Markinch Games Results

It was blustery, rainy, sunny and everything else in between, in the piping corner at Markinch, Fife. Champion Piper Ben Duncan is pictured above with his trophies. The results were as follows: Piobaireachd (28 entered), three tunes:1 Jonathon Simpson2 Craig Muirhead3 Callum Carn4 Ben Duncan Judges: A Forbes, D Fraser MSR (33 entered), three tunes of each:1 Ben Duncan2 David Bruce3 Cameron May4 Liam Nicolson Judges: J Banks, B Donaldson…

Editor’s Notebook: British Championships/ PS Summer School/ Medal Info/ Oban & Inverness

Reader Eric McGaw, ‘I would like to leave a comment regarding this event [last weekend’s British Pipe Band Championship]. I think it is a really good idea to have other people’s perspectives on this event. ‘I travelled by plane on Saturday morning and walked to the venue, so access for me was excellent. I observed lots of car parking for coaches and cars. ‘I assumed that accessibility for other people…

Piobaireachd Society Summer School

The school is in full swing and yesterday we travelled by car from Sleat to Sconser for the ferry to Raasay. We piped down the slipway, we piped up the on-ramp, we piped on the way across, and we piped up the road to Raasay House, now a hotel. Why Raasay? Well this island should be a pilgrimage for every serious piper. It was, after all, the home of John…

British Pipe Band Championships – Shotts Triumph

Shotts & Dykehead are the new British Pipe Band Champions winning Grade 1 today (May 30th) at Ingliston, near Edinburgh, in overcast weather conditions. Two Medleys were required in G1. Shotts were placed first by every judge in a sweeping victory. The other places in the top grade went to: 2 Boghall3 Inveraray4 Fife Police5 FMM6 FederationDrumming: Shotts Judges for the Grade 1 Championship were: R Mathieson, C Edgar, P…

Editor’s Notebook: Competition Light Music/ Funeral Reminders/ Correspondence/ Glenfiddich Date

One thing I found striking about the report this week on the 1934 Argyllshire Gathering was the tunes played in the light music: Shepherd’s Crook, Lochcarron, Piper’s Bonnet, Glengarry Gathering, and what must have been an early run of Mrs MacPherson of Inveran. Here we are, eight years off a century later, and these classic pieces are still what separates the great from the not so great players of ceòl…