WAKE FOREST, N.C. — St. Patrick’s Day has been observed by the Irish for over 1,000 years. It started as a religious holiday, and there’s a lot of history to it, including the traditional bagpipe music.

An Gorta Mor Memorial Pipes and Drums was formed about two years ago

The band’s name is Gaelic for the Great Hunger and pays tribute to the Great Potato Famine that began in 1845

The group also collects nonperishable food items and donates a portion of its earnings to food ministries

The band is always looking for more people to join regardless of experience or heritage

An Gorta Mor Memorial Pipes and Drums was formed about two years ago. The group now has 18 members, and the band marched in its first St. Patrick’s Day parade in Raleigh this year. Beyond playing music associated with Ireland, they hope to remember those who fled the country during the Great Potato Famine, which began in 1845.

“It does take some physical effort to play the bagpipes, depending on how often and how long you play. Each of these pipers have a different ability to play for a long period of time,” said Dennis O’Brien, the president of An Gorta Mor Memorial Pipes and Drums.

On Wednesday nights, you can find members of the band rehearsing together.

“It's community. It's wonderful to get together with a bunch of folks on a regular basis and do something you love. We also have music and you get to create and play fantastic music. The bagpipe is capable of so much more than just the marches you hear us play down the street,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien helped start the band.

“I play both the pipes and the drums. In this band I play the lead snare,” O’Brien said.

When thinking of what to name the group, he landed on a Gaelic phrase.

“An Gorta Mor, the Great Hunger, we’re memorializing and trying to remember the million people that died and the two million people that were forced to leave Ireland during that period of their history,” O’Brien said.“An Gorta Mor, the Great Hunger, we’re memorializing and trying to remember the million people that died and the two million people that were forced to leave Ireland during that period of their history,” O’Brien said.

The group’s mission as a nonprofit is closely tied to that history.

“In lieu of dues, everyone tries to bring a nonperishable food item to practice. We collect that and donate that monthly to a local food pantry. As well as we’re donating a percentage of our income to local food ministries,” O’Brien said.

The kilt the members wear also pays homage to Ireland’s past.

“This is the Irish Diaspora Tartan, the kilt that we wear. The national color is blue, believe it or not. Obviously we love green and the Irish tri-color, the national flag runs through it. It represents the people from Ireland who were forced to emigrate over the years,” O’Brien said.

You don’t have to be Irish to join the band, but for those who are, that connection to their heritage makes it even more meaningful.

“Playing the bagpipes and playing that traditional music, that music you may have grown up listening to on the radio with your grandparents on an old phonograph. For me it's just a love of this music and the ability to bring people together and create something wonderful. On top of that, to have a mission to actually help the community, it's a win-win-win,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien says learning to play the bagpipes is not as hard as people may think and you learn on an instrument that almost looks like a recorder.

An Gorta Mor is always looking for more people to join regardless of experience or heritage.