Northern Ireland Piper of the Year – Critique

This contest, run by the Northern Ireland Piping Society, was held in the ballroom at the Adair Arms Hotel in Ballymena, and despite a hum from the cooler behind the bar, it proved an ideal venue for a piping competition; plenty of floor space, plenty of audience space and a draughtless ambience. There were very few listeners in for the piobaireachd in the afternoon  (not unusual, even in Scotland) but the…

John MacLellan Memorial (Update 3 – critique and pix added)

Robert Wallace reports: Faye Henderson won the overall trophy at today’s Captain John MacLellan Memorial competition held at the Army School of Piping at Inchdrewer House, Edinburgh. This was a superb day of piping organised with perfect precision by the Director of Army Bagpipe Music, Major Steven Small, and his assistant P/M Scott Methven. The standard was extremely high with the judges declaring Faye Henderson’s performance of Donald Gruamach’s March…

Set Tunes Posted

The Piobaireachd Society’s Set Tunes list for 2015 has now been posted here. All tunes in the Senior list are MacCrimmon or MacCrimmon related works. Gold Medal candidates will submit eight tunes of their own choice and Silver Medal six. These tunes and requirements are recommendations to the Argyllshire Gathering and Northern Meeting competitions. Piobaireachd Society membership is open to all with an interest in the great music. Your pipingpress.com editor,…

Argyllshire Gathering – the 2014 Gold Medal

An Engrossing Day of Ceol Mor at Oban 2014 By Robert Wallace Argyllshire Gathering, August 27th and 28th, 2014. Those of us honoured with being asked to judge at the Argyllshire Gathering  meet the evening beforehand to receive our instructions from Piping Steward Jamie Mellor and his Assistant Torquil Telfer.  It is always a convivial gathering with a distinct air of expectation for the morrow and the main…read more…

All-Ireland Solos

FMM piper Ashley McMichael (above) carried on his good form from the Northern Meeting at Inverness (1st B grade MSR) by winning the MSR and Piobaireachd runner-up titles at the All-Ireland Solos. Contest co-ordinator Mervyn Herron reports: ‘The 2014 All Ireland Solos were staged yesterday [Sept 20] in Monkstown Community School with a large crowd in attendance to listen to all the various grades. It started at 10 am and…