Pitlochry Massed Bands/ Gordon Castle Games Results/ Letters

Following on from yesterday’s story on the new P/M RG Hardie Memorial Trophy, we have uncovered the above picture from the PP archives. It is of the Massed Bands at Pitlochry Highland Games and must be from the late 1960s. In those days bands formed up in two files, a Pipe Major leading one and a Pipe Sergeant the other.  P/M Hardie is far left. To his right in the…

The P/M Robert G. Hardie Memorial Trophy to Be Competed for at the Argyllshire Gathering

Unveiled today is the new P/M Robert G. Hardie Memorial Trophy to be awarded at the games at this year’s Argyllshire Gathering for the first time. It will be presented to the winner of a new ceol beag competition for young pipers aged 22 and under – but is open only to those who have competed in the MacGregor Memorial piobaireachd competition the day before.  Previously these pipers had no competition at the…

PP Editor’s Blog: Drumming Points/ SPA KO/ Dr MacKay/ NEPADA/ NIPDS

Congratulations to last weekend’s Grade 1 winners St Laurence O’Toole at Bangor, Northern Ireland, and Scottish Power at Banchory.  It is good to see these big bands supporting the smaller contests and not just the major championships. At the latter the Power narrowly beat Fife Police on ensemble preference and at Bangor it was Field Marshal who were nudged into second on a third prize for their drummers. There has…

New Recording From Donald MacPherson with Reviews of His Performance

A new addition today to the PP Audio Archive in the shape of a fine performance by Donald MacPherson of the piobaireachd Lament for Donald Duaghal MacKay, writes the Editor. It is a masterful rendering recorded at a concert promoted by the BBC in Glasgow in 1987 and comes to us via his former pupil Donald McBride of Kansas and Donegal. Donald, part of the world-class teaching faculty at next…

Old Photograph Reveals Distinctive Mode of Dress

Following the publication of yesterday’s historic picture from the Inverness Courier, correspondent Duncan Watson, Aberdeen, has sent the one above with the following story….. This photo from the late 1920s was in the Press and Journal [newspaper], under the heading ‘Past Times.’ I don’t know who the piper was. He looks to be a confident sort of person and is turning the corner of the board with a good stride. He…