I can report a positive conclusion to the P/M Michael Haggarty story. As was previously reported, it was believed that his service medals were buried with him when he died in June 1974. (He’s pictured wearing miniatures of them in above photograph.) However it turns out that they were in the possession of one of the members of the now disbanded Cardiff RSL Pipe Band (Newcastle, NSW, Australia) and he had…

The winner of the Shasta Piping Society of California’s ceòl mòr composing contest, P/M Ben Duncan, was announced on Monday. Today we enjoy the other excellent pieces that made the prizelist in the 2020 contest. The composers are pictured above (l -r): Jori Chisholm, John Dew and Zephan Knickel. The second place tune was by Jori Chisholm. Jori writes: ‘My tune title is Nameless, A Lament (2020). Thanks again to…

In recent weeks Piping Press has published material provided by reader Trevor Clydesdale showing tunes played by the Grade 1 Bands at the Worlds in 1970 and then by Ian Forbes for Cowal 1968. I have found among old papers tune lists for a local competition at New Meadowbank in Edinburgh in 1948, the World Championships in Stirling in 1974 and will cover these in a later report. For now…

P/M Ben Duncan of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards is the winner of the prestigious international piobaireachd composing competition organised by the Shasta Piping Society of California in conjunction with the Burley Bagpipe Company and Piping Press. P/M Duncan’s tune, ‘Salute to the Duke of Brax’, a tribute to his pedigree spaniel, was a clear winner from 18 submitted. We believe it may be the first piobaireachd named for a…