Queensland Recital

Alex McConnell, Secretary, has announced a full day of ceol mor at the annual Queensland Pipers’ Society Recital (see below). Alex (left) can be contacted on 07 3397 4512. This is a marvellous effort by this Society, once more demonstrating their committment to the great music. Get along and support the pipers if you can. RW.   Pipers’ Society Piobaireachd Recital The recital is this coming Sunday 2 November at the…

Poster Reveals Details of 1785 Contest

What did pipers play in solo competition almost 230 years ago? A poster from the 1785 competition held in Edinburgh for the Prize Pipe reveals all. It tells us that 50 pieces of ceol mor were heard during the gathering; it proves that the tunes we play today were in common currency back then; it shows that despite Culloden, its shameful aftermath and the Act of Proscription, piping continued to thrive in…

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…