Shotts website reports today……Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band is delighted to announce that Emmett Conway (above) has been appointed as Pipe Major with effect from November, 2018. Emmett has spent the last six years playing in New Zealand Police Pipe Band with the last four years serving as Pipe Major. Prior to this, Emmett played with the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band for around seven years where he gained invaluable…

In a statement Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band have announced the departure of long-serving Pipe Sergeant Alastair Dunn. The move was instigated entirely by Alastair, who wishes to devote more time to his young family and growing business commitments. Matt Wilson, FMM member since 2003, and P/M of Dollar Juvenile will take over the role of Pipe Sergeant effective immediately. The picture above shows Alastair in the Pipe Sergeant’s position…

I’m  Hazel Whyte, 15, and play with the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland. This is my second year playing with the band and I was lucky enough to be selected to go and play at the 2018 Ortigueira Festival in Spain. This was an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down.  On arrival in Spain we then had a  two hour drive to the high school, where we stayed, and the realisation…

Margaret Dunn reports: Here are the CLASP results from Northern Meeting 2018, which was held in the Eden Court alongside the professional competitions on Friday, 31st August.  Judge for the day was Alex Gandy. Pictured l – r: Stewart Allan (Gd 2) Robert Wilson(Gd 1) & Robert Thomson(Gd 3) Grade 1 Piobaireachd 1st Bianca Kail 2nd Robert Wilson 3rd Stephen Ross Grade 2 Piobaireachd 1st Stephen Whitton 2nd Stewart Allan…

I agree with Piping Convenor Alan Forbes that the Northern Meeting’s two-day festival of piping was a great success. With the quality of the playing on show it could be considered nothing less. I sat through all of the Clasp and Gold Medal competitions bar four performances, and heard the 40 or so tunes from a position only five rows back from the stage. Important that. Up in the gods…