Category: History

NZ Piper Stuart Finlayson Talks of His Lessons with P/M Donald MacLeod

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Stuart Finlayson is the renowned piper and composer from New Zealand. A prizewinner at the highest level, Stuart is well known to all generations via his outstanding compositions – tunes such as Stuart Chisholm’s Walkabout and the Motley Crew. As a teenager he left his homeland and took the long boat trip to Scotland where he studied piping with P/M Donald MacLeod and Duncan Johnstone. In this first part of…

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PP Ed's Blog: Band Dates/ Andy's Tune/ South Florida

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Spotted this on the internet and it may be a handy reference for the coming pipe band season: Download a printable PDF here. Northern Ireland piper Andy Wilson (above) achieved a highly commendable second prize in the ‘B’ piobaireachd at the recent Winter Storm contest in Kansas. Here’s part of his prizewinning performance of The Fingerlock: Chieftain at the last European Pipe Band Championships to be held at Forres in…

More PP Ed's Blog: Band Dates/ Andy's Tune/ South Florida

Boys Brigade History Down South / Piobaireachd Composing Competition

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John Shone has written to the Editor on a still-thriving English BB company….. It was good to read your earlier story about the Boys Brigade history and in particular your own company the 214 Glasgow. Readers may not be aware that one BB company and its band is still thriving down in the deep south! It’s good to be able to report that the 5th Croydon BB Pipes and Drums…

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Historic Picture Handed Over at Celtic Connections by P/M Ian Duncan

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Has the World Pipe Band Championship Grade 1 title ever been won with brothers playing in the same band? Yes; 1969 Muirhead & Sons and, surely uniquely, there were three of them in this band, namely Tommy, Jimmy and Peter Anderson all from Falkirk. We would be interested to hear of other championship bands with siblings in the ranks but for now let’s rewind a couple of days to Celtic…

More Historic Picture Handed Over at Celtic Connections by P/M Ian Duncan

PP Ed's Blog: WW2 Pipes/ Inspector Clueless/ SG Knock Out/ Northern Ireland Burns Show

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Calum MacLean has commented on the WW2 pipes story we’ve been running. If you haven’t seen his post, Calum wrote: ‘I have a set of Lawrie bagpipes with the engraving: ‘THE GIFT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF HIGHLAND SOCIETIES OF EDINBURGH 1939’. ‘I wonder if these are WW2 bagpipes as well. I have seen another set with the same engraving on the chanter stock which were Lawrie bagpipes as well. I…

More PP Ed's Blog: WW2 Pipes/ Inspector Clueless/ SG Knock Out/ Northern Ireland Burns Show