A Look Back at the Career of P/M Harry McNulty – Part 2

We conclude our retrospective on Harry’s outstanding career as piper, pipe major, adjudicator and bagpipe maker. This is from Pipe Band Magazine dated July 2002, and carried under its ‘Know Your Judges’ banner…. Most memorable pipe band performance? I make no excuse for mentioning the Edinburgh City Police band under Donald Shaw Ramsay. He was a master at arranging medleys. He retired prematurely from the pipe band scene, returning for…

Review: ‘A Guide to the Judging of Piping’

This attractive book is structured as follows: firstly a short Foreword by Robert Wallace; then ‘A Code of Practice at a Glance’; ‘A Guide to the Judging of Piping’ by Dugald Graham-Campbell, who was born in 1921, and Malcolm McRae’s comments on that work, ‘A Review of the Guide’. Then we have, James Campbell’s ‘A Different Approach to the Judging Problem’, Colin MacLellan’s ‘A New Approach to a Judging Problem‘,…

A Look Back at the Career of P/M Harry McNulty

Harry McNulty died three weeks ago at the age of 93. He was a major figure in the pipe band world for most of his life. Although we have already carried his obituary, we thought it appropriate to re-run this article from Pipe Band Magazine dated July 2002 and carried under its ‘Know Your Judges’ banner…. He is one of the most experienced judges on the circuit; he is one…

Editor’s Notebook: NYC Pipes/ Historic Medals at Auction/ London Recital

On display in New York’s Metropolitan Museum is a set of pipes by Peter Henderson. The display commentary reads: ‘Piob mhór (Highland Bagpipes). Peter Henderson before 1940. Cocus wood, ivory, silver, leather and cloth. Paul and Barbara Krieger Gift, 1996. ‘Peter Henderson’s workshop was a celebrated maker of Highland bagpipes during the 20th century and a gathering place for noted pipers. The Highland bagpipes tradition draws upon the instrument’s long…

A Never to be Forgotten Trip to Scotland

Back home in Oz and back at work. Now a brief summary of my August pilgrimage. After committing to play with the Hawthorn Pipe Band at the Worlds, it was a great relief to actually arrive in Scotland for the first time since 2004.  After dragging my sorry self (cattle class ticket) through Edinburgh Airport, it was straight to adventure number one: formally meeting Tim Gellaitry and spending the afternoon…