Tomorrow we’ll witness the first World Pipe Band Championship for three years. It will be a pared down event with the local authority sponsors, Glasgow Life, understandably keen to save money. There will be no Highland dancing, no heavy events and no hospitality tent. Band numbers are down to around 150; usually we break the 200 mark. However this should not be seen as a lack of enthusiasm for the…
Douglas Gardiner, President of the Eagle Pipers’ Society: ‘Would you mind publishing that we are closing the sale of tickets for the Captain John MacLellan Dinner at 23.30hrs (BST) on Sunday 14th August? ‘We have been very pleased with ticket sales so far but a few more will ensure our Treasurer can sleep easier. ‘Tickets are priced £50 and can be bought here. The selected pipers and their tunes are…
I spent a pleasant and interesting day at the Scottish Championships held in Levengrove Park, Dumbarton in the west of Scotland last Saturday. Despite encountering heavy rain on the M8 motorway during my journey early morning, it turned out to be a fine day, dull and hazy but warm in the morning, and then sunny in the afternoon. That was a total contrast to the last time the Championships were…
Solo adjudicator and former Scots Guards piper Roger Huth on the Scottish Pipe Band Chanmpionships last weekend: ‘I had the joy of wandering among the sounds of our great competing pipe bands yesterday at the Sottish Championships and seeing not a few of our superstars in action in the Grade One arena. I found rare space on a grassy rampart overlooking the hallowed spot and at 1400 the procession of…
On Sunday 10th July, I was once again pleased to judge the solo piping competitions at the Harpenden Highland Gathering in Hertfordshire, southern England. It may seem unusual that a London commuter town hosts a Highland games, but the history is an interesting story in itself. During World War 2 there was a large concentration of aircraft factories in the Harpenden, St Albans, Luton and Stevenage areas, with a high…
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