Florida Pipe & Drum Academy/ Items for Sale (Update – Sold!)/ Oban and Inverness Reminder

The 2022 Florida Pipe & Drum Academy registrations are now open, writes Administrator Chris McKeown. Dates are 21/2/22 to 25/2/22. Students and instructors will join up at 5pm for a meet and greet on the 21st. Thereafter classes will run each day from 8am to 4 pm Event Address: 618 Stockton St., Jacksonville, Florida 32204. Contact us at 904-334-5472 or FL.Pipeanddrumacademy@gmail.com Instruction available to all levels of students in bagpipes,…

Editor’s Notebook: Imminent U-turn Will Save Early Pipe Band Season/ Piping in Pitt Street/ Piobaireachd by the Sea/ Ottawa Games 1976

Twelve hours after Tuesday’s blog suggesting the 2022 British Pipe Band Championships should be moved from Scotland to England, Sir Ian McGeechan proposed the same for the forthcoming Calcutta Cup rugby match. Newcastle would be the perfect spot for the battle with the auld enemy, a max crowd permitted and guaranteed, said Sir Ian. Twenty-four hours later our football pundits were suggesting the same for Scottish Premier League matches. The…

Piping During WW2: The Founding of the College of Piping, Dunkirk and ‘Mad’ Jack Churchill

The College of Piping was founded early in the 1940s as part of a youth organisation named ‘Fianna na h’Alba’, writes Jeannie Campbell. The Fianna activities included the study of Scottish history, the Gaelic language and literature, Scottish crafts, Highland dancing and all outdoor pursuits.  Another important feature of their activities were ceilidhs and piper member Seumas MacNeill (pictured above) would of course play at these. The result was that…

Happy Hogmanay/ Piper in Austria/ Pipe Band Ship Launch/ Eagle Pipers 1970

There are many good reasons to enjoy Hogmanay this evening not least of which is that when numbskull politicians dictate we should do something it is wise to carry on as before. Piping at ‘the Bells’ in your home is perfectly safe and outside cheering up the neighbours even safer. Cancelling Hogmanay is the sort of torture no true Scot should have to endure. It’s on a par with the…

Donald Morrison Archive: A Final Look at His Music, Newspaper Clippings and Letters

This will be our final instalment from Donald’s archive for now. It ties in neatly with the publication of his book of tunes announced last week (above). For earlier articles in this series type ‘Donald Morrison’ in our search field. We begin with another letter from Seton Gordon, the piping judge, naturalist and friend of royalty. It is dated November 6, 1973 and he writes to Donald from Upper Duntuilm,…