Editor’s Notebook: Oban & Inverness/ Fifth Major/ Uist & Barra/ Ross McCrindle/ RUC Pipe Band

Gold Medallist Stuart Easton NZ leads the march to the games at the 2018 Argyllshire Gathering

Entries for Oban and Inverness close at midnight tonight. If you haven’t got your name down you need to move quickly. No late entries will be accepted and this includes all senior events.

Of course an entry is no guarantee that you will be allowed to play. This will be decided at a meeting of promoters, with input from the Competing Pipers’ Association, on February 16. Pipers will be notified of their fate as soon as possible after this date.

I understand Gold and Silver Medals are already oversubscribed with almost 40 applying for the Silver and over 30 for the Gold. These usually have to be pruned back to nearer 25.

Entries for the MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd at Oban are already sitting at 30 even though the closing date for this competition, promoted by the Highland Society of London, don’t close until March 31.


Fifth Major
The day after I praise the RSPBA for their transparency over the UK Championships I now discover that on Monday they emailed all band secretaries telling them that there will be no fifth major this year – with no notification to the press or the pipe band public to that effect.

Here’s the relevant part of the statement the bands received: ‘Despite our efforts to secure a fifth championship, unforeseen circumstances with our partners have prevented this addition for the upcoming season.’

Addition for the upcoming season? It’s not an addition it should be a fixture. A failure by Washington Street and the the Chief Executive. Simply not good enough Mr Mulhern.



Uist & Barra
The Uist & Barra Invitational competition will be held at the Piping Centre’s Otago Street building on March 1 at 9am. Admission £10 and £5 for juniors. Piobaireachd, MSR, H&J.


Ross McCrindle
Came across this picture in our archives. It is of Major Ross McCrindle, Director of Army Bagpipe Music, Inchdrewer House, Edinburgh. A star pupil of Sue MacIntyre MBE, Daly, Ayrshire, Ross was near unbeatable as a young lad, winning all the junior prizes available to him. Some might recognise the Scottish Pipers’ MacDougall Gillies Trophy on the table. (Jeannie corrects me; she says its the Farquhar MacRae.)

Ross’s bio reads: ‘I started playing bagpipes 35 years ago at the age of 8, winning my first juvenile contest eight months later. I won my first under 18 world championship at the age of 12 and retained that title for the following three years.

‘I had a 25 year career as a piper and more recently Pipe Major of the world famous 1st Battalion Scots Guards. This has taken me all over the world and I have played at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle for the Royal family and visiting heads of state on many occasions.’

This was all capped off when Ross was appointed Director of Army Bagpipe Music a couple of years ago.


RUC Pipes & Drums
Alan Cardwell, son of Denver, has sent this short video:

Unfortunately the accompanying message was unclear. Was this the band after winning the Grade 1 at Newcastle, Co. Down, or was it at the All Irelands? The year was 1985. Any info welcome.


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