History: Roderick MacDonald and His Pupil Kenneth MacDonald

John MacPhee, former President of the Glasgow Uist & Barra Association, has kindly supplied an old cutting from the Oban Times newspaper from 1959. It features well known post war tutor and piper Roddy MacDonald and the late Kenny MacDonald.  Their story reads: ‘One of the happiest men in Scotland is Roderick MacDonald, a Glasgow policeman and tutor to Kenneth MacDonald and this year’s winner of the Highland Society of…

Donald MacLeod Memorial Competition Results – Pix Added

The Annual Donald MacLeod Memorial Competition was held today  in Stornoway, isle of Lewis, with eight of the world’s top pipers vying with each other for overall champion title. The champion was Stuart Liddell who is pictured above receiving the winners’ trophy from Donald’s daughter Fiona. Results: Piobaireachd 1 Stuart Liddell 2 Callum Beaumont 3 William McCallum 4 Angus MacColl MSR 1 William McCallum 2 Stuart Liddell 3 Angus MacColl…

PP Ed’s Blog: Thoughts on Pipe Band Judging/ Piping at Forres Tickets/ Donald MacLeod Contest/NEPADA Discount

One fact that emerged from yesterday’s story concerning the RSPBA’s Adjudicator Panel was this: the passion and concern everyone involved has for the pipe band art. The judges themselves are dedicated to trying to get their results correct and to have in place the best system that allows that to happen. It is inevitable that there will be clashes of personality and disputes over how this should best be done. In…

New Recordings for PP Audio Archive – Ceol Beag and Ceol Mor

We are indebted to Breton piper Patrick Molard for supplying two outstanding recordings for the PP Audio Archive today. They are of two giants of the post war piping world, Hugh MacCallum and John MacFadyen Both were made at the Argyllshire Gathering, Oban, in 1971, and whilst for the ceol beag there is some interference from the announcer’s loudspeaker, one gets the true atmosphere of the games and one of…

SPA KO/ Letters re 6/8 Marches/ British PB Champs Entries

President Tom Johnstone of the Scottish Pipers’ Association on the latest semi-final of the SPA KO: ‘Both players gave superb performances tonight (Sat, April 2) and the audience vote went to Stuart Liddell. ‘Steven Leask lost the toss and played first, and played exceedingly well. Stuart started and finished his performance with what seems to have become his trademark – marching in playing and marching out playing at the end.  …