The Importance of Schools Music Education

In Scotland we have become inured to idiotic statements from well paid public employees and politicians struggling to connect the family brain cell with their vocal cords. This produced another candidate for dunce of the decade last week. In a live-streamed statement the Head of Education at East Ayrshire Council declared her opposition to schools music teaching by stating that she was ‘no [not] really seeing the point of a…

Capt. John MacLellan Memorial: Updated with Comment and Photos

The 12th annual Captain John A MacLellan MBE Memorial Piping Championship was held at the Army School at Inchdrewer House, Edinburgh, today (Oct.4). P Piobaireachd, 8 entries, 6 played: 1 Callum Beaumont, £300 – Craigellachie 2 William McCallum, £240 – Edinburgh Piobaireachd 3 Finlay Johnston, £200 – MacLeod of MacLeod’s Lament P MSR, 8 entries, 7 played: 1 Sarah Muir, £190 2 Finlay Johnston, £160 3 William McCallum, £130 4 Callum Beaumont, £110:…

Captain John MacLellan Draws/ Lewis& Harris Juniors/ Glengarry Cup

Sixty-three pipers have entered for the Captain John MacLellan Memorial competition to be held at the Army School HQ, Inchdrewer House, Edinburgh, tomorrow, October 4. The piping begins at 8.30am. There are graded events from P to C with an open hornpipe and jig. The draw in the P Piobaireachd is: S Leask, C Beaumont, G Brown, B Watson-Massey, I Smith, R MacLeod, W McCallum, F Johnston. In the P…

Northern Ireland Piper of the Year/ Caritas Entries

The Northern Ireland Piper of the year competition took place in the Adair Arms Hotel, Ballymena, on Saturday 27th September 2025, writes Ken Stewart. Adjudicators were Logan Tannock and David Caldwell. Pictured above (l-r) with their trophies are winners James Stone, Andrew Nelson and James Frazer. Results as follows: Piobaireachd:     1 Ashley McMichael, MacFarlane’s Gathering2 Kris Coyle, Lament for the Viscount of Dundee3 Alastair Donaghy, Massacre of Glencoe MSR:…

Review: The Inaugural London Recital

As pukka piping dos go it would be hard to better the London Recital. Black tie, beautiful room, superb wines, Raasay whisky, and gourmet canapès, and – more important than anything – brilliant piping from the fingers of two of the best, Iain Speirs and Angus MacColl. So here’s how it went. We gathered last Thursday evening in Dover House in Whitehall by kind permission of the Secretary of State…