Category: Reviews

Editor’s Notebook: Northern Winter School/ Talk Piobaireachd/ Calum’s New Book/ John Dew/ Col. Alastair Campbell

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We had several hours to kill before our flight home from the Northern Winter School and accepted an invitation of a short tour of the nearest great city, Hamburg, from our generous guides Frank and Kirsten. Hamburg vies with Rotterdam as the most important port on mainland Europe. A previous tax-free enclave made it a world centre for coffee roasting. Much of the old quarter is built on oak piles…

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The Glenfiddich Championship – A View from a Rookie Piobaireachd Player

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For those of you who are regular readers of Piping Press this will be something of a departure from the usual informed reporting you might read here. However I would hope that it is an opportunity to consider a refreshing vision of last weekend’s Glenfiddich championship. Over a long period of time I have had a passing acquaintance with piobaireachd. I have always listened to it and in the 80s…

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New Book Review: ‘Grey’s Notes on a Life Around Bagpipes’

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This is the recently published book penned by an esteemed piper, superb composer, internationally famous teacher, overall music master and consummate Bard. My tongue is firmly in my cheek I hear you say. Certainly not. Who am I talking about? None other than Ontario’s Michael Grey. Mike, I have you up there with the best. By Barry Donaldson This book is an autobiographical account of his life and times as…

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Scotland County Highland Games A Huge Success As Live Competition Returns In the American South

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Held in a region which was densely populated by Highland Scots beginning in the 18th century, the Scotland County Highland Games, in Laurinburg, North Carolina, USA, returned in great fashion after a two year hiatus.  A record crowd of almost 7,000 attendees witnessed a full day of events. It is a small Highland Games but this year quite significant as, if all our research proves to be accurate, which I…

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Argyllshire Gathering Score Major Success with New Intermediate Piping Championship

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The Lochnell Estate lies low on a wooded spit of land jutting out into the Firth of Lorne. Sheltered on its eastern lee sits a castle, home of the Cochrane clan for 100 years and the Campbells for centuries before. For most of last Saturday its ancient walls resounded to the call of the bagpipe. There may have been some unkind things said about the sea-going Cochranes back in Admiral…

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