Blue MacMurchie’s Extensive Collection of Piping Artefacts For Sale/ New Interviews on Pipers’ Persuasion

After making pipes for 25 years in  West Calder, West Lothian, MacMurchie Bagpipes is re-locating to nearby Kirknewton, writes Blue MacMurchie. It’s a move of eight miles to where our business started. The move will be done over a few months. For three generations the family has collected more piping memorabilia than you can poke a stick at. With the pending move it now comes time to downsize this collection. It includes pipes,…

Northern Ireland Pipe Band Round Up

All-Ireland Pipe Band Championships: The spacious grounds of Ballymena Academy were the venue for Ireland’s premier pipe band competition which took place on Saturday 1st July. The weather was ever changing but never cold. The popularity and importance of this competition to the pipe band fraternity on the island of Ireland was illustrated by a large attendance as friendships were made or renewed around the arenas and tuning areas. The variable…

Masters Solo Piping Results

This competition was held yesterday in the Piping Centre in Glasgow. Overall winner was Bruce Gandy (pictured) who now qualifies to play at the Glenfiddich in October. Twenty-five entered the light music and 20 the piobaireachd. The competition is only open to Gold Medallists and winners of ‘A’ grade light music events at Oban and Inverness. Pipers were notified of their tunes a week beforehand. Piobaireachd1 Bruce Gandy, Unjust Incarceration2…

Mighty Creighton Takes British Solo Drumming Title

The British Adult Solo Snare Drumming Championship was held today in Glasgow and organised by the RSPBA’s Glasgow & West of Scotland Branch. The winner was Stephen Creighton, Leading Drummer of St Laurence O’Toole Pipe Band, Dublin. Piping for Stephen was Lee Moore also of SLOT (see pic below). 1st place – Stephen Creighton, St. Lawrence O’Toole 2nd place – Grant Cassidy, Uddingston 3rd place – Ryan King, Edradour Pitlochry…

North Berwick Grade 1 Band Results

Warm with the occasional heavy rain shower on the east coast. A strong lineup of bands in the last contest before the Worlds. The Grade 1 MSR contest was open to Grade 2 bands who wished to “play up”. Overall1 Inveraray2 Boghall3 Scottish Power Medley1 Inveraray 2 Boghall 3 Scottish Power 4 Shotts5 Manawatu (NZ)6 Canterbury (NZ)Judges: T Brown, B Donaldson (Piping), D Millar (Drums), R Worrall (Ensemble) MSR1 Boghall…