Category: Pipe Bands

Aboyne Highland Games Set For August Return

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After an absence of three years, organisers have confirmed that Aboyne Highland Games will be held this August, writes Ian McLaren. The traditional Royal Deeside event, which attracts up to 10,000 visitors, will take place on Saturday, 6 August.  It will mark the first time since 2019 that the games has been staged, after being cancelled for the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. Aboyne Green will come to…

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Jim Butler, Pipers’ Whisky Pipe Band/ British Columbia Pipers Association Gathering 2022

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I was so sorry to read about the death of Jim Butler, writes Iain Duncan.  Such a nice guy, we were Pipe Sergeants of our respective bands, Jim, Pipers’ Whisky (they had various incarnations), and me with Glasgow Skye.   Latterly we would bump into each other at Piping Live and 2019 was the last time we met (in the Ardnamurchan restaurant across from the Piping Centre).  For the PP…

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Editor’s Notebook: Jim Butler/ Weekend Contests/ Patricia Grant/ Captain John Contest

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It is with sadness I report the passing of piper and artist Jim Butler, North Ayrshire. Jim was a head art teacher and a painter of renown, so much so that he was able to hold successful exhibitions of his work. He also taught pipes in North Ayrshire schools for seven years and was a staunch member of Irvine Burns Club. He was a regular visitor to the College of…

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Pipe Band Judging: Time for a New, More Hi-Tech Approach

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I read with interest the good article by Alistair Aitken from 2010 on pipe band adjudication. I suspect that the debate about the effectiveness or ‘fairness’ of judges has gone on since contests began. Our current approach is just the most recent iteration of the traditional hands-on manual method; in which we ask trained adjudicators to use their senses and judgement to come to a ranking of the competing bands….

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Review: The Campbeltown Book of Piping by Iain Duncan

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This is a fascinating historical document mapping the growth and development of piping and drumming in the Campbeltown area of Scotland’s Kintyre peninsula.  I have realised over the years that creating pipe bands for the military in early times eventually worked its way into civilian life, with huge impact, and bringing great benefit to our musical tradition.  The creation of ‘local’ pipe bands meant organised teaching and high standards for…

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