PP Editor’s Blog: Games Attendance/Bands at Bridge of Allan

There are some pretty simple solutions the Competing Pipers’ Association could enact to solve the poor turnouts at our Highland games. I hope I am not overstating the problem, but when only handfuls of pipers are turning up at the likes of Taynuilt, Lochearnhead, Markinch, Luss, Tobermory, we need to do something. Inveraray, by contrast, can attract 35 for its B grade events, 27 for the C and a healthy entry for…

Geoff Hore, Pipe Music Collector and Researcher

Robert Wallace: It is with sadness that I report the passing of Geoff Hore, Auckland, New Zealand, after a long illness. He had been suffering from motor neurone disease.  In decades of collecting pipe music books Geoff, an NZ Gold Medal piobaireachd winner, had amassed a vast collection of works and there were very few editions he did not possess, some very rare. In the last few years he had…

A Day at the Games in the West Highlands

I know I keep harping on about how enjoyable the games are, but last week at Tobermory was a blast. We met up on the Wednesday night and went for a meal, we being my fellow judges, P/Ms Ian Duncan and Ian McLellan, Andrew Frater, and piping convenor Torquil Telfer and our respective ladies.  Ian Mc is involved in the compiling of the new Argylls book of pipe tunes (Ian…

Hallkirk Games, Pacific North West Results, AP Campbell on the Games, WW1 Tunes, Tom Peterkin

Results for Hallkirk Games and in the US the Pacific Northwest band and solo competitions, have been posted on the Results pages. The picture above shows Colin Campbell, Aberlour, the Champion Piper at Hallkirk. Colin is playing at Tobermory Games in beautiful conditions under the famous piobaireachd tree. Writer, poet, broadcaster and actor Angus Peter Campbell, father of noted young player Brighde Chaimbeul, had an interesting article on the games…

A Look Back at the Scottish PB Championships and a Review of Grade 1

A very busy week in the piping and pipe band calendar ended with the Scottish Pipe Band Championships at Dumbarton on Saturday. The championship, the fourth in the RSPBA roster, was won by Ireland’s St Laurence O’Toole. Today we carry a review of the Grade 1 contest from editor Robert Wallace. Comments on his comments are welcome. The above picture shows a SLoT piper playing in front of Dumbarton Rock,…