By Elaine Lee, Administrator Due to a troublesome internet connection, Andrew Carlisle will replace Terry Tully for Balmoral School of Piping & Drumming’s 2020 summer school Zoom sessions. All three of our acclaimed instructors have incomparable records of teaching and promoting pipe music around the world. Week #1 will run from July 5-10. Week 2 will run July 12-17. Originally from Northern Ireland, now a resident of Pittsburgh, Andrew Carlisle has…

We continue with our look back at the founding of the modern pipe band competition system on the island of Ireland. After the SPBA was formed in 1930 the North of Ireland Bands Association (NIBA) began to engage experienced piping and drumming adjudicators from its top bands having previously used experienced Army pipe majors in this role. It is my opinion that the merits of the SPBA, and its way…

I was very interested in the recent item regarding the article by Donald McIntosh, an early advocate for the then SPBA, which appeared in the November 1935 issue of ‘Piping and Dancing Magazine’ and particularly the aspect relating to the ‘…..proposed extension of the SPBA into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland’. I thought I would pass on some research that I have done regarding the history of Northern…