Category: History

A Letter from Australia from a Man Dedicated to Preserving Piping History

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Last week we told of the generosity of Robert Bruce McKenzie Baker from Maclean, New South Wales. Robert had donated two handsome snuff mulls to the Northern Meeting, one of which will be used for a prize in their junior competitions. The other has been given on loan to the Piping Centre Museum. Read about the snuff mulls here. Robert, pictured above at a games in 1997, has written an…

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Editor’s Notebook: Harry McAleer/ Piobaireachd Society News/ the CoP, Donald and Seumas

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Wasn’t that a good memeory of the late Harry McAleer to share yesterday? I know from your response that it was much appreciated. One photograph we forgot to include is the one above. It shows Harry (r) with his friend Fred Russell piping at Harry Stevenson’s wedding in 1971. (Harry is the respected RSPBA adjudicator and PP contributor.) In yesterday’s article Fred talked of growing up with Harry in their…

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Pipe Band History: Remembering P/M Harry McAleer, Strathclyde Police

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A generation of pipe bandsmen and women has grown up since the passing of a man who was, at the time of his death, one of the best-loved personalities in the pipe band world. This is from Piper Press magazine January 1999…. The piping and pipe band world was stunned by the sudden death of Harry McAleer, former pipe major of Strathclyde Police Pipe Band, at his home in Glasgow…

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In Search of Piping on the Beautiful Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides

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This past week saw me take a visit to the Inner Hebridean islands of Eigg and Muck with my bagpipe for company. Eigg is small but there is plenty of walking and quite a few historical places of interest to visit. It’s mainly a farming community with a few other enterprises which keep everyone employed. Once part of Clan Ranald lands, the island was the subject of a community buyout…

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New Victorian Era Trophy for Northern Meeting

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News from a very generous Piping Press reader……. My name is Robert Baker, I live in Maclean, New South Wales, Australia. In 2018 I acquired, from Colin Ross, Ontario, Canada, two antique snuff mulls, belonging to his ancestors. I have included pictures. I am a piper, as were my sister, father, great-grand father and great uncle (Murdo Mackenzie, Gold Medallist 1895). Much as I enjoy my mulls, I also felt…

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