John MacLellan Memorial (Update 3 – critique and pix added)

Robert Wallace reports: Faye Henderson won the overall trophy at today’s Captain John MacLellan Memorial competition held at the Army School of Piping at Inchdrewer House, Edinburgh. This was a superb day of piping organised with perfect precision by the Director of Army Bagpipe Music, Major Steven Small, and his assistant P/M Scott Methven. The standard was extremely high with the judges declaring Faye Henderson’s performance of Donald Gruamach’s March…

Gairloch Iain Dall Young Pipers Festival

The prestigious Ishbel McAskill Memorial Prize for an Original Composition, Open to all Under 18 Pipers, was awarded to eleven year-old Archie MacLean from Edinbane at The Iain Dall Young Pipers Festival in Gairloch on Saturday 27th September. At the conclusion of a most successful event which saw a record number of entries from the Highlands and Islands, the judge, Major Bruce Hitchings, co-opted well-known piper Duncan MacGillivray to assess,…

Argyllshire Gathering – the 2014 Gold Medal

An Engrossing Day of Ceol Mor at Oban 2014 By Robert Wallace Argyllshire Gathering, August 27th and 28th, 2014. Those of us honoured with being asked to judge at the Argyllshire Gathering  meet the evening beforehand to receive our instructions from Piping Steward Jamie Mellor and his Assistant Torquil Telfer.  It is always a convivial gathering with a distinct air of expectation for the morrow and the main…read more…

All-Ireland Solos

FMM piper Ashley McMichael (above) carried on his good form from the Northern Meeting at Inverness (1st B grade MSR) by winning the MSR and Piobaireachd runner-up titles at the All-Ireland Solos. Contest co-ordinator Mervyn Herron reports: ‘The 2014 All Ireland Solos were staged yesterday [Sept 20] in Monkstown Community School with a large crowd in attendance to listen to all the various grades. It started at 10 am and…

Springbank Invitational

This prestigious competition run by the Kintyre Piping Society was held today in the Seafield Hotel, Campbeltown. Sponsor is Springbank Malt Whisky Piob: 1 Stuart Liddell, Lament for the Laird of Anapool 2 Roderick MacLeod, Isabel MacKay 3 Iain Speirs, Donald Gruamach 4 Callum Beaumont, Lament for Ronald MacDonald of Morar MSR: 1 Angus MacColl 2 William McCallum 3 Roderick MacLeod 4 Callum Beaumont H&J: 1 Angus MacColl 2 Gordon…