Category: History

Editor’s Notebook: Atholl Gathering/ RT Shepherd/ SPA Professional/ William Kennedy Festival/ Florida School

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Atholl Gathering Piping Convenor Jack TayIor: ‘Solo piping entries at the Gathering open today, Friday 14th March. The entry form is here on the Atholl Gathering website. ‘Held on Sunday, May 25th, it is the first outdoor competition of the season and is always busy, so pipers are encouraged to put entries in early.  ‘We will try and give everyone the chance to play, but if categories are too big we will have to restrict them on…

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New Music Book from John Mulhearn

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I have produced a new book of tunes, ‘Let Piping Flourish: A Musical History of Highland Piping in Glasgow’. It will be launched at Piping Live in August with pre-orders available from early May. Nowhere has shaped modern Highland piping as profoundly as Glasgow (motto ‘Let Glasgow Flourish’). Given the city’s unique history – its cycles of economic expansion and migrations – it is no surprise that its impact on piping…

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Lance Corporal Patrick Milne: Another Heroic Piper on the Heights of Dargai

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Two Victoria Crosses and seven Distinguished Conduct Medals were awarded to the Gordon Highlanders for gallantry at the battle for the Heights of Dargai on the North West Frontier of British India on 20th October, 1897. All pipers will be aware of the Victoria Cross presented to Piper George Findlater following the action, who ‘though shot through both legs, continued, while sitting on the ground, to play his pipes undauntedly’. …

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Editor’s Notebook: RT Shepherd & Co./ Entries at UKs/ Clan Fraser PB/ Correspondence/ Iowa Highlanders/ Scottish Schools

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I am sure that we are not the only people who are have failed in our attempts to get in touch with bagpipe manufacturer RT Shepherd & Co. On a visit to Fife this week I called in to their premises in Cardenden to find the place locked up with curtains closed and blinds down. Local enquiries yielded scant information other than that around a month ago the premises had…

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New Music: The Pinkman Family Collection

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I have compiled a new book of bagpipe tunes written by pipers from three generations of the Pinkman family. The majority of the tunes, which number over 300, were written by Pipe Major Robert (Rab) Pinkman (KOSB) pictured above.   There are also tunes from Rab’s father, Edward Pinkman, his grandfather, Robert D Pinkman and Archie Pinkman of Bilston Glen Colliery Pipe Band fame. By Stephen Beattie The book, with 354…

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