Two days of quality piping in Oban, and here are some pictures which we hope will be enjoyed by those who attended and those who couldn’t make it. The picture above is of the Gathering’s own 2018 chuckle brothers, Silver Medallist Darach Urquhart and Gold Medallist Stuart Easton. Their pipes are adorned with the winners’ banners supplied by MacDonald Bag Covers. The banners are retained by the pipers. The gallery:…

Oh the tears, the happiness…..there was the new Gold Medallist Stuart Easton crying his eyes out, consoled, (consoled!) by his Kiwi colleagues. Stuart had just phoned home to tell his wife that all that travel and expense had been worth it. He was a Gold Medallist.  Mid sob Stuart was able to blurt out a few words: ‘I’ve worked so hard for this’ sniff, ‘I can’t believe it’, sniff, ‘it’s…

Four of the major piobaireachd competitions in world piping were held today in Oban, Argyll. Stuart Easton from New Zealand became the seventh winner of the coveted Gold Medal from that country. Winner of the Senior Piobaireachd was Stuart Liddell (pictured above). Darach Urquhart from Kyle won the Silver Medal. All results below. Andrew Ferguson, a piper with Dollar Academy, won the MacGregor Memorial for intermediate ceol mor. Other results as…

‘Neath louring skies the man made history. Stepping forward to receive his 12th World Pipe Band Champions title, P/M Richard Parkes MBE had equalled the record of the legendary P/M Ian McLellan of Strathclyde Police fame, writes the Editor. Yet only moments before, as drizzle fell and night closed in, no one really knew if his band’s scintillating performances at Glasgow Green 2018 would, this time, get their due reward….

Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band under P/M Richard Parkes MBE are the new World Pipe Band Champions. They were placed first ahead of Inveraray, so reversing last year’s 1/2.  St Laurence O’Toole from Dublin took the drumming title. 214 bands took part across all grades. Conditions were wet, cold and blustery in the morning but improved later. FMM are pictured above celebrating (picture courtesy Glasgow Life). The RSPBA summary sheets showed that…