Regarding the recent article about the Rankin family of pipers, we actually know as much if not more about that family than many other piping families, the only mystery being where they came from.  The earliest record of any of that family name on Mull comes from the Breadalbane papers when in 1697 John MacIntyre the son of the Breadalbane’s piper Donald Roy was sent to first Condullie Rankin for…

The three tunes placed in the prestigious MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd contest can now be viewed online. The winner, Campbell Wilson, New Zealand, was announced earlier. The contest was run on a video submission basis. Second place went to Henry Paluch from Ontario playing Lament for the Children: Third prizewinner was Ross Conner from Campbeltown with End of the Great Bridge: Fourth place went to Anna Smart, New Zealand, with MacDougall’s…

Shotts at the 2019 British. Will there be a return in May 2021? Who would disagree with yesterday’s comments by Gilbert Cromie that we need some forward planning if we are to save the 2021 pipe band season? I would go further and ask that the RSPBA form a ‘Task Force 21’ to examine all of the potentail problems, to offer solutions and to do so from a positive, ‘can…

In normal times as we come to the end of August here in Northern Ireland, our competing pipe bands would have been reflecting on a season-ending trip to the seaside resort of Newcastle which would have hosted the NI Branch Champion of Champions contest beneath the magnificent Mountains of Mourne which, as the song says, ‘sweep down to the sea’. Sadly this has been anything but a normal pipe band…