What about this blast from the past from Donald McBride. Donald writes, ‘This was taken in 1972 after we got back from the CNE Festival in Toronto. Barry Donaldson is second from the left back row. ‘Dad [P/M Willie McBride] is far left middle row and next to him is Jennifer Hutcheon and, next to Jennifer, Les Hutt.’ Jennifer is now an RSPBA adjudicator after years of sterling work at…

The Secretary of Perth Games, Mr Brian Whyte, has now confirmed the end of solo piping at the popular games, as presaged in the Editor’s article of last week………. Perth Highland Games committee has made the decision to omit solo piping from the staged events for this year. This does not mean that solo piping will not feature in future years, should circumstances change. As you are no doubt aware,…

By Andrew Carlisle Carnegie Mellon University hosted its first ever solo piping competition on Friday, March 8th 2019. Adjudicators for all events were Jimmy McIntosh MBE, founder of the world’s first degree in piping and his good wife Joyce McIntosh. The competition was confined to students at the university. The nine competitors had to submit three piobaireachd, three march, strathspeys and reels and 6/8 marches. In the morning, competitors played…

The premier of a new piping film will take place at the Piobaireachd Society Conference it has been announced. ‘MacCrimmon’s Gold’ is made by Breton film director Gerard Alle and features Patrick Molard and Piobaireachd Society President Dr Jack Taylor among others. The blurb reads: ‘Pioabireachd or Ceol Mor is a musical genre full of spirituality, born in the Scottish Highlands….each of the nine notes of the bagpipe seem to…

Our correspondent MacStig dug out his old motor car, braved the early snow and got over to yesterday’s Scottish Schools Pipe Band contest. His report tells us he is stretching those legs, sharpening the pen and is all set for the new outdoor season……..  By arriving in Livingston before 9am on a Sunday morning, and trying in vain to find a nearby coffee vendor in what is a town of…