Entries Open for Archie Kenneth Quaich

The 34th annual amateur Piobaireachd Society competition for the Archie Kenneth Quaich will take place on Saturday, 28th February 2026, writes Peter McCalister. The venue is the rooms of the Royal Scottish Pipers Society, 127 Rose St North Lane, Edinburgh EH2 4BB, starting at 9.30am.  Entries and enquiries to peter.mccalister1939@gmail.com. The closing date for entries is 12th January 2026. The winner receives the Quaich and the Piobaireachd Society pipe banner….

Editor’s Notebook: The Demise of G1 Pipe Bands/ SPA Juveniles/ Donald Cameron’s Powder Horn/ Keith Sanger

To lose two Grade 1 pipe bands in one week is dispiriting news. Closkelt and Johnstone have gone to the wall both victims of a lack of numbers. Will those in authority wake up? How long has this column, and significant cadre of our readers, been banging on about the need to restrict sizes in Grade One? Don’t the bigwigs at the RSPBA realise that if you allow unlimited numbers…

New Jack Lee Contest Announced in Canada

The British Columbia Pipers’ Association (BCPA) is thrilled to announce the launch of the Jack Lee Amateur Invitational Piping Competition, writes David Hilder, President. This exciting new annual event will celebrate the art of piobaireachd and showcase the top piping talent in the amateur grades of the Association. The inaugural competition will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at the Seaforth Armoury in Vancouver. This new invitational honours the remarkable…

2025 Nicol-Brown Chalice Results

This important invitational amateur competition, now in its 42nd year, was held in St Mark’s Presbyterian Church, Rockville, Maryland, USA, on October 11. Competitors are pictured above. Overall Championship: 1 Alex Pavlovic, $1,000 (to be spent on travel to compete at an event approved by the Nicol-Brown Committee) 2 Colin Richdale, $500 3 Jean-Sébastien Gamache, $400 4 Liam Horne, $300 5 Abby Long, $200. Invitations are based on results in…

National Mòd Piping Results

A busy day of competition at the National Mòd held at Lochaber High School, Fort William, on Saturday, 10th October. There were very good numbers for B grades and the children’s competitions. P/A Piobaireachd 1 Cameron May, Lament for the Children2 Darach Urquhart, Lament for the Earl of Antrim 3 Angus MacPhee, Lament for MacLeod of Colbeck P/A MSR1 John Dew2 Sandy Cameron3 Calum Watson B Piobaireachd 1 Jonathon Simpson, Lament for…