Two weeks ago P/M Emmet Conway and his Shotts & Dykehead band were proclaimed British Champions at Ingliston Showgrounds near Edinburgh. It was Emmet’s first ‘major’ success since he took over the band in 2018. Afterwards he gave this interview to Piping Press…..
How does it feel to lift your first major? It feels absolutely incredible. There’s also a real sense of relief in getting that first major title under my belt as Pipe Major. As a band, we’ve put an enormous amount of work in over the past three years (particularly), but we’re also very aware of just how high the standard is in Grade 1 these days. On any given day, there are several bands capable of winning, not just Shotts.
While the feeling of winning was amazing, everyone was back at practice the following Tuesday focused on the next challenge and the season ahead. This result has given the group a real taste of what can be achieved through hard work, dedication and loyalty to me and the kilt.
You’ve made your whole family very proud Emmet. A few tears? There were definitely a few emotional moments after the march past. My father Charlie, who followed me all over the world throughout my piping career, passed away in March 2025, and I felt his presence with me on the competition field that day. Of anyone, he would have been the one with tears in his eyes when the results were announced.
The rest of my family were there too, as they always are, being a great support, including my wife Laura who helped tune the drones and of course my wee boy Charlie. Sharing the moment with them all made it even more special.
Beyond my own family, there were plenty of tears within the band as well. It really brought home just how much everyone wanted this success. This is the first major win for the band since it won the Worlds in 2015 under Pipe Major Ryan Canning. Achievements like this only happen when every single person is fully committed to the goal.
As any successful team knows – it takes a collective effort and total dedication from everyone involved. When you have that level of commitment across the whole group – success is never far away.
How long have you had the band and at what point did you think you had a winning bunch of musicians? My first competitive season with the band was in 2019, and then covid came along and brought everything to a standstill. Last season was probably the first time I felt that, if we trusted the process, we could achieve something special. That said, I’m under no illusions.
There are some outstanding bands out there putting in just as much work as we are, so we know we can’t stand still. We have to keep pushing and keep finding ways to improve.
David Henderson has been a massive addition to the band. He’s brought so much to the table, and I’m delighted for him and his drum corps to have picked up ‘Best Drumming’ at Ingliston.
Have you done anything special this year that you maybe didn’t do in the past? We’ve put a lot more thought into our music this year and more importantly, how we connect with the listener. Looking back, there were times in the past when we thought we’d got it right, but in reality we probably hadn’t. There’s no value in doing the same thing year after year and expecting a different outcome.
This season we’ve examined every aspect of our ensemble performance and left no stone unturned in our pursuit of improvement – really utilising every member of the band and bringing their worth to the table.
We’ve been prepared to make changes whenever we felt they would make a difference, and we were still refining things right up until the week before the Major that we felt didn’t work at our first outing at Gourock a few weeks back. That’s simply because we believe there’s always another level to reach and another way to make the performance better.
Is your MSR playing up to the level your Medley playing? Historically, the band has always performed particularly well in the March, Strathspey and Reel discipline. Hopefully we can carry that momentum into the next Major. While we were delighted with our performance at the British Championships, we know there’s still more to give.
As I said to the group – I believe there’s another level there that we can hit ahead of UKs in Belfast and we’ll be working hard to go up that gear in all aspects of the band.
The Worlds must be your ultimate challenge; how do you view your chances? We’ll take things one step at a time. Right now – the focus is on the big March, Strathspey and Reel in Belfast and the next majors at Perth and Dumbarton before even thinking about the World Championships.
Lastly, how does it feel to be following in the footsteps of the MacAllisters and the Mathiesons? I’m not there yet. Taking on the role of Pipe Major at Shotts comes with a huge responsibility and as I’ve always known – big shoes to fill. When you’re leading a band like the 16-time World Champions Shotts & Dykehead, there’s no room for complacency. You are only ever as good as your last performance! I still feel I’ve got plenty to prove and more to give.
