History: P/M William Fergusson, Dornie Ferry and Loch Duich – Part 2

Solo adjudicator John Don MacKenzie concludes his interesting feature on the great composer Willie Fergusson and some of his tunes……. There were a number of pipers from Dornie who joined the Scots Guards under P/M Willie Ross – one being my granny’s brother Christopher MacRae, Lag. Another was Kenny MacKay, who after the war became keeper at Pait Lodge in the remote Loch Monar area north of Strathfarrar. He had…

Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust Summer School

Lee Moore writes: SSPDT are holding a five-day piping and drumming workshop from Mon 24 – Fri 28 July 10 am – 3pm each day. The summer school is open to all young pipers/chanter players, snare drummers and bass and tenor drummers in East Lothian, writes Lee Moore.  The venue is Port Seton Community Centre. Please note the change of venue which offers us great facilities to run our school. The…

Piobaireachd by the Sea/ New England Pipe & Drum Academy Workshop

The organisers of the ‘Pibroch by the Sea’ event have announced a masterclass by Jimmy McIntosh and Herve Le Floc’h. Other details: This will be the 13th year of the popular event held at the Breton seaside. Dates are September 16 and 17. The Saturday Masterclass begins at 9.30 and costs €30. Venue is the Ecole de mer Hériot – Port-Mer (direction camping municipal). Lunch included in fee. Cheques to Christian VILLEJIQUEL…

PP Ed’s Blog: Old Pipes v New/ Gordon McCready/ Strathallan School/ Drumlough PB

I read the other day that according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences an extensive study has shown that audiences actually prefer the sound of newer violins over those made by master craftsmen such as Antonio Stradivari. Violin acoustics expert Professor Claudia Fritz, of the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris, asked seven world famous soloists to play at concert halls in Paris and…

Ardrossan Games Juniors – Updated with Pix

A successful day of junior piping in damp, blustery conditions with the young pipers coping well with the weather. The pictures are of the prizewinners. 15 & Under MSR 1 Luke Kennedy 2 Ross Connor 3 Hazel Whyte 4 Bobby Allen 15 & Under Piobaireachd Ground 1 Thomas Young 2 Christopher McCarten 3 Callum Norrington 4 Calum Penman 18 & Under Jig 1 Finlay Frame 2 Rebecca Paterson 3 Lewis…