The forecast looks good for the first of the big outdoor solo competitions at the Atholl Gathering in the grounds of Blair Castle, Blair Atholl, Perthshire, on Sunday. All piping events start at 10.30. Fifty-three adult and 12 junior pipers will be judged by 12 judges. The Army School of Piping has kindly provided the stewards. They are all full-time soldiers on a six-month course to learn piping from scratch. Darach Urquhart…
Leading bagpipe makers McCallum have sent the following. Please support this worthwhile cause if you can: On the 28th May 2017, 17 members of staff and some of their friends and family will be running in the Edinburgh Half Marathon. The guys and girls will be running in aid of SAMH mental Health Charity and Yorkhill Sick Children’s Hospital. All funds raised will be split 50/50 between the two. They would…
Reader Catherine Herzig has kindly shared her recollections of life and times with war hero and piper Donald Mackinnon. This is a warm, personal memoir which gives a real feel for the man’s humanity and dedication to his music. We are grateful to Cath for sharing it with us. The picture above is of Donald in KOSB rig piping during the Korean War. I was 12 when I had to take…
One of the first rules of journalism is ‘be there’ and if you want to give a detailed and accurate, albeit subjective, account of an important pipe band contest then that is exactly what you have to do. No amount of social media chatter, summary sheet perusal or YouTube re-runs is in any way a substitute to actually positioning yourself at a suitable coign of vantage and listening and watching the…
Pipe Bands Australia report: ‘We will develop an expanded and enhanced online learning portal to assist players in developing best-practice skills under a donation from the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (REMT). ‘The Board of Trustees of REMT has made the gift after the tremendous success of its overseas tour in 2016 that included sell-out performances in Melbourne over four days. The “legacy donation” follows ongoing discussions with Tattoo chief executive…
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