PP Editor’s Blog: KO Contests/ Caption Contest/ Rosneath Thoughts/ World Drumming

Congratulations to Craig Muirhead on winning through to the next round of the Scots Guards KO against Brian Lamond. The first round of the SPA KO is on November 7 at the College of Piping. The jousters are Finlay Johnston and John Patrick. 7.30 start, bar and refreshments. The Northern Ireland Branch of the RSPBA have sent this: ‘Thanks to Ian Burrows, pictures from all 2015 pipe band contests (except Rostrevor)…

PP Editor’s Blog: Falkirk Tryst Competition etc.

Blue MacMurchie reports: On Saturday the 10th of October the 6th annual Falkirk Piping Recital competition and the 4th Annual MacMurchie Contest was held at Trinity Kirk in Falkirk, a venue with wonderful acoustics much appreciated by the audience, pipers and judges. Due to a number of unforeseen family commitments the turnout of pipers was poor but the standard was as per other years – extremely high by those who played. The Falkirk…

PP Ed’s Blog: British at Paisley/ Canada’s Sherriff Contest/ Glenfiddich

Most people have been very pleased with the RSPBA’s decision to opt for Paisley as the host for next year’s British Pipe Band Championships – and for 2017/18. What it does mean is that three of the major championships on the RSPBA calendar are now being held in west-central Scotland: the Worlds at Glasgow Green, the Scottish at Dumbarton and now the British at Paisley. Belfast gets the UK Championships…

PP Ed’s Blog: Piper of the Year/Mod Piping/Roseneath/SHGA

Champion piper Gordon Walker will be in Northern Ireland this weekend for the ‘Piper of the Year ‘ competition. Kenny Stewart of the organising committee has sent this:  ‘The annual Piper of the Year competition will be held in the Adair Arms Hotel, in Ballymena, on Saturday 10th October 2015. The Piobaireachd competition will commence at 12.30pm with the MSR and Jig & Hornpipe resuming at 7.00pm. The adjudicator for…

PP Editor’s Blog: Woolmet Juveniles/ South Florida Sponsors/ SPA KO/Big Music Concert/ Archie Kenneth Quaich

Anyone who thought the prevalence of girls in today’s pipe bands is a relatively new phenomenon should have a look at the above picture of the Woolmet Colliery Juvenile Pipe Band. It’s from a 1949 edition of the Piping, Dancing and Highland Dancing Journal. The story reads: ‘The Woolmet Colliery Juvenile Pipe Band, one of the young bands of the Lothians and Borders Branch [of the RSPBA] was founded in…