PP Editor’s Blog: South Florida/ Couer d’Alene/ NPC Juniors/ SPA KO

Well here we are in sunny Florida for the second annual South Florida Pipe and Drum Academy. The temperature is in the 70s and though there was torrential rain for a period yesterday the conditions were near perfect for our outdoor massed band. This, and all our classes, are being held at a fine facility belonging the  Boca Raton Fire Department and our grateful thanks and that of the 45…

A Look Back at Pipe Bands in the Summer of ’08

The following is from the Pipe Band Magazine of October 2008 and was written by the then senior adjudicator Alistair Aitken in his ‘Judge’s Journal’ column for the magazine. The article was headlined: ‘Burst Bags and Drumskins – Adjudicator Experiences Over the Summer ‘: ‘Since the last edition of the magazine the competition season, including Major Championships, has been in full swing.  Inevitably the unexpected tends to happen when things…

PP Editor’s Blog: Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band/ SG KO/ Willie Ross/ Metro Cup

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…

Donald MacLeod Memorial Competition Details Announced

The Annual Donald MacLeod MBE Memorial Piping Competition 2016 details have been announced. The contest, featuring some of the leading pipers in the world, is to be held in the Caladh Inn, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, on 8th April 2016. The piping begins at 10.15am, and, as last year, may be livestreamed over the internet. Competitors are as follows: Callum Beaumont, winner of the 2015 Northern Meeting Clasp Finlay Johnston,…

Field Marshal Concert/ CLASP/ CPA Poll/ Guide to the Games/ Letter

Former World Champions, Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band have announced that the audience can help pick the tunes for next August’s sure-to-be-a sell-out concert in Glasgow. The band have posted a form on their website asking for suggestions: ‘Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band is delighted to be returning to the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall to perform at the prestigious pre-Worlds concert on Wednesday 10th August, 2016. Hosted by the Glasgow Skye Association…