Category: Letters

Editor’s Notebook: Forfar Burgh Pipe Band/ Ivory Pipes/ Florida P&D Academy/ Ardmore Cup/ MoP Royalties

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A contact of mine called Mike Croft is putting together an exhibition in the Meffan Institute, Forfar, on the history of pipe bands in the area. He is a former drummer in the Forfar Burgh Pipe Band, writes Tom Peterkin  In its day, it was a pretty good band rising through the grades to Grade One – probably in the 1960s. Although I did not play with the band, he has been…

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Con Ó Conaill – A Tireless Servant to Pipe Bands in Ireland and Worldwide

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The AGM of the Irish Pipe Band Association witnessed a watershed moment when the association’s long-serving and much respected president Con Ó Conaill stepped down after 47 years in the service of the pipe band community.  Con was born and reared in Ballymurphy, Innishannon, Co Cork. As a youth, Con showed himself to be academically talented winning a scholarship to secondary school. By Brian McMahon After school he worked in…

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Editor’s Notebook: P/M Barnes BEM/ Lady Lever Park/ John MacFadyen/ SPA Amateurs 1970

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Welcome back everyone and I hope you all had a good New Year break. First off I want to congratulate my old mucker Robert Barnes on being awarded the BEM in HM The King’s New Year Honours. No one deserves recognition more than Barney. He’s been teaching kids in Fife and generally contributing to the Kingdom’s piping for 50 plus years. He is what we call in Scotland a ‘lad…

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Editor’s Notebook: RSPBA Branch Reorganisation/ Prize Pipes/ Cailean’s Card/ NZ School/ Edinburgh Police Solos 1971

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Whilst we are focussed on the matter of the ‘missing majors’ I think it would also be sensible if the RSPBA formally rationalised their branches. It is a good while now since the demise of the Fife and Central Scotland branches with their bands being absorbed into either Lothian & Borders or Dundee, Perth & Angus. But the names no longer make sense. All the former Central Scotland Branch bands…

More Editor’s Notebook: RSPBA Branch Reorganisation/ Prize Pipes/ Cailean’s Card/ NZ School/ Edinburgh Police Solos 1971

Editor’s Notebook: Robert’s Top Job/ Mull of Kintyre/ Tools for Sale/ Pipers’ Persuasion/ Northern Meeting 1996

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I hear that Robert Mathieson (pictured) has taken on the role of Convenor of the RSPBA’s Adjudicator’s Panel Management Board. Best man for the job, and the Board of Directors should not be slow in approaching him for ideas about how to solve the ‘missing majors’ crisis. Indeed there are several individuals on the APMB whose experience and knowledge should be drafted in to help. It’s got to be all…

More Editor’s Notebook: Robert’s Top Job/ Mull of Kintyre/ Tools for Sale/ Pipers’ Persuasion/ Northern Meeting 1996