Category: Reviews

Inveraray Concert at Ballymena – Incredible Solo from Steven McWhirter Plus Picture Gallery

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As part of their 70th year celebrations, Ballybriest Pipe Band hosted what was described as a ‘brilliant’ evening of entertainment at the ‘Live in Ballymena’ concert at the Tullyglass House Hotel, Ballymena, Northern Ireland on Friday 4th May featuring current World Champion pipe band Inveraray & District. This was the first time that Inveraray have put on a concert in Northern Ireland and under the direction of Pipe Major Stuart…

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Early Season Round-Up of Grade 2 and More – MacStig is Back!

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Some say he can drive, others that he only drives pipe majors mad…others that his spare kilt is more black mark than Black Watch…..all we know is that we hang on his every word, so let’s hear a big warm welcome back for everyone’s favourite pipe band correspondent, the one and only MacStig!…. Spring has finally sprung, a bit like the oil leak in the petrol guzzler en route from…

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PP Ed’s Blog: Fife Police/ Silver Chanter/ Ensemble Judging/ Cameron’s Winning Tune

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Congratulations to P/M Douglas Murray and his brother Jim for their ten years at the helm of the Fife Police band. It is a very difficult thing to take a band from nowhere and lead it into Grade 1 – and then start to pick up prizes among the elite. Jim, now in Western Australia, kicked things off and Douglas built on his work to such an extent that the…

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Review: Fife Police Pipe Band Concert Marks Ten Years ‘On the Beat’

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By Duncan Watson On the evening of Saturday 14th April, I attended the concert at the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen featuring the Fife Police Pipe Band hosted by Bucksburn Pipe Band. The show was entitled a ‘Decade on the Beat’ as the Fife polis band has been in existence for that time. Their progress has clearly been significant and as a result the event was most enjoyable. Sadly the likes…

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Review of the 2018 Scottish Pipers’ Association Competition

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I am not sure everyone appreciates how hard it is to produce a piobaireachd to a high professional standard. At last weekend’s Scottish Pipers’ Association contest, there were 22 competitors, all of them first class pipers. Some play in world championship winning bands; others have won major solo awards. Yet of those I heard we really only had four tunes which reached the level described in my opening sentence.  There…

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