3rd Cornet - Denis O'Gara

Denis started his Brass Band career by learning Euphonium under Father Michael "Jock" McGovern at Thornleigh Salesian College, Bolton in 1975. Jock was an inspirational teacher who put great passion into running the school band, choir and orchestra, producing many of the musicians still playing in brass bands in the North West today and leaving Denis with many happy memories of his school banding days. Following a tip off from a friend that there may be a vacancy in a 'real' local brass band Denis went along to an Eagley Band rehearsal in 1980 to see what players did once they left the school band. In that first rehearsal the band played Torch of Freedom by Eric Ball and Beethoven's Egmont Overture in preparation for something called a contest and Denis was hooked especially as the band played in a working mans club where he was allowed to drink Mild and for only 40p a pint!.
Whilst at Eagley from 1980-1986 music making changed from being just another school activity to a real passion.  Highlights included playing at the 3rd section National Finals in London, playing in the  'largest brass band' conducted by Harry Mortimer in Burnden Park, getting the prize for best Euphonium playing Vinter's 'Entertainments' as well as wonderful times playing christmas carols on the traditional route around the streets in Eagley on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day - he could drink as much sherry as he wanted with his mince pies until he got his driving license!.  Denis kept up banding at Eagley  whilst Studying Civil Engineering at Sheffield University as well as having a brief spell with Stannington Band but following graduation Denis embarked on a spell of globetrotting and dropped out of banding for a while.  These  wilderness years were spent playing tin whistle and making a close approximation to singing in an irish folk band touring the UK and europe and wandering around various exotic countries  until he landed in the small town of Hobart in Tasmania in 1990. There he discovered that there were brass bands outside England and joined three local bands on euphonium playing as much as possible and spending time with some wonderful musicians until his visa ran out.  Squeezing in some playing with a band in Auckland in New Zealand he then returned to the UK  and decided that he was sick of looking enviously at the small light cases of the cornet players and so took up the cornet.  As he moved around the Midlands area in his Civil Engineering Career he played with Stage Coach East Midlands band in Dronsfield, Derwent Brass in Derby and finally settled with  Snibston and Desford in Coalville for a number of years of great banding in the championship section.  Snibston and Desford were featured in the real life TV documentary Brass Tacks and Denis had a star role playing Bass Drum at Blackpool Mineworkers Contest. Coming fourth in the Area contest playing Philip Sparke's 'Partita' was a great moment and Denis also got to fulfil his ambition to play in the whit friday marches during this period. It was a privilege to play with some of the great players who passed through the band at that time. Denis relocated to the Northwest in 2000 for work reasons and another spell in the wilderness followed. For no particular reason he decided that 2010 was the year that he was going to do something about his recurring new years resolution to 'join a band again' .  He was encouraged by Wendy (who had decided that she wanted to leave Hobart and come to England to play euphonium with Denis even though he was now a cornet player) and both joined Flixton in July 2010 and are enjoying getting back into playing again.