Bagad Kevrenn Alré of Auray.

Kevrenn Alré of Auray in Brittany’s Morbihan district, won the first round of this year’s annual bagad championships held yesterday in Brest, Brittany.

The result was: 1. Kevrenn Alré, Auray; 2. Ronsedmor, Locoal-Mendon; 3. Bagad Cap Caval; 4. Bagad Kemper, Quimper; 5. Bagad Vannes, Melinerion; 6. Bagad Ar Meilhoù Glaz, Quimper. Bagad Kemper took the drumming.

The second round takes place in August at the annual Lorient Interceltic Festival. The winning bagad will be crowned the Champion of Brittany.

Bagad ‘Scotland’. The Breton Championships is not an RSPBA competition and some Scottish pipers took part in today’s competition including Craig Munro, Paul Walker, Graham Stewart, Cammy Ritchie, Gary Nimmo, Greig Canning, Scott Wallace, Ross Millar, John Elliot and Steven Dewar.

Each year of the competition highlights a different part of Breton musical heritage in this first round. This year, the musical inspiration was from Vannetais in central Brittany, an area where the people originally spoke a language called Gallo rather than Breton. Each bagad presented an original suite of between nine-11 minutes in duration.

The bagadoù that competed yesterday were:

From Morbihan – Kerlenn Pondi, Pontivy; Kevrenn Alré, Auray; Bagad Vannes, Melinerion, Vannes; Bagad Roñsed Mor, Locoal-Mendon; Sonerien An Oriant, Lorient.

From Finistère – Bagad Cap Caval, Ploemeur; Bagad Kemper, Quimper; Bagad Brieg, Briec; Bagad Ar Meilhoù Glaz, Quimper Moulin Vert; Bagad Plougastell, Plougastel-Daoulas; Bagad Beuzeg ar C’hab, Beuzec Cap Sizun; Bagad Bro Konk Kerne, Country de Concarneau; Bagad Bro Kemperle, Pays de Quimperlé.

From Ille et Vilaine – Bagad Cesson Sévigné, Cesson-Sévigné.

From Côtes d’Armor – Bagad Boulvriag, Bourbriac; Bagad Sonerien Bro Dreger, Perros Guirec.