Month: September 2014

Gairloch Iain Dall Young Pipers Festival

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The prestigious Ishbel McAskill Memorial Prize for an Original Composition, Open to all Under 18 Pipers, was awarded to eleven year-old Archie MacLean from Edinbane at The Iain Dall Young Pipers Festival in Gairloch on Saturday 27th September. At the conclusion of a most successful event which saw a record number of entries from the Highlands and Islands, the judge, Major Bruce Hitchings, co-opted well-known piper Duncan MacGillivray to assess,…

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Dougie Ferguson

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Dougie Ferguson, a noted piper and competitor in the 1960s and 70s, has died peacefully in Argyll & Bute Hospital, Lochgilphead. Excelling in light music, Dougie was the winner of the Former Winners MSR at the Argyllshire Gathering plus many other awards. He was a pupil of P/M Donald MacLeod and a regular visitor to Grainger and Campbell’s shop in Argyll Street. It was there he met well-known Canadian piper…

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Argyllshire Gathering – the 2014 Gold Medal

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An Engrossing Day of Ceol Mor at Oban 2014 By Robert Wallace Argyllshire Gathering, August 27th and 28th, 2014. Those of us honoured with being asked to judge at the Argyllshire Gathering  meet the evening beforehand to receive our instructions from Piping Steward Jamie Mellor and his Assistant Torquil Telfer.  It is always a convivial gathering with a distinct air of expectation for the morrow and the main…read more…

Comments on Piping Live Performances

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One of the most fearless commentators on piping is Bill ‘Robbie’ Robertson (right), formerly a Pipe Major in The Royal Scots and now domiciled in New Zealand.  Bill has his own teaching website with some very good tutorials on piping. Here’s his report on some recitals streamed live from the National Piping Centre during this summer’s Piping Live festival: ‘I listened to the recitals in sections mostly. The following includes…

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Disturbing Comments on Band in National Press

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By Robert Wallace The Daily Telegraph, one of the UK’s most influential newspapers, has brutalised the bagpipe in its coverage of the opening ceremony for the Ryder Cup. Their report mentions the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, one of the top dozen or so bands in the world. Here is what the Telegraph wrote: ‘The bagpipes sweepstake was closed after under five minutes. That was how long it took for the…

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