George Sherriff Amateur Invitational Results

The results for the 2021 George Sherriff Memorial Invitational were announced on Saturday, November 20, in a livestream broadcast. The winners’ names were interspersed with video recordings of the first place performances. The contest was organized virtually this year.  It was the 25th anniversary for the competition which saw the top 10 amateur pipers from Canada and the United States perform in three separate events.  By Bob Worrall The overall champion…

Remembrance Week: The Meaning of Bagpipe Music on the Western Front During WW1

The piper with his bagpipes has been understood for years to be a symbol of Scottish patriotism, fierce, a brave fighter, and a cultural icon. Seeing the piper on the front lines of the First World War had the effect of energising the soldiers and lifting moral. When pipers jumped over the top of the trenches and played the pipes with no thought of their own mortality, they harkened back…

Memorial Gatherings Pay Tribute to the Late Jimmy McIntosh MBE

Two memorial services commemorate and celebrate the contribution to piping of Jimmy McIntosh MBE, who left us earlier this year.   The first was held on November 13th in Anderson, South Carolina, where we lived latterly. Piping friends from five nearby states and local friends and acquaintances gathered for a service and a ceilidh. Music continued late into the evening at the McIntosh residence.  By Joyce McIntosh The second memorial service…

MacStig Returns: Though Not a Happy Bunny, He’s Kinda 2022 Hopeful

There is little point registering the disappointment shared at the absence of the activity we are all fans of. So much water under the bridge, players sadly lost to the pandemic, lost to the bagpipe, and pages of time turned. I’ve played more board games, had overseas travel cancelled and looked at empty supermarket shelves more than I’d want to in a lifetime. The buzz of a ‘major’ venue, the…

Editor’s Notebook: Northern Winter School/ Talk Piobaireachd/ Calum’s New Book/ John Dew/ Col. Alastair Campbell

We had several hours to kill before our flight home from the Northern Winter School and accepted an invitation of a short tour of the nearest great city, Hamburg, from our generous guides Frank and Kirsten. Hamburg vies with Rotterdam as the most important port on mainland Europe. A previous tax-free enclave made it a world centre for coffee roasting. Much of the old quarter is built on oak piles…