Review: ‘Music from Mull’ A New Collection of Pipe Tunes by Calum Maclean

This collection, ‘Music from Mull’, is a newly published volume of bagpipe tunes composed and collected by Calum Mclean. Calum is a well known Muileach, a piper and resident of Tobermory. Like many of the Hebridean islands, Mull is full of Gaelic music, and whilst this may not be the first publication of pipe music emanating from the island, this collection is a wee gem.  A total of 40 light…

Frank Andrews Tribute Concert and New Developments and News from Northern Ireland and Eire

A small number of tickets, £25 and £15, remain for the P/M Frank Andrews Tribute Concert to be held in the Tullyglass Hotel, Ballymena on Friday April 28th . These can be purchased online through www.ticketsource.co.uk. Headlining the concert will be the 13-time World Champions, Field Marshal Montgomery, which Frank served as drone tuner for some two decades. Also taking part will be a FMM former members’ quartet, while the…

The Day Willie Fergusson Met the Australian Ladies

Further to our reports of a week or so ago on the Australian Ladies, Clive Douglas has sent us the following tale. The Ladies are pictured above outside Burns’ Cottage during their 1926 visit. Clive writes: The well known Glasgow piper and teacher Eddie McLellan told the story that Willie Fergusson was a sign writer by trade. One day he was working on a shop front sign on Buchanan Street…

Editor’s Notebook: Highland Games Threat/ Trophy Search/ Oban Festival/ Dollar Contest/ Sandy Jones

This from a prominent Highland games organiser: ‘On the CPA judge/pupil pronouncements that have lately been made, has anyone raised the problems this causes for competition organisers? ‘How are games committees, expected to be able to attract decent player numbers, or to maintain their ‘local’ feel, when they may not be able to use local piping adjudicators because they then wouldn’t get local competitors? ‘How can they afford to import…

Review: Uist & Barra Professional 2023

The first thing to say is what a total success this comeback meeting, the first for three years, was. The standard of play, particularly in the light music, was as good as has been heard at this stage of the competitive year. Yes, there was some ring rustiness – but only some. For the most part the ten pipers entertained the large crowd grandly, with even those who didn’t make…