PP Ed's Blog: Messages of Support/ RSPBA Strathspeys/ Ross MacNaughton/ Writing 3/4s

Thank you to the thousands of readers we had yesterday for my piece on the insult suffered by Senior Adjudicator Barry Donaldson. Thanks too for all the comments. No true friend of Barry’s can be happy at this situation and I would invite those so inclined to send him a message of support. The silence in some quarters has been deafening – as expected. Here are a few of the…

John Retires With a Look Back at Northern Ireland's 2017 Band Scene

After ten years of covering pipe band events and competitions John Kelly (RSPBANI Honorary Vice-President) has decided to pack away the Nikon D3 camera, hang up the now familiar straw hat and retire from the pipe band scene.  In concluding this ‘Review of 2017’ John would like to thank his many pipe band and drum major friends for many special memories and wish them every success in 2018. January (pic…

Adjudicator Reveals Detailed Content and Source of Emails

The following statement was made today by Mr Barry Donaldson to his fellow adjudicator members of the Solo Piping Judges Association (SPJA). A copy has been passed to Piping Press and is reproduced here. Text in bold is Mr Donaldson’s emphasis. The statement reads:   Fellow Adjudicators, Many of you will now be aware of the apology published a few days ago by the College of Piping.  This relates to…

PP Ed's Blog: Cailean's Last Show/ Piob Soc Conf/ West Fife Band Plea/ New Music/ College Board

Cailean MacLean’s last broadcast as presenter of ‘Crunluath’ the Gaelic piping programme is on Thursday (Dec 14) at 4pm. Cailean is stepping down after 20 years at the mic. I don’t know who the Beeb has lined up to follow him but his are a difficult set of brogues to fill. Cailean was also the piping convenor at the Skye Gathering for many years, a post now held by Cameron…

New Film About the Boys Brigade and the 214 BB Pipe Band/ Troon Blackrock Recruiting

A new video about the Boys Brigade in general and the 214th Glasgow Company and its famous pipe band has been posted on the Pipers Persuasion website. The video, by Pipers Persuasion editor and publisher Allan Hamilton,  features Piping Press editor Robert Wallace who was a member of the 214 ‘piping academy’ which also spawned P/M Ian McLellan of Strathclyde Police Pipe Band and many other top players. The video…