Category: History

Clan MacRae History – Readers Respond

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Matthew M Farrigan: Long time since we have chatted. If you remember, I don’t like to stick my big American nose where it doesn’t belong. However, on this occasion, I felt I might have some info (not 100% sure) to ID another chap in the photo.  In the mid-90s I traveled from Schenectady, NY, to Worcester, Mass, to play with the Worcester Kiltie PB. The band had rounded up all the…

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Editor’s Notebook: Worlds Winners/ Glasgow Skye/ SPA Professional/ Charles Dunbar Pipes/ WW2 Tunes Search

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Thanks to the RSPBA and their Chairman Kevin Reilly for the positive response to our mini-campaign to have the World Pipe Band Champions 1906 – 1946 recognised by their inclusion in future Worlds programmes. Mr Reilly has been in contact with the RSPBA’s Media and Marketing committee, so fingers crossed we will see the names of these somewhat neglected champion bands and their pipe majors in the 2023 Glasgow Green…

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Superb Piping From Duncan Johnstone/ Jimmy McIntosh Challenge Contest

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As the BBC’s ‘Pipeline’ comes to an end, I thought readers might like to remember days gone by, writes Dr Jack Taylor.  The following excerpts are from a broadcast about 1974-75 by Andrew Wright and Duncan Johnstone. The recordings are of Duncan’s light music showing his characteristic style.  The recording quality is not great, but the playing is. Andrew played The Bicker and Battle of Strome. These recordings are now on…

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Open Letter to RSPBA Officials on Worlds Winners and Setting the Record Straight

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Dear Sirs, With the support of our many readers, Piping Press this week published a full list of World Championship winning bands from the pre-SPBA and RSPBA era. We believe these bands and their achievements deserve to be recognised by their inclusion in the Worlds programme produced every year for that great championship at Glasgow Green. We appreciated that these titles were won under the umbrella of the Cowal Championship,…

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Putting the Record Straight on Our World Pipe Band Champions

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I am grateful to reader Trevor Clydesdale for forwarding this list of winners from the first Cowal Championship in 1906, writes the Editor. These bands were considered the World Champions of their day and deserve to be showered with the same accolades as the champions of today. Yet they feature not in the official RSPBA Worlds programme produced for that championship each year. Perhaps these winners did not have the…

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