Both of the following items are taken from the the December 1935 ‘Piping and Dancing’ journal. Last month we had an article which described the village of Torphichen in West Lothian, given its extensive teaching programme for piping, as the Borreraig of the 1930s. For those not au fait with piping history, Borreraig on Skye is where the MacCrimmons had their legendary school of piping from the 17th century onwards….

By John Hughes, Chairman, Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association I would like to begin by wishing everyone the compliments of the season and all the very best for 2020. This will be a very significant year for the RSPBA. It is our 90th Anniversary yet it doesn’t seem that long ago we were celebrating our 75th. I wonder if our founders back in the 1930s would ever have dreamt that…

Herewith are the playing requirements for the major championships for season 2020 as agreed by the RSPBA’s Music Board: Also announced today are all the dates for the year beginning with Bangor, Northern Ireland on May 9 and running to the World Solo Drumming on October 24. Check out the calendar here.

Before another decade slips by we thought we’d have a look back at the 2009 Worlds when, on August 15th, Canada’s Simon Fraser University Pipe Band triumphed at Glasgow Green winning both the band contest and the drumming. Here’s a photo gallery of pictures from the great day for the lads and lassies from British Columbia, a day that saw them placed first in both Medley and MSR under P/M…

The Queen’s New Year’s Honour List has announced that Tom Brown, former leading drummer of Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia and tutor and mentor to hundreds of pipe band drummers, has been created a Member of the British Empire (MBE). The citation reads: ‘Thomas Johnston BROWN, Pipe Band Drummer and Instructor, Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band. For services to Scottish Traditional Music.’ Boghall and Bathgate owe much of their current…