I wanted to mention that I have a small, at-home podcast. It is specifically about Lady Pipers and is called the Lady Pipers’ Podcast. I tell the stories of some remarkable women, Rona MacDonald (Lightfoot), Bessie Watson, and some ladies bands. We’ve also had articles on Annie Grant, Ann Johnstone and Rose Fletcher. I try to keep to one subject at a time, simply for the storytelling. A lot of the…

Press release from The Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust……..  A schools’ pipe band competition is going ahead in March – even if schools stay shut. Normally hundreds of players and supporters converge for the Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships – but this year it is going online.  Prizes total over £2,500 from a judging panel made up of some of the biggest names in traditional music.  The event is being…

During my talk for the Bagpipe Association of Germany last week I emphasised how important it was to have an instrument that was easy to reed, easy to tune and steady. Have a think, dear reader, about your own pipe. Does it measure up? Do you spend more time actually getting your pipes going than practising or playing? If so you have a problem. If it does not answer all…

It has been nearly 10 years since my first book ‘Lands of Bens and Glens and Heroes’ was published and I am now delighted to present a second volume of original compositions, namely ‘The Parkgrove Collection’.  Although I have been accumulating compositions since 2011, it was only during 2020 that I was able to complete the works and bring this book to fruition. You will understand the circumstances which have existed for us…

Thanks to the technical wizardry of St Laurence O’Toole piper Ronan Maguire, Piping Press is now able to publish enhanced and coloured images of important historical figures in piping and pipe bands. Two examples of Ronan’s work are published today with more to follow. To give readers an idea of the expertise involved Ronan says of the picture above: ‘The band pic is SLOT from 1956, before restoration (below) and…