Category: Blog

William Grant Foundation Funding For Piping – 2016 Report

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The William Grant Foundation reduced sponsorship cash disbursed through the National Piping Centre in Glasgow from £145,000 in 2015 to £140,000 in 2016. Further cuts to this figure have been hinted at for this year as the Foundation, the charity wing of the whisky giant, re-aligns its contributions to deserving causes in Scotland, writes the Editor.  William Grant & Sons’ generosity towards our art is legion. Their largesse is now administered…

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Fine Selection of Second Hand Books Offered for Sale by Piping Press Shop Now Sold

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Six classic piping books were offered for sale today for by the Piping Press Shop. These have now sold within one hour of going on sale. The books, first lot, were the ‘Seaforth Highlanders Collection’, Seumas MacNeill’s ‘Tutor for Piobaireachd’ and Roderick Cannon’s ‘Highland Bagpipe and Its Music’. Revenue from these sales will help maintain Piping Press’s not for profit, subscription-free service. The ‘Seaforth Collection’, currently retailing new at £25, was first…

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PP Ed’s Blog: Band and Solo Judging/ G2 band not at Scottish/ SPA Juvenile

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I think I agree with correspondent Ian Forbes about the order of play affecting pipe band results. Does a stick out performance at the start of the Worlds final leave a better impression than one at the end? I think he has a point and there could be an argument for bands that are on early in the MSR being seeded to the end of the Medley. However what about…

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PP Ed’s Blog: John McGregor Letter/ Scots Guards Juniors/ Highland League/ Alden Biesen

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Grateful to piping historian Keith Sanger for forwarding this letter from the Blair Castle archives. It is dated 1830 and is by Perthshire piper John McGregor. It mentions his (McGregor’s) winning the prize pipe and Angus MacKay (pictured above) coming second. MacKay is intimated as piper to the Duke of Gordon which is news to me. I understood that before royal service with Queen Victoria he was with the Laird…

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All-Ireland Pipe Band Championships Report and Pictures

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Lurgan Park, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, once again came alive with the music of pipe bands when the prestigious All-Ireland Pipe Band Championships were held in the picturesque park for the first time on Saturday 1st July, write John Kelly and Andrew Cromie.  The championships rotate each year between a venue in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.  It isnow in its 72nd year. It is one of the…

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