Ima be so for real: I had absolutely no idea why there were suddenly this many firefighters in kilts walking around downtown Colorado Springs.
I was sitting at Jack Quinn’s eating a spice bag — and by “eating” I mean absolutely inhaling it until I legitimately choked a little — when Tejon Street started filling up with bagpipes, drums, kilts and firefighters.
Apparently everybody else knew exactly what was happening.
Me? Not a clue.
But I was not mad about it.
Turns Out, There Is a Very Good Reason for All the Kilts
This weekend is the International Association of Fire Fighters Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, which happens every September here in Colorado Springs.
The 2026 memorial is the 40th annual observance, and the IAFF says 288 fallen members are being honored this year. The official memorial ceremony is Saturday, September 19 at 10 a.m. at the memorial in Colorado Springs.
And the wall of pipes and drums I was hearing downtown? That is very much part of it.
The official IAFF agenda lists the Massed Pipes & Drums Band Parade at 8 p.m. Friday, starting at 21 S. Tejon Street.
Which is Jack Quinn’s.
So there I was wondering why an Irish pub had somehow become ground zero for all of this while unknowingly sitting at the actual starting point.
Honestly, this is a very normal way for me to learn things about Colorado Springs.
Okay, But Why Do Firefighters Wear Kilts?
This sent me down a rabbit hole because I genuinely did not know.
According to the IAFF’s history of its Pipe & Drum Band and Honor Guard, bagpipes became tied to American fire service funerals through Irish immigrant communities in the 1800s. Many Irish immigrants worked dangerous jobs including firefighting and policing, and traditional Celtic funeral customs included bagpipes.
Over time, that tradition spread throughout the fire service.
And the reason you usually hear Scottish Highland pipes now instead of traditional Irish uilleann pipes is wonderfully practical: the Highland pipes are louder.
The kilts and pipe-and-drum uniforms are part of that Celtic memorial tradition, so what looked to me like a completely unexplained amount of plaid on Tejon Street is actually connected to a long history of firefighters honoring their own.
Which makes the whole thing hit differently once you know what you’re looking at.
And Jack Quinn’s Makes Perfect Sense Now
Jack Quinn’s is at 21 S. Tejon Street, the exact address the IAFF gives for the parade start.
So yes: the Irish pub, the bagpipes, the kilts, the firefighters and the memorial weekend are all colliding on the same downtown block.
If you are downtown this weekend and hear bagpipes before you see where they are coming from, now you know why.
And if you go to Jack Quinn’s, get the spice bag.
Just maybe chew yours more carefully than I did.
