Category: Blog

Argyllshire Gathering – Preview of One of the Great Piping Events (Updated with Full Lists & Pix)

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A week from now pipers from all over the world will converge on the town of Oban in the West Highlands for the annual Argyllshire Gathering piping competitions. Wednesday, August 26, sees the piobaireachd competitions with categories for the young professional, the MacGregor Memorial, the Silver Medal, Gold Medal and Senior Piobaireachd for previous winners. In the evening we hear the peak of professional ceol beag with the Former Winners’ March,…

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PP Editor’s Blog: Band Formation Poll Results/Grampian League/ / Festival of Juvenile Solo Piping etc.

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A couple of weeks ago I ran a piece lauding the organisers of the Chicago Highland Games for instituting concert formation for their band competition. The accompanying poll results can now be revealed. We asked the question ‘What do you think of the circle formation for band competition’. The results show an overwhelming majority in favour of change – a huge 88%. The response ‘Couldn’t be better; leave well alone’…

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PP Editor’s Blog: Games Attendance/Bands at Bridge of Allan

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There are some pretty simple solutions the Competing Pipers’ Association could enact to solve the poor turnouts at our Highland games. I hope I am not overstating the problem, but when only handfuls of pipers are turning up at the likes of Taynuilt, Lochearnhead, Markinch, Luss, Tobermory, we need to do something. Inveraray, by contrast, can attract 35 for its B grade events, 27 for the C and a healthy entry for…

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A Day at the Games in the West Highlands

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I know I keep harping on about how enjoyable the games are, but last week at Tobermory was a blast. We met up on the Wednesday night and went for a meal, we being my fellow judges, P/Ms Ian Duncan and Ian McLellan, Andrew Frater, and piping convenor Torquil Telfer and our respective ladies.  Ian Mc is involved in the compiling of the new Argylls book of pipe tunes (Ian…

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Hallkirk Games, Pacific North West Results, AP Campbell on the Games, WW1 Tunes, Tom Peterkin

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Results for Hallkirk Games and in the US the Pacific Northwest band and solo competitions, have been posted on the Results pages. The picture above shows Colin Campbell, Aberlour, the Champion Piper at Hallkirk. Colin is playing at Tobermory Games in beautiful conditions under the famous piobaireachd tree. Writer, poet, broadcaster and actor Angus Peter Campbell, father of noted young player Brighde Chaimbeul, had an interesting article on the games…

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