Fullmer (The Scholastic, vol. 95, No.11, Dec. 11, 1953, p. 45). This same article contains a description of the Irish Piper’s purpose that can only be taken seriously when read in a serious, Ward Cleaver tone: “[t]hus the purpose of the Fighting Irish Pipers is to stimulate ND’s football warriors on the gridiron.”
The 1954 season-in-review issue excludes the Irish Pipers from an enumeration of instruments that does manage to include “two kettle drums [and] two glockenspiels [. . .].” (The Scholastic, vol. 96, No. 9, Dec. 10, 1954, ,p. 45). The next two season reviews appear bereft of any mention of the Pipers or the band, but the aforementioned 1957 issue describes the Irish Guard as consisting of “eight members dressed in kilts and bearskin hats [. . .].” It seems odd that the author would not mention an instrument as unique as bagpipes. Does this constitute evidence against Dr. Dye’s statement quoted in The Observer that “[we are] going back to where it started, where [Irish Guard members] were musicians in the band. That was continued for a couple of decades and then it strayed from there. It does have musical roots, and we are going back to our roots”?
When The Notre Dame Scholastic first wrote about the Irish Pipers, it described the entrance requirements as follows: applicants “must be freshmen, six feet two inches or over in height. Previous musical training not necessary, but would help somewhat.” Does this sound like “musicians in the band”? It does not to me. If being in the band was a requirement, why wouldn’t the author have said that? In fact, the very notion that an applicant had to come from the band seems undercut by the statement that “previous musical training not necessary.” While I accept that perhaps that was a jibe at bagpipes or that few, if any, in the band had previous experience on the pipes, it seems most likely to me that being a member of the band was not necessary. What was necessary? Being six feet two or over. I think it bears noting here that Max Hastings, the author of Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War, p. 136, points out that the Irish Guards, on whose name our own Irish Guard was modeled (if you believe Wikipedia), “made their own rules of enlistment.” While this may not have served His Majesty’s soldiers very well at Mons, a unique set of admissions criteria has served Our Lady’s Irish Guard pretty well over the decades, while recognizing the abuses and lapses in judgment.
Thus, the narrative that has been put forth regarding the recent changes to the Irish Guard seems without much support. I could find little to none for it in issues of Scholastic dating back to 1951, which I would suggest should be at least reliable sources for developments on campus at the time. I would welcome the input of the band or the ND archivist to set me straight. Until then, though, I am comfortable that everything you know about the start of the Irish Guard and its musical history, is wrong.
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Bayou Irish is a Jersey boy and Double Domer who fell under New Orleans' spell in 1995. He's been through Katrina and fourteen years in the Coast Guard, so we cut him some slack, mostly in the form of HLS-subsidized sazeracs. But, when he's not face down on the bar and communing with the ghosts of Faulkner and Capote at the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone, he's our man in SEC-land, doing his best to convince everyone around him that Graduation Success Rate is a better indicator of success than the number of MNC's won in the last five years.
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A Facebook comment from the South Bend article:
“Harry Paratestes · Top Commenter · No
Nothing about ND surprises me anymore. No doubt they will have a prancing Irish guard soon or maybe a dykes on bikes guard. ND is becoming Berkeley North.
Reply ·
· 1 · 20 hours ago”
I hate people
This will always and forever remain true (and has now extended into people not caring that their Facebook accounts kill anonymity): http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/215499488_8pSZr-L-2.jpg
Interestingly, the 1963 Observer reported that ND tried to, but could not ultimately, form a “dykes on bikes” patrol.
I reccomend, for furthur research and review that you look at the Notre Dame Band Memory Book Vol. 2 which features an interesting perspective from a then president of the band on the formation of the Irish Guard.
So what does it say, please? I’d love to know.
I dont remember it perfectly, but here is what ive got.
In the early 1940s Either 41 or 42 saw a halftime performance by either Iowa or Missouri which featured a group of female pipers and drummers. The school had had to significantly reduce its band size due to WWII. Hope was struck by the idea of this group and thus began the original idea for the Irish Guard.
The band used to march around campus and then into the old fieldhouse. The students would follow the band but before entering the field house they would rush to the front of the band cramming through the doors to get the best seats. The band would be crushed in the process. So in order to prevent this some of the band members (probably the trombone section which entered first) would have their larger friends meet them at the field house and make sure that there was no problem with entering. These were not uniformed students,
Rather they were just big body guards. Before long they would follow the band everywhere making sure that no trouble started. Hope did not mind them because they protected the band, but he saw an opportunity to connect them with an idea he had had 5 or more years ago. He enlisted them as band members to protect the band and as their own section. They were taught how to play bagpipes and indeed some band members joined the ranks. They were their own group that could march with the band and play to give a rest to the chops of the other band members. There was also mention of a tradition now long lost where they would march around the stadium playing their bagpipes
Thanks for posting that. If you read my original article, I embedded a short film about the Guard, and that’s the general narrative, more or less. I just think that it’s clear that the formation didn’t occur until 1951 and that they lost their pipes by 1953. Again, I sort of want to be corrected.
But problems arose after a few years. Hope found the musical ability of his potential guardsmen to be in exact opposite ratio to their height or intimidation abilities. So by the mid-50s they dropped the bagpipes and adopted guard only duties. Thats really all I remember and Im sure I missed some details.
Here is my opinion. The Guard had lost most of its affiliation with the band. They are and always have been a band section, this is a return to their section status more than their musical ability. As for the now “more exclusive nature” that doesnt really make sense to me. Before you had to be 6’2″ now you have to be in the band. Not every student at ND could apply and that remains the case again now. Any student who puts in minimal effort to learn an instrument (preferably something like tuba) can make the band. Hell Johnny Romano was in the band his freshman year.
I am no longer as involved in the band as I once was but I know Dr. Dye very well. This decision is what he believes is best for the band, and as someone who has led the band to prominence in the past decade and a half (see sudler trophy) I put my faith in him that this was not only a necessary decision, but the right one.
A petition to restore the Irish Guard to the way we all knew it before Dr. Dye:
http://www.change.org/petitions/petition-to-restore-the-real-irish-guard-at-notre-dame