Author: Robert Wallace

PP Editor’s Blog 28/11/14

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Firstly I must express my personal sadness at the passing of Denver Cardwell. A real character he was; a man to make you laugh but with a humour underpinned by a profound knowledge of piping and pipe bands. Firm in his views and in his friends; loyal to the last. If life’s about laughing then Denver lived it to the full. Who will forget the stairheid clash between him and…

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Denver Cardwell

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It is with regret that we report the passing of respected pipe band adjudicator Denver Cardwell (74) of Portadown, Northern Ireland. He was a member of the RUC band in the 1970s and 80s and later joined the RSPBA’s Adjudicator Panel. Denver had been unwell after suffering a stroke last weekend. The Northern Ireland Branch of the RSPBA said: ‘We express our deepest sympathy to the family of Piping Adjudicator…

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Breadalbane’s Pipers

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Two interesting items today for our readers. They will be of particular interest to those with an eye and an ear for piping history concerning as they do pipers in Perthshire in the late 19th century. Firstly we have a letter about a piper, James Robertson (left), who, his descendents tell us, was piper to the Earl of Breadalbane. Then in an article we take a longer look at a few…

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James Campbell, Piobaireachd Expert and Gentleman

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The final excerpt of Jonathan Gillespie’s lecture on his tutor James Campbell of Kilberry is published today. In it Jonathan discusses some of James’s favourite tunes and names the performers. He also records James’s uneasiness with placing too much reliance on old manuscripts and allowing them to dictate the way tunes should be played in the modern era. He highlights the importance of James’s writings, in particular his ‘Elusive Appoggiatura’…

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JFK’s Funeral – Final Excerpt

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Today we publish the final chapter in  Lt Col Robert Keith Gunther’s fascinating look back at events of 51 years ago and the State Funeral of President John F Kennedy. This time Lt Col Gunther examines the role played by the pipe band of the United States Air Force in that defining moment in history. He also offers some conclusions on how he believes the American perception of the bagpipe…

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