Festival of Juvenile Solo Piping

Gerard McClumpha, Event Co-Ordinator: Results from our competition held yesterday at Auchenharvie Academy, Stevenston, Ayrshire. It was our usual full packed, competitive event – only just glad to be back up-and-running again, after missing the previous two years. Junior Champion was Owen McCreadie and Senior Champion Gregor Grierson (pictured). 14 yrs & Under 1 Archie Johnston, Oban High 2 Owen McCreadie, Boghall & Bathgate 3 James Silcock, Falkirk Schools4 Caelyn…

Lochnell Intermediate Piping Championship Results

This prestigious contest for pipers aged under 22 was held on Saturday, October 22nd, at Lochnell Castle, Benderloch, Argyll. The overall champion piper with most points in the Piobaireachd and March, Strathspey & Reel sections was Ruairidh Brown. He is pictured above with overall trophy and the new William McCallum Snr. Trophy for MSR. In addirion he also received the Royal Scottish Pipers’ Society Bronze Medal and £200. The full…

Lochnell Championship Underway

The prestigious Lochnell Intermediate Piping Championship got underway at 10am this morning with seven of the country’s top young talents aged under 22 vying for the title. The event is taking place in Lochnell Castle, a picturesque setting on a spit of land on the Argyllshire coast. The venue is courtesy the Earl of Dundonald and the competition is hosted by his son Lord Archie Cochrane. The competition is modelled…

Editor’s Notebook: Band Search/ Royal Tune/ Livingstone Bursary/ Piping Times Archive/ Jori’s Contest

Ulf Schönberg of the Stockholm Pipe Band: ‘Can you help me identify the band in this photo? The historic interest (to me) is that it is the very first time a Swedish audience could see and hear a pipe band – at the Gothenburg Exhibition in August 1923.  ‘The band travelled to Sweden by ship together with the Royal Artillery Band and played in Gothenburg and in Stockholm. It was much…

History: Pipe Major RU Brown, Balmoral, and His Final Journey Home

We conclude the report from the special edition of the South Australian Pipe Band Association Newsletter which outlined RU Brown’s 1972 tour of South Australia and Tasmania, his teaching, his recitals and his illness and death. This excerpt contains touching details from air hostess Helen Aitkenhead who cared for P/M Brown on his final journey home…… Pipe Major Robert U Brown flew from Melbourne to Sydney where I joined him….