The 2025 Argyllshire Gathering takes place on August 27th and 28th and pipers can now enter online via the Gathering’s updated website.
The closing date for all competitions, Senior Piobaireachd and Former Winners’ MSR included, is January 31st and no late entries will be accepted. In years past, senior competitions, given the lower numbers and automatic qualification, have not required this stipulation.
Entry fees of £50 must be paid by June 1st. Draws will be made in July and those who have not paid their dues could be excluded from the ballot.
Gold and Silver Medals will be restricted to 25 and to those with the required track record. Those eligible will be notified as soon as the lists are agreed, usually by the end of March.
Entries for the Highland Society of London’s MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd will be restricted to around 30 pipers aged under 22 on the day of the competition. These entries will be expected by March 31. As before, there will be two heats and a final, four tunes required. Only those who have performed in the MacGregor will be accepted for the RG Hardie Intermediate MSR at the Games on August 28th.
New this year is the online entry for Local and Junior piping. Entries on the field not accepted. Three marches, strathspeys and reels for the Locals. The Duke of Argyll’s Medal for pipers under 16 on the day of the competition is an own choice MSR. Entrants must be natives of Argyll or have a significant county connection.
All entries here.
- NB: Next year’s Northern Meeting at Inverness is a little later than usual. The dates are September 11th/12th.
Graeme Johnston Memorial
This competition to honour a man who did much for the Boys’ Brigade and for BB pipe bands was held at the RSPBA HQ in Glasgow on November 9. The day also incorporates the P/M Willie Fergusson Memorial March competition. Judge: P/M Emmet Conway, Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia.
The RSPBA West of Scotland Branch, the organisers, issued a special thank you to sponsors including McCallum Bagpipes and RG Hardie for their very generous donations. The sons of Graeme Johnston were in attendance. Check out the prizewinners’ gallery below.
Willie Fergusson March: 1 Lachlan Rennie 2 Craig Mitchell 3 Peter McKay 4 Katyann Thompson
15-18 MSR: 1 Charlie Mack 2 Douglas Baird 3 Aaron Hughes 4 Peter McKay
U14 4-part March/ 2-part S&R: 1 Lachlan Rennie 2 Rory Menzies 3 Rory Cairns 4 James Silcock
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10 Tutor Books for Schools/ Bands/ Trade£105.00 -
Bagpiper’s Handbook – Handy Maintenance Tips£10.50 -
Pipe Chanters – Solo Poly or Solo Blackwood£130.00 – £265.00
The note regarding the later dates for the Northern Meeting is of interest as the Oban and Inverness competitions were held on successive weeks in recent years. In decades past there was a sort of a tradition that the NM were held about the 20th September and this was apparently when the harvesting was completed—Landowners/patrons etc being involved in the running of the event. The later date will be affect the overseas players as the competitions in held in successive weeks was convenient to them. There are positives and negatives to this spreading of date venues.