Competition Updates: Inveraray, Kenmore, Oban

Inveraray Games: Piping Convenor Brian Spalding has advised the following, ‘The Solo Piping Committee wish to thank all who have so far entered for the contests at this year’s Games, on Tuesday 22nd July.  ‘The response since opening entries on the 19th May has been unprecedented and we are already at capacity for entries in each discipline of Senior Grades B and C. We already have a number of reserves…

Community Outrage Overshadows Clan Donald Competition Return

The Donald MacDonald Cuach piobaireachd competition will return after six years on Friday, 30th May, against a backdrop of controversy surrounding the sale of its historic venue, Armadale Castle. Four pipers—Alasdair Henderson, Finlay Johnston, William McCallum, and Stuart Liddell—will compete at the isle of Skye landmark, which was unexpectedly put on the market in March by the Clan Donald Lands Trust (CDLT). By Alison McGillivray The competition’s revival comes amid…

John Don MacKenzie’s Online Recordings/ Iain MacPherson Remembered

I recorded some of my tunes back in 2018 (I couldn’t see anyone else doing it) and I have now got them on streaming platforms. If anyone fancies a listen just go to Apple Music or Amazon Music and type in ‘Tunes from Dornie’. They were done at my home in Dornie and simply processed through my computer so there are no fancy studio tricks involved. I should have done…

Worlds Controversy: Readers Have Their Say

The decision by the RSPBA to separate Juvenile and Novice contests from the main Saturday event at Glasgow Green was announced on Piping Press on Monday. It has aroused considerable feeling in the pipe band community. Here is a selection of readers’ views to add to the comments already made. Jonathon Simpson: I have experienced the Worlds as a competitor, a pipe major in the juvenile grades, as an adult…

Bill Livingstone, 1942–2025

Bill Livingstone, one of the great Canadian pipers and pipe majors, passed away yesterday afternoon. He was 83. Bill Livingstone was more than a piper—he was a singular presence in the world of Highland piping. His artistry, leadership, and unwavering dedication reshaped solo piping and pipe bands. Born on March 20, 1942, in Copper Cliff, Ontario, Canada, Bill’s journey with the pipes began at the age of four under the…