Two weeks ago Jeannie Campbell wrote of two historic trophies which were presented by the Scottish Pipers’ Association for annual junior competition: the John MacDougall Gillies Trophy (above left) and the Farquhar MacRae Trophy (r).
Both were always for piobaireachd, the J MacD Gillies at the SPA spring competition and the F MacRae at the autumn competition. The competitions were for amateurs and juveniles, so some winners were older than others. Jeannie has researched the lists of winners (below) and also supplied an article on one of them from the Oban Times of February 1926. It reads:
Though there is a long and honourable history behind the Piob-mhor, never before has the cult of pipe music and the art of the piper been given so much general attention as at the present time.
In places where quite recently one solitary piper might have been found there are now several, while in the Islands, and particularly in Uist, there are whole communities cities where every dwelling is said to be the home of one or more pipers.
But it is to Argyllshire, perhaps, that the palm must be given for pre-eminence in the raising of pipers who have gained the greatest distinction within the last fifty years. Many names occur to the mind, but mention need only be made of Champion Piper John MacColl, Oban, and the late P/M William Lawrie, Ballachuiish.
Taught by P/M John MacDougall Gillies – who made it no secret that he regarded him as his most promising pupil – John MacLellan MacIntyre early distinguished himself by gaining first prize for piobaireachd playing at the Scotstoun Highland Gathering. In 1923 he won the Junior Championship for Piobaireachd playing at Oban at the third attempt at trying.
This success by no means put a stop to his career of triumph as he afterwards gained the MacDougall Gillies Trophy for Piobaireachd. Mr MacIntyre gained the Farquhar MacRae Trophy twice in succession as well as many other prizes, some 40 in all.
Pipe MacIntyre is a native of Balvicar in Nether Lorn, and is the second son of Mr Hugh MacIntyre, a well-known Glasgow Highlander.
His war record [WW1] too is an honourable one having joined up with the 5th HLI at the outbreak of hostilities, and served right through until the end.
As a piper, and especially as a player of piobaireachd, Mr MacIntyre has many admirers on Clydeside who are confident that fresh distinction lies to his hand in the not remote future.
Winners J MacD Gillies Trophy (SPA Spring Competition)
1924 John MacIntyre
1925
1926 H McTavish
1927
1928 Harry Martin
1929 Harry Martin
1930 Peter MacLeod
1931 J MacKinnon
1932 Robert Brown
1933 Robert Hepburn|
1934 Andrew MacIntyre
1935 Robert Hepburn
1936 Seumas MacNeill
1937 Leslie Craig
1938 Robert Hardie
1939 Donald MacPherson
1940 Robert Hardie
1941 Donald MacPherson
1942 Donald MacPherson
1943 Hector MacFadyen
1944 John MacFadyen
1945 Ewen MacDonald
1946 John Burgess
1947 Duncan MacFadyen
1948 John Burgess
1949 John Burgess
1950 George Bannerman
1951 Iain MacFadyen
1952 Iain MacFadyen
1953 Iain MacFadyen
1954 Kenneth MacDonald
1955 Kenneth MacDonald
1956 Finlay MacDonald
1957 Evan MacKay
1958 Laurence MacIvor
1959 Laurence MacIvor
1960 Tom Speirs
1961 Hector Russell
1962 John Wilson
1963 John Wilson
1964 Donald Lindsay
1965 Douglas Elmslie
1966 James Wark
1967 Robert Mitchell
1968 Norman Graham
1969 Anne Sinclair
1970 Roderick Barron
1971 Roderick Barron
1972 Anne Sinclair
1973 Donald MacBride
1974 Cameron Edgar
1975 Lezlie Paterson
1976 Iain Plunkett
1977 No competition
1978 Neil Johnstone
1979 Alfred Morrison
1980 Kenneth MacBride
1981 Alfred Morrison
1982 Angus MacRae
Competition discontinued.
Winners Farquhar MacRae Trophy (SPA Autumn Competition)
1918 Peter Ferguson
1919 W G Ross
1920 John McL McIntyre
1921 John McL McIntyre
1922 D E MacRae
1923 Hugh Kennedy
1924 Hugh MacTavish
1925 Alexander Forrest
1926 Richard Hepburn
1927 Harry Martin
1928 J MacKinnon
1929 J S McKenzie
1930 J MacKinnon
1931 J Inglis
1932 J Strathearn
1933 D Hepburn
1934 A MacIntyre
1935 Robert Hepburn
1936 Robert Hardie
1937 Robert Hardie
1938 John Love
1939 Robert Hardie
1940 Robert Hardie
1941 Angus MacLeod
1942 Joseph Henderson
1943 John MacFadyen
1944 John Burgess
1945 John Burgess
1946 Donald Murray
1947 John Burgess
1948 John Burgess
1949 Thomas Stewart
1950 Duncan MacFadyen
1951 Duncan MacFadyen
1952 Arthur Gillies
1953 George Dobbie
1954 Neil MacLeod
1955 Andrew Wright
1956 Andrew Wright
1957 Evan MacKay
1958 John MacAskill
1959 Laurence MacIvor
1960 John Wilson
1961 John MacAskill
1962 John Wilson
1963 D M Bell
1964 Derek Boyd
1965 Douglas Elmslie
1966 Andrew Hill
1967 James Wark
1968 Anne Sinclair
1969 George Morris
1970 Robert Pinkman
1971 James Hardie
1972 Cameron Edgar
1973 Donald T MacBride
1974 Cameron Edgar
1975 Patricia Innes1976 Iain Plunkett
1977 Neil Johnstone
1978 Neil Johnstone
1979 Angus MacRae
1980 Alfred Morrison
1981 Angus MacRae
1982 Fiona Anderson
1983 James Faulds
1984 James Faulds
1985 Neil McNaughton
1986 Iain N MacFadyen
1987 Iain Speirs
1988 Iain Speirs
1989 Jamie Sandilands
1990 Ross McCrindle
1991 Euan MacCrimmon
1992 Euan MacCrimmon
1993 Andrew Wallace
1994 Stuart Cassells
1995 Andrew Wallace
1996 Liam Rogers
1997 Innes Smith
1998 Bruce Erskine
1999 John Mulhearn
2000 Andrew Carlisle
2001 Finlay Johnston
2002 Finlay Johnston
2003 Keith Bowes
2004 Andrew Keatings
2005 Keith Bowes
2006 Nathan Drysdale
2007 George Stewart
2008 George Stewart
2009 Callum Moffat
2010 Connor Sinclair
2011 Caitlin MacDonald
2012 Scott Barrie
2013 Scott Barrie
2014 Joshua Townsley
2015 Lewis Russell
2016 Callum Davidson
2017 Lewis Russell
2018 Brodie Watson-Massey
2019 Hazel Whyte
2020 No Competition
2021 No Competition
2022 No Competition
2023 Lewis Maxwell
2024 No Competition
If anyone has a story about winning either or both of these trophies please forward to editor@pipingpress.com.
