Editor’s Notebook: Judging Seminar/ Carrick Gathering/ Hugh MacPherson/ MacCrimmon Memorial

I am very much looking forward to the Piobaireachd Society judging seminar on Sunday in Perth. There are several traditional but uncommon tunes set for the competitions this year and this will be a perfect opportunity to examine some of them in some detail.

There will be short presentations on Pride of Barra, Port Urlar, Fare Thee Well Donald, Finger Lock, Lament for Airds, Castle Dunyveg, Rout of Glen Fruin, Battle of Bealach nam Brog and, if time, Farewell to the Laird of Islay and Lament for Captain Donald MacKenzie.

This is a perfect opportunity for the continuous professional development I mentioned in an earlier post, and I am sure my judging colleagues will respond accordingly.

Still on the learning tack, the Society’s final ‘Talk Piobaireachd’ of the season was held on Wednesday night. We were privileged to have one of the world’s leading piobaireachd exponents, double Gold Medallist Iain Speirs, to take us through the aforementioned Port Urlar and the Silver Medal tune, Hiharin dro o dro. Iain was 12 years with the late maestro Donald MacPherson so he was able to speak with considerable authority about the music and the way it could be played.

For those who couldn’t manage, the session will be on the catch-up page of the PS website very soon. In all TP dealt with 12 tunes over the winter. Many of our most learned judges were listening in on Wednesday.

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Carrick Lowland Gathering
This takes place in Girvan, Ayrshire, on Sunday 7th June 2026 beginning 12 noon. There’s a juvenile solo contest, closing date for entries Sunday 24^th May. Organiser Rhona Walker writes, ‘We hope to encourage young local pipers to enter. Interested parties should complete our online entry form. The contest is open to anyone and you don’t need to be a member of a pipe band.’

Categories: 13 and under March, 15 and under MSR, 18 and under MSR. Prizes: Shields for 1st, certificates for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th; Prize Money: 1st – £30, 2nd – £20, 3rd – £10, 4th – £5. Entry form here.

Carrick Lowland Gathering also run a pipe band contest organised by the Ayrshire Dumfries and Galloway branch of the RSPBA. Grades are 2/Open, 3 and 4, with four prizes in each. Start time 1.30pm. More info here.

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P/M Hugh MacPherson
Alex McLaren writes, ‘I was going through my dad’s photo album and came across this one of Pipe Major Hugh ‘Shug’ MacPherson. I think it might be quite rare as I cannot recall seeing a colour photo showing the Lochore Pipe Band tartan anywhere else.

‘I believe Shug was quite a well-known figure, but because of the time period there is hardly any mention of him on the internet. Is there anything you could do to get this and a couple of lines published please?’

I remember Shug as an RSPBA adjudicator Alex and he was talked of as quite a character. It is an excellent picture of him and hopefully our readers can supply more information.

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Band Reminder
The British Championships deadline is now passed but the others are approaching fast:

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MacCrimmon Cairn
On February 21, 1943, the Oban Times, that cornucopia of piping information in former years, carried this impressive picture. It shows white-bearded Reginald MacLeod, Clan Chief, landing at Borreraig, Skye, in August 1933.

The pipers are John Macdonald, Inverness, Angus Macpherson, Invershin, and Robert Reid, Shettleston, Glasgow. They had crossed Loch Dunvegan in the open boat for the unveiling of the MacCrimmon Cairn at Borreraig, site of the family’s college.

I like the caption, ‘The sea-voice and hill-voice and moor-voice of Scotland, in the pibrochs of Skye on the pipes of MacCrimmon’. Nothing wrong with a bit of romance is there?, and how pleasing to see these three giants of the bagpipe (in evening dress!) paying homage at the font of our music.

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