Results from the Festival Interceltique at Lorient

The Lorient Festival is being held this week in Brittany, France. It is the biggest festival of Celtic music in the world and each year hosts important piping competitions with some of the highest prize money available to the solo piper, writes Younn Pensec. Piobaireachd: 1 Fred Morrison, Scotland (Scarce of Fishing) £380 2 Robert Watt, Northern Ireland (Corrienessan’s Salute) 3 David Shedden, Scotland (The Big Spree) 4 Stuart Easton, NZ…

Pacific Northwest Highland Games

BC Pipers President Robert MacNeill: Partial results of the 2016 Pacific Northwest Highland Games and BCPA Grand Aggregate Awards Under pleasant weather, the final highland games on the BC Pipers’ Association circuit, the 2016 Pacific Northwest Highland Games was held on July 30 & 31 at the Enumclaw Expo Center in Enumclaw, WA. One hundred and five  solo players and 13 bands competed. Jack Lee won the Open Piping Aggregate, Kyle…

PP Editor’s Blog: Silver Chanter/ Letters/ Comments/ Games/ Nicol-Brown/ Bill Blacklaw

Congratulations to Iain MacFadyen on completing 50 years attendance at the Silver Chanter competition held this week at Dunvegan Castle, Skye. Iain’s family has had a long association with the competition and with the island. His brother John, who had a home there, was one of the Chanters’ co-founders back in the late 60s. The family connection with the Misty Isle continues with Cameron MacFadyen, Iain’s nephew, taking over from…

A Look Back At The Grade 1 Contest at the Scottish Championships

I didn’t think Saturday’s Grade 1 contest was reflected in the way the summaries eventually showed. For me there were three bands in the mix for first at Dumbarton: Field Marshal, St Laurence and Inveraray. The title could have gone to either one and no one could have complained. That said, Inveraray’s four straight first places tells its own story and I bow to the superior insight and positioning of…

Inveraray Proclaimed Scottish Champions

Inveraray & District Pipe Band picked up their second major title of the season when they  took first place at the Scottish Championships Grade 1 contest held today at Levengrove Park, Dumbarton. Previously P/M Stuart Liddell’s band had won the first major of the season, the British at Paisley. Today, a total of 141 bands competed on what was a briefly showery but cold day on the banks of the River…