Northern Ireland Pipe Band Round Up

All-Ireland Pipe Band Championships: The spacious grounds of Ballymena Academy were the venue for Ireland’s premier pipe band competition which took place on Saturday 1st July. The weather was ever changing but never cold. The popularity and importance of this competition to the pipe band fraternity on the island of Ireland was illustrated by a large attendance as friendships were made or renewed around the arenas and tuning areas. The variable…

Mighty Creighton Takes British Solo Drumming Title

The British Adult Solo Snare Drumming Championship was held today in Glasgow and organised by the RSPBA’s Glasgow & West of Scotland Branch. The winner was Stephen Creighton, Leading Drummer of St Laurence O’Toole Pipe Band, Dublin. Piping for Stephen was Lee Moore also of SLOT (see pic below). 1st place – Stephen Creighton, St. Lawrence O’Toole 2nd place – Grant Cassidy, Uddingston 3rd place – Ryan King, Edradour Pitlochry…

North Berwick Grade 1 Band Results

Warm with the occasional heavy rain shower on the east coast. A strong lineup of bands in the last contest before the Worlds. The Grade 1 MSR contest was open to Grade 2 bands who wished to “play up”. Overall1 Inveraray2 Boghall3 Scottish Power Medley1 Inveraray 2 Boghall 3 Scottish Power 4 Shotts5 Manawatu (NZ)6 Canterbury (NZ)Judges: T Brown, B Donaldson (Piping), D Millar (Drums), R Worrall (Ensemble) MSR1 Boghall…

Lorient 2023 Results: MacCrimmon Trophy, Piobaireachd, Young Piper and G1 Bands

25th Annual Piobaireachd Competition, Aug. 7; nine competed   1 Brendan Eade (NZ), Rout of the Lowland Captain2 Hervé Le Floc’h (Brittany), MacCrimmon‘s Sweetheart3 Chris MacDonald (Aust.), Queen Elizabeth II’s Salute 4 Joshua Chandler(Aust.), Lament for the Only Son5 Andrew Carlisle (Northern Ireland), Lament for the Earl of Antrim Other competitors: Quentin Meunier (Brittany), The Vaunting; Stuart Liddell, Lament for the Laird of Annapool; Robert Watt, Corrienessan’s Salute; Calum Kaye (Scotland), The Groat. Judges: I Duncan, T Johnstone. 41st MacCrimmon Trophy, Aug. 6; 12 competed. The winner for the second time was Stuart Liddell who…

The Life and Death of Gold Medallist and Military Hero – P/M William Mackie

Last week we reported correspondence from Mrs Rhonda Whitmarsh-Knight who was trying to trace photographs and information about her Gold Medal-winning grandfather, P/M William Mackie KOSB, who died fighting the Japanese in Hong Kong in 1941. PP readers responded magnificently to the challenge and we are particularly grateful to Ron Abbot, David Livingstone and Trevor Clydesdale for their input carried below. Pipe Major William Keith Craigie Mackie was born in Edinburgh…