More Information on Donald Cameron’s Powder Horn

We are grateful to piping historian Jeannie Campbell MBE for forwarding this information following last week’s article on Donald Cameron’s powder horn…. A piping competition was held on 4th October 1839 in a Pavilion at the Great Agricultural Meeting, Academy Park, Inverness, in aid of funds of the Northern Infirmary. The prizes were: 1 ‘A Handsome Bagpipe’ made by Macdonald [Donald] of Edinburgh, to Angus MacKay, piper to WF Campbell…

Lochnell Intermediate Piping Championship Results

This prestigious contest for solo pipers aged under 22 was held on October 10th, at Lochnell Castle, Benderloch, Argyll, courtesy the Earl of Dundonald. The overall champion at the 5th annual competition was Magnus Stone from Massachusetts, USA. He became the first overseas winner of the coveted title. He is 17 years old. He qualified for Lochnell by placing third in the MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd at this year’s Argyllshire Gathering….

Review: ‘Back from the Battlefield’ Recital

‘It will take more than a storm to derail me’, was Duncan MacGillivray’s response to the threat of cancellation of Inverness Piping Society’s recital last Friday night, writes Les Hutt. Duncan’s journey home was to be a serious challenge thanks to Storm Amy and the high winds and rain which blocked many roads and brought down power lines across the Highlands. Nevertheless, an enthusiastic crowd of around 60 came to…

The Importance of Schools Music Education

In Scotland we have become inured to idiotic statements from well paid public employees and politicians struggling to connect the family brain cell with their vocal cords. This produced another candidate for dunce of the decade last week. In a live-streamed statement the Head of Education at East Ayrshire Council declared her opposition to schools music teaching by stating that she was ‘no [not] really seeing the point of a…

Captain John MacLellan Draws/ Lewis& Harris Juniors/ Glengarry Cup

Sixty-three pipers have entered for the Captain John MacLellan Memorial competition to be held at the Army School HQ, Inchdrewer House, Edinburgh, tomorrow, October 4. The piping begins at 8.30am. There are graded events from P to C with an open hornpipe and jig. The draw in the P Piobaireachd is: S Leask, C Beaumont, G Brown, B Watson-Massey, I Smith, R MacLeod, W McCallum, F Johnston. In the P…