PP Editor’s Blog: Weekend Contests/ Lorient/ Breton CD/ Piobaireachd Letter

Shotts band contest today and Markinch tomorrow. Weather forecast good for both. Results for the first on the RSPBA website and the second here as soon as we get them.


lorient-bannerTom Johnstone, Scottish Organiser for the Lorient Festival, has sent these details about this year piping events:
Pipers representing Scotland: Callum Moffat, David Shedden and Fred Morrison.
Scottish Judges: 
Andrew Frater and Bruce Hitchings

The MacCrimmon Trophy, for which contestants play music from Ireland, Brittany and Scotland (three sets of judges from each country/region), is on Sunday 7th August.



Prizemoney for the MacCrimmon Trophy is among the most lucrative in piping: First £1000, second £560, third £320, fourth £240 and so on down the scale with each contestant receiving a minimum of £120.

The Lorient Piobaireachd competition is on Monday 8th August with a ‘Kitchen Piping’ contest on Tuesday 9th August.

Each year Lorient has a nationality based theme and this year is the Year of Australia and New Zealand. Next year the theme is Scotland.

The picture above shows Tom Johnstone flying the flag for Scotland during the annual festival street parade.


dress-article-2-3Still in Brittany, those who enjoy Breton music might like to buy the latest recording involving former Scottish Power piper Sylvain Hamon and bombarde player Steven Bodénès. As with all of these Breton music CDs it is beautifully produced and mastered, the CD cover very artisitically done. Have a listen:

You can buy the album here.


New letter posted today following my critique of the piobaireachd competition at Greenville Games in the US. Read it here.


Look out for the soon to be released DVD of last January’s ‘Live in Ireland’ concert. It was a first class day of pipe band music so the DVD should be well worth having. Check here for more info later.


Reader James Stewart is looking for a copy of the Blue Lagoon jig by Peter MacLeod. Can anyone oblige? I seem to have misplaced mine. The tune featured in a blog a few weeks ago as played by Stuart Liddell when winning the  H&J at Inverness.