The first qualifier for next year’s Silver Medal competitions at Oban and Inverness has been won by Alex Gandy from Nova Scotia. Alex now has automatic entry to both 2020 competitions. The contest was held as part of the annual Metro Cup competition held at Newark, New Jersey, on Friday 15th February with many pipers flying in from around North America and some from Scotland to compete. Alex is pictured…

The comments below followed yesterday’s article by Nicholas Taitz on whether pipers should dress their instruments with oil. Responses seem to depend on where you live. One American pipe maker even has specific humidity guidance on when and when not to oil. MacLellan Bagpipes in North Carolina state: ‘We recommend pharmaceutical grade almond oil mixed with a drop of Vitamin E oil.  ‘We oil a bagpipe this way: after playing…

By Jeannie Campbell The South London Girl Pipers were listed among the new bands joining the SPBA in 1961. The Belfast Girls’ Pipe Band and the Faulat Girls’ band were mentioned as playing at events in Northern Ireland that same year. The Deeside Ladies (pictured above) were probably the most successful ladies band ever. The band was founded in 1964 and started off in Grade 4. In 1981 they were Champions…

Rob MacNeil, President of the British Columbia Pipers’ Association: ‘A note that Jori Chisholm won the 4th annual Boney Music Memorial Invitational on February 9, 2019. ‘Over $2,500 was raised for brain cancer research at the BC Cancer Foundation. All the details and pictures are athttps://www.bcpipers.org/2019/02/jori-chisholm-wins-the-2019-boney-music-memorial-invitational/ ‘I have also enclosed a picture of Jori in action at the event [above]. It was a great night all around.’ Here is the BCPA…

The promoters of the Uist & Barra Professional Piping Competition, the first major of 2019, have announced details of this year’s event. It will be held in the National Piping Centre, Otago Street, Glasgow, on Saturday March 2 at 9am. There are events for Ceol Mor, March, Strathspey and Reel and Hornpipe and Jig. The invited pipers, in no particular order, are Cameron MacDougall, Connor Sinclair, William McCallum, Cameron Drummond,…