I was sorry to learn the other day of the passing of Pipe Major Archie Cairns. Archie was aged 87 and throughout his life piping was central to everything he did. An obituary in Canada’s ‘Your Life Moments’ reads: ‘Peacefully at home on 1 April, 2016, at the age of 87 with daughter Fiona at his side. He was a loving and devoted son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather. Archie…
Andy Wilson, Northern Ireland, won the Piobaireachd at the annual Scottish Pipers’ Association professional contest held today at the College of Piping in Glasgow. Andy also won the overall prize. Piobaireachd: 1 Andy Wilson, Lament for Mary Macleod 2 Darach Urquhart, Lament for the Castle of Dunyveg 3 Gordon Bruce, My King has Landed in Moidart March: 1 Graham Drummond 2 Brighde Chaimbeul 3 Ross Cowan Strathspey and Reel: 1…
New addition to the PP Audio Archive today with the playing of Donald MacPherson in the Former Winners’ MSR at the Argyllshire Gathering in the early 1970s. Once more we are indebted to Breton piper Patrick Molard for sharing his archive with the rest of piping community worldwide. The recordings were done on a reel-to-reel tape machine whilst Patrick stood at the side of the competition board. Donald’s playing is…
The funeral of Willie McCallum Senior will be held on Saturday, 16 April, at 1pm at Highland Parish Church, Campbeltown. Willie (87) passed away after collapsing after attending the Donald MacLeod Memorial Competition in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. Willie was an unfailing servant of piping, though not a player himself. He was instrumental in establishing the Kintyre Piping Society and dedicated himself to its promotion over a 60 year period….
John MacPhee, former President of the Glasgow Uist & Barra Association, has kindly supplied an old cutting from the Oban Times newspaper from 1959. It features well known post war tutor and piper Roddy MacDonald and the late Kenny MacDonald. Their story reads: ‘One of the happiest men in Scotland is Roderick MacDonald, a Glasgow policeman and tutor to Kenneth MacDonald and this year’s winner of the Highland Society of…
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