Author: Calum MacLean

Rankin Pipers Memorial Cairn Unveiled on Mull

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Kilbrennan on the island of Mull is the place where the Rankin pipers lived and taught the pipes from around 1700 to 1800. They had their own College of Piping where someone could live and learn, staying until they mastered the art. The Clan Maclean Heritage Trust erected the cairn pictured above in memory of these Rankin pipers. The Rankins are affiliated to the Clan Maclean and were, in their…

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In Search of Piping on the Beautiful Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides

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This past week saw me take a visit to the Inner Hebridean islands of Eigg and Muck with my bagpipe for company. Eigg is small but there is plenty of walking and quite a few historical places of interest to visit. It’s mainly a farming community with a few other enterprises which keep everyone employed. Once part of Clan Ranald lands, the island was the subject of a community buyout…

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Piper in the Cave of Melody With His Own Hebridean Overture on the Magical Isle of Staffa

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The Island of Staffa lies to the west of Mull. It was once part of the Clan Macquarrie lands along with Ulva and a few other surrounding Islands. In 1772 a single family lived on Staffa trying to farm sheep, but due to winter storms and hard living they were not there for very long. The only structure to be seen today is the remains of a 19th century shelter…

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Famous Pipers: Peter R MacLeod the Great Composer

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Peter R MacLeod was one of the finest ever composers of music for the great Highland bagpipe. Much has been written about him but this article contains some new information direct from his grandson Kenneth, son of Dora MacLeod of the eponymous tune. Kenneth is known to the writer through a mutual friend on the island of Mull. Roderick Peter MacLeod, son of Hector MacLeod and Mary MacLeod (MacRitchie) was…

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MacRobert the Piper, the Finger Lock and a Heartbroken Lover

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In this article we follow the story of a man who learned to play the pipes from the Rankins on the island of Mull. Originally from Ireland, he ended up living on the isle of Skye. The story starts when the laird of Muckairn (Taynuilt, the village a few miles east of Oban) employs two men from Ireland, one a blacksmith called Robert and the other a harpist called David….

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