The following is from Pipe Band Magazine of July 2009. Headlined: ‘Seventy Years On and the Bells of Inveraray Herald Town’s New Band’, it charts the resurrection of a band first founded in the 1890s…..
There can be few bands in the recent past that have burst on to the scene with such an impact as Inveraray & District. Already crowned Scottish Champions 2009, some experts in the field are predicting even greater things for the pipers and drummers led by former Simon Fraser University piper, Stuart Liddell.
Stuart is, of course, an Inveraray man himself being taught by his grandfather P/M Ronald MacCallum, former Piper to the Duke of Argyll.
Stuart, an outstanding solo piper in is own right, spent ten years with SFU winning every major award available to them. In his spare time between hopping across the Atlantic, he started tutoring local kids in his home town and from there the band just grew.
His group of pupils, first formed in 2003. In September that year the Inveraray Piping Project was launched to teach and encourage children to play the pipes. By 2004, they had enough for a band. Their first ‘official’ engagement was a Remembrance Day parade through the town that same year.
With the help of Inveraray Primary School, and especially the janitor Tom Paterson, Tuesdays in the school became weekly practice night, and the group started to grow.
Early Years of the Band
Lord Archibald Campbell was the second son of the 8th Duke of Argyll and a great piping enthusiast. He raised and paid for the first Inveraray Pipe Band in the late 1800s. They played at the Great Glasgow Exhibition of 1901. Lord Archibald died in 1913 but the band survived until just before WW2 and its members included well known Inveraray names such as MacPhedran, MacIntyre, Maitland, Ross and Stewart. Inveraray at the turn of the 20th century:
Stuart was joined by Dougie Campbell from Dunoon as Pipe Sergeant. Dougie, a prizewinning solo piper and former member of David Urquhart Travel PB, assisted with the teaching.
By May 2004 there were five pipers and one drummer, all locals. More joined up and the band proper was formed in 2005. It registered with the RSPBA that summer and played at Cowal in Novice Juvenile.
The kids were all in different kilts – some had their own – others were hired.The pipers had their own pipes but the band had to beg, steal and borrow drums! They came 13th out of 19.
That winter they did a lot of fund-raising and got their own uniforms and drums (with grants from the National Lottery and the Scottish Community Trust among other bodies).
In 2006 the band were placed in the top six in every competition they entered. In the Majors, they were 5th at the Scottish, 5th at the Europeans, 6th at the Worlds and 3rd at Cowal.
In 2007 the band won four of the five Majors and were crowned Novice Juvenile ‘Champion of Champions’. They were also the duty band at their own Inveraray Highland Games that July.
After such a successful 2007 season in Novice, the band were upgraded to Juvenile for 2008. They again won four of the five Majors along with a few prizes in Grade 2.
Finishing the season with a World Championship title (also best drums), and the Cowal Championship, they secured the ‘Champion of Champions’ title in Juvenile for 2008. The RSPBA upgraded the band to Grade 2 in October that year…
- To be continued.
John MacKenzie’s Collection – digital book
First published in 1973, this outstanding collection is re-issued here in digital format with kind permission of the late Pipe Major’s family. The book runs to more than 50 pages. It is offered at a nominal price to cover overheads. It contains outstanding melodies such as the 6/8s Tug Argan Gap and MacNeills of Ugadale, the Wedding Waltz, Neuve Chappelle, Joe McGann’s Fiddle, the Saffron Kilt, He-Ro-Hirum and many others. Please note this is a digital download book set for tablet…
