Paisley Centre Stage for Annual West of Scotland Branch Contest

Glasgow and West of Scotland Branch of the RSPBA will hold their innovative annual competition in Paisley Town Centre tomorrow (July 22). In the above picture Johnstone Pipe Band celebrate after their success at the 2016 contest. The official publicity release reads: ‘Paisley town centre will welcome some of Scotland’s top piping talent for the annual Paisley Pipe Band Competition tomorrow. ‘The event, which is in its eighth year, will see…

Jennifer Makes the National News After Altercation with Airline

RSPBA adjudicator Jennifer Hutcheon featured in a story in Scotland’s Daily Record newspaper this morning after she was escorted from a flight for refusing to put her pipes in the hold. Jennifer is pictured above piping at another memorial service. The paper reported: ‘A Scots pensioner was thrown off a flight — for refusing to place her bagpipes in the plane’s hold. World champion piper Jennifer Hutcheon was frogmarched across the airport…

Bands: Grade 2 Mid Season Update and Look Ahead/ Co. Antrim Champs.

Our Special Correspondent has been covering our important Grade 2 contests all season. His reporting and comment has been very well received by the bandsmen and women in this grade and he has highlighted some of the excellent playing you can hear in this grade. Today he takes stock of their season so far…. With a number of Grade 2 overseas bands slated to play at Glasgow Green in August…

PP Editor’s Blog: Big Games Weekend/ Trust Job/ Wallace Website/ Mgt. Bennett/ All-Irelands

Big weekend of games ahead. Some say it is the start of the games season proper (it is the Glasgow Fair holiday period) though there have been plenty of good contests running since the end of May. Tomorrow we have piping at Balloch, Inverness and Tomintoul and on Sunday at Roseneath. Check here for results as we get them. Next week we have Inveraray on Tuesday, South Uist on Wednesday,…

William Grant Foundation Funding For Piping – 2016 Report

The William Grant Foundation reduced sponsorship cash disbursed through the National Piping Centre in Glasgow from £145,000 in 2015 to £140,000 in 2016. Further cuts to this figure have been hinted at for this year as the Foundation, the charity wing of the whisky giant, re-aligns its contributions to deserving causes in Scotland, writes the Editor.  William Grant & Sons’ generosity towards our art is legion. Their largesse is now administered…