A Day at the Army School for the Captain John MacLellan Memorial

Judges convened at 8am at Inchdrewer House, Army School HQ, Edinburgh, for a bacon roll breakfast. From table it was immediately down to work given the entries in the B and C divisions. Such was the efficiency of the stewarding and the organisation that morning fears of an early evening finish were soon dispelled. By the Editor My first task was the P Grade MSR with Andrew Frater. First on…

Editor’s Notebook: Search for Silver MacDougalls/ Ian Plunkett/ Captain John Contest/ Letters

Dr Katherine Macaulay: ‘I recently read an article by you on ‘History of the Scottish Piping Society of London; The Post War Years’ written in 2016. In the article you mentioned Lewis Beaton Memorial Pipes … but, sadly, the actual pipes have disappeared somewhere along the timeline. Apparently they were actually Lewis Beaton’s silver mounted MacDougalls. Where are they now? ‘My father is Iain Macaulay, nephew to, and taught the pipes by,…

Northern Ireland Piper of the Year Results and Comment

When, in the early 80s, I first ventured to a then much-Troubled Northern Ireland there was a decided paucity of piobaireachd in the Province. Few played it; pipe bands scorned it. A small ember of hope remained thanks to the oxygen of interest from the likes of Norman Dodds and Ken Stewart. What a lonely furrow they ploughed. Undaunted, their efforts, and that of teachers such as Andrew Wright and,…

Leading Pipe Band Judge Responds to Recent Comments on RSPBA Training Procedures

As I was mentioned in Friday’s article on the training of pipe band judges, I’d like to clarify my journey in joining the ranks of RSPBA piping adjudicators. There are some inaccuracies being stated as fact and misconceptions around the adjudicator training programme. By Ross Walker When I retired from playing, I was invited to attend a two-day weekend workshop at the beginning of 2017 followed by a series of…

City of Brechin Results

Please find attached results for the annual solo piping and drumming competition hosted by City of Brechin Pipe Band, writes Craig Black. There was a very large entry this year across the piping and snare drumming sections, some of the piping sections with 25 competitors, a large part of the day taken up by the total of 32 piobaireachd, not so healthy in the tenor drumming.  Judges were Jack Taylor, Derek…

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