Congratulations to Callum Beaumont after his remarkable success at the London Championship. To win two major piobaireachd prizes in one day takes a special player. To cap that with success in ceol beag and you are talking very special. Having heard Callum playing and winning the Clasp at Inverness it doesn’t surprise me that he is repeating that success a couple of months later. As they say, he has the…

What a grievous week this last. The passing of Bob Shepherd, Sandy MacPhee and Robert Turner represents a huge loss to piping and pipe bands. Sandy’s son Donald’s tribute to his father was touching and sincere. Sandy made a highly significant contribution to piping in the US and was respected on both sides of the Atlantic. Donald wrote: ‘Dad was not only my dad but also my primary bagpipe teacher….

One hundred years ago, on the seventh of August 1919, Donald Ramsay was born a farmer’s son near the West Lothian village of Torphichen, Bathgate. He began his piping under Alexander ‘Sandy’ Forrest, pipe major of the local band and a noted pupil of John MacDougall Gillies. By Robert Wallace Donald immediately showed great promise and soon won everything available to him in the amateur ranks venturing north to the…

The death has been reported in New Zealand of one of the great pipe band side drummers of the 20th century, Robert Turner. Robert was trained in the 214 Boys Brigade pipe band in Glasgow and after winning all the Juvenile titles with that band went on to take over as leading tip of the legendary Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band. There he won five World Championships in a row…

Congratulations to the amazing Steven McWhirter for his tenth World Solo Drumming title, clearly now the Alex Duthart or Jim Kilpatrick of today. Only one Scot in the top list, so well done too to Grant Cassidy of Uddingston Strathclyde for flying the flag. Grant is a protégé of the late Bert Barr, brilliant drummer, brilliant teacher and Alex’s loyal sidekick. A word for all the pipers who slaved throughout…