Tom Johnstone, President of the Scottish Pipers’ Association, has responded to our call for more on the demise of the celebrated Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band by forwarding a couple of pictures from the last days of the band. Tom writes: ‘The first [below] is of Donald MacDonald, brother of the late Willie (Benbecula), who now lives in the Inverness area, helping someone on with his plaid. The second [top] is…
A sad loss this week with the passing of John MacDougall. John was a hugely respected figure and a great example to the younger generation of solo competitors with his dedication to his art, his prodigious ability. On the boards he was a fearsome competitor, very seldom ever opening the door to a rival with a slip or a poor pipe or a missed taorluath; off the boards a thorough…
One of the great pipe bands of days gone by was the Clan MacRae Society. Piping and Dancing Magazine of 1936 detailed the formation of the now defunct band, and its progress up the competition ladder … The Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band was formed in the autumn of 1913 by the late Pipe Major Farquhar MacRae, under the name The City of Glasgow Pipe Band. The majority of the original members…
Get along to the Wheel of Fortune contest this afternoon if you can. Top class solo piping in a relaxed and good-humoured atmosphere guaranteed. The pipers are Finlay Johnston, Douglas Murray, Callum Beaumont, Chris Armstrong, Angus Nicholson, Brian Lamond, Jonathan Greenlees and Alasdair Henderson. Venue is Danderhall Miners Club south of Edinburgh. Neil Clarke of the Falkirk Trinity Piping Society has sent this: ‘The Society is very much in…
Forget the house or the car. The most important decision a piper has to make is the instrument he buys. Get it wrong and face years of wasteful and expensive plumbing trying to make something out of a very bad situation. Get it right and you can have hours of musical satisfaction from an instrument that is easy to reed, steady, and an all round pleasure to play. In short,…
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