Category: History

Braemar Gathering Results – Updated with Comment and Pictures

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One of the last Highland games of the summer was held in cool, dry conditions at Braemar today (September 5). HM King Charles and HM Queen Camilla were in attendance, continuing a royal tradition dating back to the time of Queen Victoria. The king of the piping boards was overall champion Zephan Knichel, Canada – with the coveted piobaireachd Gold Medal going Ben McClamrock, USA. By the Editor First on…

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Editor’s Notebook: Northern Meeting/ Bronze Medal/ Band News/ Horst Kraus

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To Inverness today for the 2026 Northern Meeting, the second of the two major solo piping gatherings to be held within the past week. This year is unique in that the Clasp competition has been split into two Thursday heats, six from each going forward to a final on Friday. Most of the top players would be in Inverness on the Thursday anyway for the Former Winners’ MSR but the…

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Canada’s Sean McKeown on Winning the Gold Medal

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Winning the Gold Medal is something that I’ve been striving for for some time. It’s every piper’s dream to win ‘the Medal’. To have the opportunity to play for it, first of all, has been a great honour. My first year in the Medal, placing behind my good friend Ian K MacDonald twice on his double win in 2016, was a really special moment for me and now, all these…

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P/M William Lyons BEM, 1940 – 2026

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William Lyons was taught to play the pipes, as a boy, at the Corbet Pipe Band, just outside Banbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland. He joined the Irish Guards, in 1957.  During his service, he guest-played with one of Ireland’s top bands of the time, Dromara, under Pipe Major Harold Hook. His first piping instructor in the army was P/M KG Roe of the Scots Guards, and he always described…

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Lochaber Gathering Results – Pictures and Juniors Added

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This competition was held today, August 28, in Fort William. The senior events were held in and outside the Highland Cinema and the junior events on the lawns in the town centre. P/A Piobaireachd, Gold Lochaber Axe1 Cameron May, MacDonalds are Simple2 Calum Brown, Fingerlock3 Sandy Cameron, I Gave a Kiss to the King’s Hand4 Zephan Knichel, Earl of Seaforth‘s Salute P/A MSR1 Calum Brown 2 Sandy Cameron 3 Cameron…

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