Pipe Sergeant Kevin McDermott told us, “We travelled on Thursday, February 4 and returned on Tuesday February 9.  “The Friday was a free day so we took advantage of seeing some of the local places of interest, like German Corner in Koblenz where the Mosel meets the Rhine, others visited some of the local villages and of course we sampled some of the local beer.

“We would usually attend the mayor’s reception in the Town hall on the Saturday. However, unfortunately due to a death of one of the mayor’s staff, this event was cancelled so the band decided to walk to one of the villages close by to watch one of the carnivals.“On the Sunday, we played in a carnival parade in a neighbouring village, Kaltenengers. The parades are a fantastic display of floats and carnival costumes with adults and children all taking part. At the end of the parade the band enjoyed the carnival ball.

On the Monday, we were booked to play in a parade in a small village, Kleinmaischeid, high up on the hills. The weather forecast for that day was very poor with many of the larger parades in Koblenz and Andernach cancelled. We were prepared with waterproofs but the sun decided to shine on the band and it proved to be a fantastic carnival. Again we attended and played at the carnival ball.

“On the Monday evening we enjoyed a meal with our host families.” The band has a strong bond with their friends in Germany which members hope will continue for many years to come and they are already looking forward to next year’s carnival.