Temper your relief at the lifting of CITES restrictions on blackwood pipes. Ivory is still, rightly, a hot topic. Travelling with tusk mounted pipes may still bring grief. Those precious Hendersons worth the customs risks? No; buy an imitation set from one of our advertisers and sleep easy. With the licence fees gone post November 30 these should be cheaper than before.
Journalist and piper Tom Peterkin has been in touch: ‘Hi Rab, I hope you are keeping well. I was pleased to see you used an extract on Piping Press from a piece I wrote about Jock Duncan’s book ‘Jock’s Jocks’.
‘I should say though, it was written for the Press and Journal and not The Scotsman. I moved to the P&J last year from The Scotsman. With Gary West’s help I also did a piece on the book for the P&J magazine ‘Your Life’, which gives a tiny flavour of it. I also mentioned the book in a P&J column which is where the extract on Piping Press comes from.
‘It is a remarkable and moving book. Jock Duncan has done an amazing job recording all these fascinating Great War memories for posterity.’ Buy the book here.
[wds id=”2″]Somewhat belatedly the Scottish Pipers’ Association have sent details of their activities last weekend. President Tom Johnstone is on the case and tells me that Steven Leask won out over Sarah Muir in the latest round of the KO.
This followed the SPA Juvenile contest (which thanks to competitors and their parents we have already reported) and the Veterans. The results of this last were as follows:
1st Logan Tannoch
2nd Anne Lore
3rd equal: George Johnston/ Brian Mulhearn
5th Allan Hamilton
Prize for oldest buffer: Allan Hamilton
Best slow air: Logan Tannoch
Well done to these vets for supporting this contest:
Patrick Byrne in Dublin: I have a teaser from the 1956 World Championships for all your readers. What is the name of the bandsman, and his band who having played that day in Grade 1 with two different pipe bands, collected a prizes with each band, totally within the RSPBA rules?
One of the bands was Renfrew Pipe Band who were second that day in Grade 1; the other band would be a give away.
I replied to Patrick: Ian McLellan, Argyll’s and Renfrew? But Paddy says no! Anyone any others ideas?
Shotts’ Chairman Ewan MacAllister: ‘We will be hosting our junior solo competition on the 30th November 2019. This will be our sixth competition.
Full details can be found on our website (www.shottspipeband.com). If you can publish it in your news section, it would be much appreciated. Please feel free to use any information and graphics relating to the competition.’
P/M Jimmy Banks MBE has sent us info on the Scots Guards Association Junior Piping. It’s on 7 December 2019 at The Army School of Piping, Inchdewar House, Redford Barracks, Edinburgh. Commencing 10am. Entry form here.
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Still look the part, Allan! Given your recent dental events, nae sa bad. all the best, Steve
Renfrew pb arrived minus their bass drummer. The names of all other G1 bass drummers were put in to a hat. Michael Carroll of Fintan Lalor pb was pulled out. He played with both FLPB and Renfrew. FLPB won the drummig that day and Renfrew were second. That was the SPBA rule at the time. In those days 3 msrs were submitted. The Medley contest did not exist then.
Here is a link to partial recording by me of the Veterans Comp where I was at a distinct disadvantage being in among great stars and recently had all my top teeth removed rendering little practice over the last months – so you’re not seeing my faultless but mistimed march…I made the mistake of recording it all and thus discovered that what I thought was very nice was very mediocre!
http://www.piperspersuasion.com/078-spa-veterans-comp-2019/
Veterans competition! Goodness, I am older than some of those and all of a sudden am feeling like a right wrinkly! If I shave my little beard off, I might get younger. Congratulations to all. It is nice to see familiar faces in the photos.