Category: Comment

Two Days at Oban and the Highlands & Islands Festival

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Despite the best endeavours of the architects and town planners, Oban still retains a picturesque character, a town in keeping with the beauty of its bay and surrounding hills. It is a shock, therefore, when the first thing one sees on descending the A85 from Connel is the most grotesquely garish paint job this side of Jackson Pollock. Anyone who lets their eyes rest for more than a few moments on…

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Highlands & Islands Festival Results Updated with Juniors

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A very successful competition was held in Oban High School today with judges reporting a good standard of playing in all events. The organisers were particularly pleased at the size and quality of the entries in the junior competitions.  Sponsor of the piobaireachd was North Ledaig Caravan Park. Pipers, pitch up there if you can. MSR sponsor was DM MacKinnon Solicitors. Pictured are Jonathan Simpson (r) and Greig Canning, first…

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Famous Pipers: More on Captain John A MacLellan MBE

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Additional information on Captain John MacLellan who featured in our post last week. This is from the programme notes for last year’s ‘Captain John A MacLellan MBE Piping Championship’ produced by the Army School: John A. Maclellan was born in Dunfermline, Fife, in July 1921. He attended Fort Augustus Abbey School and joined the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders as a boy piper in 1936. In 1941 at age 19 he…

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PP Ed’s Blog: Pipe Bands Australia Appointment/ Johnstone Pipe Band/ D Throw Query/ Schools Trust Job

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Congratulations to Dean Hall on being appointed Principal of Drumming for Pipe Bands Australia. Dean joins Brett Tidswell, Principal of Piping, in forging ahead with the development of piping and drumming in that country. There does seem to be something of a boom in pipe bands down under right now and having worked with these two gentlemen in the past I am certain this will receive further impetus. PBA President…

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Highlands & Islands Draw/ Tickets for the Worlds

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All solo piping interest will be on Oban this weekend for the Highlands & Islands Music and Dance Festival with very good entries in all events through P/A, B and C grades. The contest is held in Oban High School on Saturday April 29. Senior adjudicators are Iain MacFadyen, Ronald MacShannon, Tom Speirs, Robert Wallace, John Wilson and Andrew Wright. There are five prizes in each event. All piobaireachd classes start…

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