Iain Speirs Impresses at Piobaireachd Society 2015 Conference (video added)

The highlight of this year’s Piobaireachd Society Conference had to be the playing of Iain Speirs, writes PS Vice President Robert Wallace. Iain, the consummate professional, was asked to illustrate a paper given by John  Shone on the life and career of one of the greatest pipers of all time, Donald MacPherson. With a beautifully set pipe, Iain thrilled the large number of attendees with outstanding performances of ceol beag, the urlars…

City of Adelaide Need Drummer/ CoP Cancel New England School

The College of Piping has cancelled its New England School for 2015 due to ‘lack of interest’. The school has been running at various venues in the north-east US for the past five years with the 2014 camp at the beautiful Endicott College in Massachusetts considered an outstanding success. Former Principal Robert Wallace, who inaugurated the school in 2010, said it was disappointing that after so much hard work in establishing it, it had…

New Letters: Crieff, Piobaireachd Embellishments etc.

Letters today from Alan Cardwell re his father Denver, Matt Pantaleoni re the Crieff debacle and Jimmy McIntosh on piobaireachd embellishments. The latter mentions John MacDonald of Inverness, Seumas MacNeill, John MacFadyen, Capt. John MacLellan, Ed Neigh, Jim McGillivray and Bob Worrall. Read all letters  here.[wds id=”8″] William MacLean’s transliteration of the Gesto Canntaireachd has just passed its 100th download. The book is free here. Read about P/M MacLean here….

Duncan Johnstone Memorial Results

Douglas Gardiner was the overall winner of the annual Duncan Johnstone Memorial Competition for B and C grade pipers held at the National Piping Centre on March 15. B Piob 1 Douglas Gardiner, Desperate Battle 2 Sarah Muir, Rory MacLoude’s Lament 3 Graham Mulholland, Lament for Patrick Og MacCrimmon 4 Steven Leask, Earl of Ross’s March 5 Duncan Beattie, Lament for Captain MacDougall Judges: N Mulvie, C MacLellan B MSR 1 Connor…

Archie Kenneth Quaich Results

This important competition for amateur piobaireachd players is organised every year by the Piobaireachd Society and always draws a very large entry. The winner this year was journalist Tom Peterkin from Edinburgh playing the Lament for Captain MacDougall. In second place was former winner Andrew Frater playing Tulloch Ard, third went to Michael Graham playing You’re Welcome Ewan Lochiel. Fourth was John Frater with MacLeod’s Controversy, fifth last year’s winner…