Getting drummers is also another problem for the lodges and sometimes it is left to a few enthusiasts in the number to look after the drums for the day. Most of the Co. Armagh drums, as elsewhere in the Province. Some in centres from Co. Armagh to South Derry and South Antrim. The weather is a factor in getting the best out of a drum and a summer heatwave was considered to be ideal. The warmer and drier it is the sweeter the tune.
Wet weather spoils a good drum.
There are no tunes as such in a Lambeg drum but each drummer has his own distinct rhythm and roll. The drumming matches are organised by three different associations, the largest operating from Glenavy and carrying a Province-wide membership. The other two are in Mid-Ulster and in the Tandragee area. In addition to cups the prizes at drumming matches can include cash incentives for the winner. But in most of the provincial centres, notably Co. Armagh, you will, even if the drums are fewer in number than they were in the halcyon days of the fifer.