The Force

13/06/2026

It was a pleasure to be asked to bring our team to our local town for Dunamoney’s annual parade. We had 2 of the local Elite and local Minis and performed 4 sets in two different locations, and had Craig our Piper and the wonderful Kilted Dance Company completing our set, with a few 6/8 and 4 dances.. 😁
After the fireworks display our team were invited to lead Dunamoney to finish the parade route!
What a great group, and thoroughly enjoyable evening! 🎶💕🙌🤩

10/06/2026

The nineth 100 club winner has been drawn…
And the lucky winner of £500 is……
🥳💷 P I P P A M O N A H A N 🥳💷
Lucky Number 42!

Next draw is on 10th July for another chance to win £500!

If you haven’t yet got a number then please give one of the team a shout or message us directly before the next draw! 💷

10/06/2026

08/06/2026

This Friday, we are delighted again to be local… right in the heart of Magherafelt. 🎶🙌
We are thrilled to have been asked to provide the pre parade entertainment in the form of several Drum Major Displays in various locations in the town. Alongside us we are delighted to have the Kilted Dance Company with us again for another little collaboration 💕🌟

07/06/2026

📣 O P P O R T U N I T Y 📣
International events in the pipeline!
Anyone that hasn’t yet joined the database or are on it please PM for information. 📣
www.theforce.events/contact/

06/06/2026

This is what’s important 👌
Workshops that have a perfect ending!
The thistle - choregraphed - practiced - perfected!
What a great team of pupils and teachers!

04/06/2026

✨ Meet The Force ✨

We've refreshed our team pages, and for the first time you can meet every permanent member of the team behind The Force: our Elite Drum Majors, our rising Minis, our Lead Dancer, and some of our Pipers & Drummers who give The Force its sound.

🥁 THE ELITE
Six-time World Champion Paula Braiden leads a roster of highly skilled and decorated Drum Majors in the world — Kathy Hunter, Abigail Wenlock, Louise Smiton, Lydia Todd, Liam Renton, Kara Gilmour, Emily Crooks, Ben Dickson, and Steven Gilchrist.
👉 https://theforce.events/meet-the-team/

⭐ THE MINIS
The next generation are rising through and gaining valuable experience on world stages — Amelia, Bobby, Pyper, Gracie and Grace.
👉 https://theforce.events/meet-the-team-minis/

💃 THE LEAD DANCER
Thea Kinley — our 2024 Loughbrickland Highland Dance Champion and member of Kathryn Stewart's Highland Dancers and Display Team — leads the dance line for The Force.
👉 https://theforce.events/meet-the-team-dancers/

🎶 THE MUSICIANS
Championship-winning pipers and drummers — Craig Monahan, Grahame Harris, Matthew Wilson, Jason Todd, Hannah Todd and Oliver McIlwaine. Between them they've performed at Moscow, St Gallen, Avenches and the White House, and hold World, European, British, All-Ireland and Ulster titles.
👉 https://theforce.events/meet-the-team-pipers-drummers/

A world-class display team — forged in Northern Ireland.

Applications open for all positions within the team — Drum Majors, Dancers, Pipers & Drummers — all welcome from any band, class or group 🎶
https://theforce.events/contact/

Book The Force for your next event below. BOOK THE FORCE Want to REPRESENT The Force? If you would like to be considered for an opportunity and represent The Force, please register your details on …

02/06/2026

🏆 WELCOME TO THE ELITE TEAM — LIAM RENTON 🏆

We are delighted to announce that Liam Renton has officially joined The Force Elite Team.

Born and raised in Campbeltown, Scotland, Liam is a multi-title winning champion and a Drum Major since 2003, with an extraordinary record across more than two decades of competition at the highest level.

A word from Senior Drum Major Paula Braiden:
"It gives me enormous pride to welcome Liam formally into The Force. He has been part of our world in one way or another for some time now, and bringing him into the Elite Team officially feels like the most natural next step.

Liam comes from real pedigree — a multi-title winning champion whose record speaks for itself. But for me, the real plus is his showmanship and his ability to perform in front of thousands at the world's biggest international arenas. That presence, experience and ability to command a crowd, is something that comes naturally to him — and it's exactly what The Force is built on.

The Force has always been about more than just titles, especially as we operate far away from the competition scene. It is about character, mentorship, and lifting one another up. Liam embodies all of that, and I know our younger members will be all the better for having him alongside them.

Welcome to the team, Liam. We're proud to have you with us."
— Senior Drum Major Paula Braiden

In Liam's own words:
"I'm very happy to be involved with The Force. I was impressed with the organisation, setup and warm welcome from day one. I've been involved now in some capacity for around a year, so why not make it official!

Hopefully I can pass on some of my experience to the younger guys, as Paula has done with myself and others in the past. Looking forward to what the future holds and the new opportunities that will come working with this talented bunch!"
— Liam Renton, Elite Drum Major

Read Liam's full profile 👉 https://theforce.events/meet-the-team-liam/

– Liam Renton, Elite Drum Major The current 2025 United Kingdom Champion and a three time British Champion. Born and raised in Campbeltown, Scotland. Liam has won multiple Major Championship …

01/06/2026

📸 New photos. Growing Team.

We took the entire team — Elite, Minis, Dancers, Pipers & Drummers — to Northern Ireland's most iconic landmark, the Giant's Causeway, for our latest shoot. Forty million years of basalt, the Causeway Coast at its dramatic best, and The Force right in the middle of it.

There's a reason we chose this location. The Giant's Causeway is unmistakably, unapologetically iconic — and that's exactly what we're working towards on the International Military Tattoo and Events scene.

From the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo and NYC Tartan Week in 2025, to this September's Musikfest der Bundeswehr in Germany — every appearance is another step toward making The Force a name international audiences recognise the moment they see it.

The new galleries are live — have a look:

The Elite → www.theforce.events/drum-majors-the-elite
The Minis → www.theforce.events/the-force-minis
The Dancers → www.theforce.events/the-force-dancers
The Pipers & Drummers → www.theforce.events/the-force-pipers-drummers

Drop your favourites in the comments 👇

📸 Photography: Gillian Murphy Photography