Strachur Junior Piping

David E Rischmiller reports: The annual Strachur and District Piping Association juniors piping competition was held again on Saturday 11th October 2014 at Strachur Primary School, Cowal, Argyll. This compertition has run for over 40 years and attracts competitors from well outside the Argyll area. This is a popular event with competitors and numbers were again very healthy. An important feature of the competition is its Piobaireachd events to encourage…

National Mod Piping (updated with jnrs.)

Champion pipers at the National Mod piping held today at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, were: Ceol Mor: 1 Sandy Cameron, Red Speckled Bull, £150 2 Colin Campbell, Corrienessan’s Sal., £100 3 Jonathan Greenlees, Lament for Donald Duaghal MacKay, £75 Ceol Beag: 1 Gordon McCready, £100 2 Gavin Ferguson, £75 3 Sandy Cameron, £50 H&J: 1 Colin Campbell 2 Gordon McCready 3 James McPhee Sandy Cameron pictured today after his big…

Northern Ireland Piper of the Year (pix added)

Robert Wallace: The overall winner of this important annual award was Graham Drummond. The competition is held over two legs, ceol mor and ceol beag. Graham placed first in the first and second in the second, giving him the overall title. Pipers submit their own choice of piobaireachd and senior competitors three MSRs and junior two. It is possible for juniors to be placed ahead of seniors, and indeed, this…

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,…