Category: Pipe Bands

Worlds Bounces Back With Strong Entry and Interest from Around the World

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The World Pipe Band Championship has staged a full recovery from the dark days of the pandemic. 190 bands have entered for the competition to be staged at Glasgow Green on August 18 and 19. Last year, still covid-affected, there were 147. Whilst the 190 figure is about 30 bands short of the record of a few years ago, officials at promoters Glasgow Life and the RSPBA are ‘delighted’ with…

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The Australian Ladies Pipe Band – The Definitive History Part 1

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I have read the various stories on Piping Press concerning the Australian Ladies. According to newspaper reports, on their arrival in Glasgow on Thursday, August 26th, en route to Cowal, the band was welcomed at the station by 42,000 enthusiastic citizens and the Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band, the champion band of Scotland, under their P/M William Fergusson, which played them to their hotel. Membership of the band was restricted…

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Set of Smallpipes for Sale/ Piobaireachd by the Sea/ Piping Livestream/ Northern Ireland Bands

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Pipemaker Brian Mulhearn: ‘I have a set of smallpipes for sale. They are a new ‘A’ set made by myself and are boxwood with blackwood mounts. ‘They come with a boxwood or blackwood chanter and a quality set of bellows and are reeded up and ready to play. Price £975.’ Email Brian here. PIOBAIREACHD by the SEA Piping Press editor Robert Wallace will conduct a piobaireachd masterclass at the annual…

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Editor’s Notebook: Reid Letters/ Festival Contest/ Tony Lightfoot/ MacLellan Contest/ Piping Live March

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Comparisons are odious as they say, but it is a habit in which we pipers just can’t help indulging. For example, Robert Reid jnr., we read this week, believed Malcolm Macpherson a better player than the Bobs of Balmoral. I don’t suppose we’ll ever know. The ‘Binneas’ recordings of Malcolm are very poor and I know of no others of him. There are good recordings of RB Nicol and RU…

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MacDougall of Aberfeldy, the Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria and Dunolly House

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I noticed the brief feature on Piping Press concerning the sale of Dunolly House, Aberfeldy, and its association with the MacDougall pipemakers. Some facts and dates concerning Duncan MacDougall’s places of residence and his being a ‘Royal piper’. These are all from my ‘Bagpipe Makers’ books. By 1873 Duncan MacDougall was piper to Breadalbane at Taymouth Castle but he continued his pipe making business in Aberfeldy. By Jeannie Campbell Duncan’s…

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