Those selected to play for the Piobaireachd Society’s prestigious Archie Kenneth Quaich 2024 have been announced. The playing order for the contest for amateur piobaireachd players is as follows:
The date is February 24th and the venue the Royal Scottish Pipers Rooms, 127 Rose St South Lane, Edinburgh EH2 4BB, start time 9.30am. Visitors welcome.
Applications for the 25 places totalled 37. There are four reserves for the 2024 competition: John Forbes, Francis Chamberlain, Craig Turnbull and Michael McGowan.
Organiser for the Society, Dr Peter McCalister, recommends that reserves should prepare to play, and appear early on the day with pipes in hand. They may get a call close to the contest asking them to take the slot of a piper who has called off. Dr McCalister also confirmed that if the contest is run briskly all reserves may get to play.
The eight other pipers who were not selected to play are automatic selections for 2025. They are Owain Woodman Carr, Gordon Tughan-Jones, John Nevans, Craig Crosbie, Iain Kirkwood, Dugald Macleod, Lachlan MacDonald and Donald Morrison.
This will be the 31st year of the competition. Competitors had to submit two tunes with their entry. The tune selected by the judges will be given on the day in the final tuning room. Competitors may not submit any tune with which they have previously won first prize in the competition.
Competitors must be members of the Piobaireachd Society, be aged 18 or over, and be amateur pipers (someone who has never accepted a money prize in a senior solo piobaireachd competition).
Judges are Ronald MacShannon and Finlay Johnston. Read a report on last year’s contest here (scroll down).