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, with him, the four tunes presented. After hearing them played by the composers, he commended them all before announcing “We are both unanimous that the winner is The Dragon’s Apprentice by Archie MacLean.”
Congratulating all who participated in the competitions, he complimented them on the exceptionally high standard although, he had to admit, ‘It makes it very difficult to decide on the winners” and he wished there were prizes enough for all. ‘I often teach and judge competitions abroad, where so many young pipers are, technically, almost perfect however, he stressed, even more important is that pipers have the confidence to ‘feel’ the music they play. It was, he emphasised, their understanding of the tunes, the sheer musicality of the young the Gairloch pipers he had just heard, which so distinguished their playing and was a great credit to them and to their tutors – several of whom accompanied their pupils. Parents, casual visitors, local residents, provided an appreciatively knowledgeable audience, once again finding the lofty auditorium of Gairloch High School an acoustically ideal indoor piping venue.
Awards
Flowerdale Cup (Donated by John Mackenzie of Gairloch) Eὸin Cumming (Laide)
Iain Dall Chanter for Piobaireachd U15 (Donated by Clan Mackenzie Society of Scotland & The UK) Eὸghainn Peutan (Kilmuir)
Iain Dall Quaich for Piobaireachd U 18 (Donated by North Highland Connections) Cameron MacDougall (Nigg)
£150 John Burgess Bursary (U15) Eὸghainn Peutan (Kilmuir)
£150 John Burgess Bursary (U 18) Cameron MacDougall (Nigg)
£100 Ishbel McAskill Memorial Prize (Open) Original Composition Archie MacLean (Edinbane)
Results
1 Primary Chanter GOLD Calum Macleod (Dingwall); SILVER Andrew Martin (Portree) BRONZE Ruaraidh Drennan (Drumnadrochit)
2 Secondary Chanter GOLD James Heaney; SILVER Calum Copland (Laide); BRONZE Calum MacDonald (Poolewe)
3 Novice GOLD Eὸin Cumming(Laide); SILVER Euan McRae; BRONZE Liam Forbes (Mellon Charles)
4 March, Strathpey & Reel GOLD Eὸghainn Peutan (Kilmuir); SILVER John A. McLaren (Invergordon) BRONZE Ruairidh Buxton.
5 Piobaireachd GOLD Eὸghainn Peutan (Kilmuir); SILVER Dougal McKiggan (Portree); BRONZE John A. McLaren (Invergordon)
6 March, Strathpey & Reel U 18 GOLD Cameron MacDougall (Nigg); SILVER Connor Kellett (Kyle of Lochalsh); BRONZE, Frieda McKiggan (Portree)
7 Piobaireachd U 18 GOLD Cameron MacDougall (Nigg); SILVER Connor Kellett (Kyle of Lochalsh; BRONZE Frieda McKiggan (Portree)
8 Ishbel McAskill Memorial Prize (Open) For an Original Composition: The Dragon’s Apprentice by Archie MacLean (Edinbane)
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