Reminder: Andrew Hall, President of the Scottish Piping Society of London, has asked us to remind everyone that entries for this year’s competition close on September 30th and that late entries will not be accepted. The draw for the competition will be announced early next month.
Andrew added: ‘We are particularly keen to encourage more juvenile entries. There are three events in that grade which are all own choice tunes. The young pipers will have the opportunity to compete in the main rooms alongside the Premier Grade so it’s a great opportunity for them to show what they can do.’
Click here to for London entry. The contest will be held in the Kensington Conference Centre on November 5. Entry is by email or post (details via the above link). Entries will NOT be accepted via the SPSL website which is undergoing technical work. The entry for senior events is £40 (covers all events). Junior entry is free.
Following the weekend meeting of their Music Board the RSPBA has announced the following re-gradings which have been approved by the Association’s Board of Directors:
Upgrades
Nov. B to Nov. A: Lochgelly High School/ 1st Troon BB/ Kintyre Schools
Nov. A to Juv.: Dollar Academy/ North Lanarkshire Schools
Grade 4B to 4A: Johnstone/ Clontibret (Eire)/ St Marys, Derrytrasna
Grade 4A to 3B: Ullapool/ Lanark/ Burntisland/ Cleland/ Portavogie
Grade 3B to 3A: 2622 (Highland) RAF/ Wallacestone/ Prestonpans RBL/Matt Boyd/ Marlacoo/ Perth Metro (Aus.)/ St Joseph’s (Eire)
Grade 3A to 2: Aughintober/ Worcester Kilties (USA)/ Colmcille
Grade 2 to 1: PSNI P&D/ Johnstone/ Buchan Peterson
Downgrades
Grade 3B to 4A: Milngavie/ Fraserburgh RBL/ Troon Blackrock/ St Patrick’s Bandon – Eire
Grade 3A to 3B: Annan
Grade 2 to 3A: Stirling
All Ireland Solo Piping, Drumming & Tenor Drumming Championships and Northern Ireland Novice Solo Championships, Lisnagarvey High School, Lisburn, Saturday 17th September.
Our main picture is courtesy John Kelly. It is of Ross Hume (Field Marshal Montgomery) pictured receiving the All Ireland Senior Solo Piping Champion trophy from Councillor Brian Bloomfield MBE (left, Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council) and Winston Pinkerton (President of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, Northern Ireland Branch). The piobaireachd result is not included in the overall champion’s assessment.
Juvenile U14 Piping Adjudicator: David Middleton
1 Cian Flanagan (New Ross and District)
2 Nathan Coburn (Portavogie)
3 Brady Annett (Major Sinclair Memorial)
Juvenile U16 Piping
Adjudicator: Chris Armstrong
1 Tim Wharton (Joseph Forde Memorial)
2 Medal Beth Preston (Bessbrook Crimson Arrow)
3 Medal Samantha Coburn (Thiepval Memorial)
Junior B Piping
Adjudicator: Ken Stewart
1 Jake Walker (Police Service of Northern Ireland)
2 Ryan Cupples-Menendez (Police Service of Northern Ireland)
3 Gillian Harford (St. Maur’s)
Junior A Piping
Adjudicator: Chris Armstrong
1 John McElmurry (Matt Boyd Memorial)
2 Cameron Hume (Closkelt)
3 Scott McKay (Scottish Power)
Intermediate Piping
Adjudicator: Ken Stewart
1 James Frazer (Field Marshal Montgomery)
2 Sean Moloney (Closkelt)
3 Clive McFarland (St. Laurence O’Toole)
Senior Piping MSR
Adjudicator: Chris Armstrong and Ken Stewart
1 Ross Hume (Field Marshal Montgomery)
2 Ashley McMichael (Field Marshal Montgomery)
3 Kris Coyle (Field Marshal Montgomery)
Senior Piobaireachd
Adjudicator: William Morrison
Piobaireachd B
1 Con Houlihan (Cullen*)
2 Craig Davidson (Bleary and District)
3 Beth Preston (Bessbrook Crimson Arrow)
Piobaireachd A
Adjudicator: William Morrison
1 Kris Coyle (Field Marshal Montgomery)
2 Alan Ferguson (Matt Boyd Memorial)
3 John McElmurry (Matt Boyd Memorial)
Drumming Results
Juvenile U14 Drumming
Adjudicator: Brendan Megoran
1 Conor Lawlor (New Ross and District)
2 Daniel Mulcahy (Carrigaline)
3 Lee Montgomery (Tamlaght O’Crilly)
Juvenile U16 Drumming
Adjudicator: Stephen McWhirter
1 Fiona Murphy (New Ross and District)
2 Daniel Lynn (Cullybackey*)
3 Kevin O Brien (St. Colmcille’s Tullamore)
Junior B Drumming
Adjudicator: Ciaran Mordaunt
1 Adam McCollum (Aughintober)
2 Christopher Hasson (Colmcille)
3 Richard Black (Syerla)
Best Junior Female
Cathy Callaghan (Cullybackey)
Junior A Drumming
Adjudicator: Stephen McWhirter
1 Matthew Wenlock (Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia)
2 Glen Creighton (St. Laurence O’Toole)
3 Ryan Martin (Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia)
Intermediate Drumming
Adjudicator: Stephen McWhirter
1 John Henderson (Inveraray & District)
2 Craig Lawrie (Lomond and Clyde)
3 Dean Smyth (Field Marshal Montgomery
Senior Drumming
Adjudicator: Stephen McWhirter and Ciaran Mordaunt
1 William Glenholmes (Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia)
2 Grant Cassidy (St. Laurence O’Toole)
3 Stephen Creighton (St. Laurence O’Toole)
Tenor Drumming Results
Grade 4B
Adjudicator: Stephen McQuillen
1 Christin McWilliams (Harry Ferguson Memorial)
2 Sarah Kerr (Major Sinclair Memorial*)
Grade 4A
Adjudicator: Stephen McQuillen
1 Jodie Haliday (Cleland Memorial)
2 Sophie Hetherington (Cleland Memorial)
3 Ewan Glenny (Whitewater)
Grade 3
Adjudicator: Stephen McQuillen
1 Rachael McCullough (Aughintober)
2 Katie McElmurry (Matt Boyd Memorial)
3 Grace McIvor (Aughintober)
Grade 1 & 2
Adjudicator: Stephen McQuillen
1 Jordan Bailie (Inveraray & District)
2 Danielle Hamilton (Inveraray & District)
3 Jenni Clark (Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia)
Novice Piping
Adjudicator: David Middleton
1 Darragh Doyle (Gorey)
2 Jonathan Gibson (Portavogie)
3 Adam Brimage (Matt Boyd Memorial)
4 Luke Kirkpatrick (Bellaghy)
Practice Chanter
Adjudicator: David Middleton
1 Hannah Wilson (Bellaghy)
Advanced Practice Chanter
Adjudicator: David Middleton
1 Rebecca Robinson (Cullybackey*)
2 Katie McCullough (Altnaveigh Memorial)
3 Andrew Pollock (Altnaveigh Memorial)
4 Lauren Boyce (McDonald Memorial)
5 Emma Boyd (Ulster-Scots Agency Juvenile)
Novice Snare
Adjudicator: Brendan Megoran
1 Ben Jenkins (Major Sinclair Memorial*)
2 Adam Gates R.S.P.B.A.
3 Alex Hamill (Broughshane & District)
4 Jonathan Brimage (Ulster-Scots Agency Juvenile)
5 Sam Strain (Joseph Forde Memorial)
It was heartwarming to see the number of competitors in both the Piobaireachd and Light Music disciplines at the All Ireland solos this year. In particular, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this, I would like to mention a word of thanks to my instructor and friend Pipe Major Norman Dodds MBE who tutored no less than fifteen of the pipers who competed over the various events. Some of Normans previous students like Robert Watt and Alastair Dunn went on to do wonderful things, and it was nice to see that many years later Norman is continuing to point lots of bright young students in the right direction over both the Piobaireachd and Light Music disciplines. Clive McFarland.