Drum Major's Mace, North Irish Band

Drum Major's Mace, North Irish Band

A Mace carried by the Drum Major of the North Irish Band, the band which supported the Territorial Battalions of the North Irish Brigade and The Royal Irish Rangers. The Cap Badge fixed on the Mace is that of The Royal Irish Rangers.

Music has long played an important part in military life. At its most fundamental, and in the days before radios and other more efficient means of communication, musicians were employed to coordinate the movement of formed bodies of men across a battlefield. Drummers kept a marching contingent in step to a particular beat, which in turn allowed for carefully choreographed and uniform movement of the formed body into battle formations. The Drum Major in a band is ultimately responsible for ensuring a set rhythm is maintained. He or she will also coordinate the movement of a band and the conclusion of a piece of music using the Mace as a tool for signalling.