Niall Stewart Recital/ Donald MacLeod Memorial/ Scottish Pipers Professional

Double Gold medallist Niall Stewart (pictured) is in recital at the Lewis & Harris Piping Society tomorrow evening, January 26. The concert is in the in the Caladh Hotel, Stornoway, at 7.30pm. Niall has been the schools piping tutor for South Skye and Lochalsh for several years. He was originally taught by John Burgess. Niall has won most of the top awards in piping including the Gold Medals at the…

History: Solo Piping in Edinburgh in the 1960s

Once more underlining the critical importance of reports of piping competitions, a sadly dying art, we have this from the Oban Times of November 1967. We presume it is by their then Piping Correspondent John MacFadyen. Look out for the names of George Lumsden who passed away last week, and Malcolm McRae who tonight delivers the latest in the Piobaireachd Society’s popular ‘Talk Piobaireachd’ lectures…. The third annual piping competitions…

History: The London Championship of 1968, John MacFadyen, P/M Angus, Ian Cameron, Bob Brown, Ed Neigh, in the Prizes

This is from the ‘London Correspondent’ of the Oban Times. The contest was held at Buckingham Gate on April 6 that year. Pictured above is John MacFadyen with the Bratach Gorm….. In the piobaireachd for the Bratach Gorm. the winner for the third successive year, was John MacFadyen, Glasgow, with an outstanding performance of the Red Speckled Bull. Second was Robert U. Brown, Balmoral, with another excellent rendition of Patrick…

RSPBA Keep Minimum Size for Bands/ EUSPBA Winners/ Oban & Inverness

For the 2024 outdoor season the RSPBA are to continue with the lower minimum numbers of players in bands first introduced after the pandemic. They say that some bands continue to struggle for player numbers post pandemic and without the minimum sizes some might be faced with having to withdraw from a competition if members fall ill.  Minimums in Grade 1 for major and minor contests will be eight pipers,…

Pipe Major George Lumsden 1926 -2024

George Lumsden, one of the former Pipe Majors of the Lothian and Borders Police Pipe Band, has died. He was in his 98th year and was being cared for in a nursing home. George was a native of Fife where he first learned his piping. A was also keen amateur boxer and a keep fit enthusiast throughout his long life. He was one of the young pipers recruited by the legendary…