Category: Pipe Bands

Review: ‘The Roke’, A New Music Collection by Ross Miller

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‘The Roke’ is a recent publication of pipe music by the well-known and successful piper, Ross Miller. Ross now hails from Linlithgow and The Roke is the official town tune. Ross, appropriately enough, is the town piper. He has compiled an interesting collection of bagpipe music. He has included compositions both traditional and contemporary, as well as some imaginative new music by himself. By Barry Donaldson The publication coincides with…

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The Final Chapter in the History of Ireland’s Famous Fintan Lalor Pipe Band

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Pipe Major Finbarr Connolly, who hailed from Cork, was the first non-Dubliner to lead the band when he succeeded Pipe Major Tim J Keogh in 1976. P/M Connolly held the post for over two decades during which time the band would appear to have experienced considerable ups and downs. They competed regularly in Grade 2 and would often play up in the Open Grade competing against bands such as the…

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Editor’s Notebook: George Stoddart and the Edinburgh Tattoo/ Piping Live/ Chanter Mate/ Solo Contests

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Another great disappointment of this summer, particularly for tourists, is the cancellation of the Edinburgh Tattoo, largely because of the lack of insurance cover. It set me on a rake through the PP archive and I discovered an interesting cutting from the Scotsman newspaper from August 1970. It features P/M George Stoddart, the Tattoo’s first ‘Lone Piper’. It reads: ‘Back with the old crowd is George Stoddart, for many years…

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Bombs and Threats of Violence and The Day Red Hackle Pipe Band Saved the Venice Film Festival

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Following the recent passing of piper Colin Murray, Hector Russell, a friend of his from their Red Hackle days, has been in touch about trips they made with the band. The first three foreign excursions by the Hackle under the leadership of P/M John Weatherston, affectionately known as ‘wee Jock’, were to Venice and to Brittany and Le Mont-Dore in France. These adventures were somewhat diverse in their purpose. The…

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Pipe Band History: Fintan Lalor Enjoy Success Under P/M Tim Keogh

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Pipe Major Tim Keogh, who had held the Pipe Sergeant position for a number of years took over the leadership of the band in 1953. Tim was an accomplished piper and violinist. He was also a gifted composer with one of his tunes, The One and Only, being dedicated to his former Pipe Major, Paddy Solan. This was a time when competition within Ireland was getting stronger with the Ballycoan…

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