P/M Iain Macey 1955-2025

We report the passing of Pipe Major Iain Macey, a well-known professional competitor in the 1980s and 90s. He was 70. Iain was from the north east of Scotland and joined the Gordon Highlanders in 1971. His early instruction was from Major John Allan and Captain Andrew Pitkeathly at the Army School of Piping, Edinburgh Castle. He passed his Pipe Majors’ Certificate with distinction in 1978. He later moved to…

Piobaireachd Society Conference/ RSPBA Graeme Johnston Juvenile Contest

The Piobaireachd Society has formally announced details of its 2026 Annual Conference. It will be held in the Royal George Hotel, Perth, from March 27-29. The conference features four presentations: ‘The Life and Music of Bill Livingstone’ by Michael Grey, Ontario, the ‘Origins of Piobaireachd’ by Dr Hugh Cheape and Dr Peter McCalister, ‘Let Piobaireachd Flourish’, a look at ceòl mòr from a Glasgow perspective by John Mulhearn, and ‘100…

CLASP Online Winners/ Recognition for Cameron

CLASP, the Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers, runs three ‘live online’ competitions each year, writes Margaret Houlihan. This format was introduced in Covid times, but continues to grow in popularity attracting amateur adult pipers to compete ‘live’ from the comfort of their own home and from anywhere in the world. Once the live video performance is captured, these are emailed to the judges for consideration. This gives the judge a visual…

History: The Rise of Inveraray Pipe Band, Part 2

The following is the second instalment from an article in the Pipe Band Magazine of July 2009. Headlined: ‘Seventy Years On and the Bells of Inveraray Herald Town’s New Band’, it charts the resurrection of a band first founded in the 1890s. Now they are the current World Champions and P/M Liddell has four such titles to his name….. The band’s Pipe Major, Stuart Liddell, said, ‘I always had a…

The Kettlewell Legacy: Inspiring the Next Generation of Pipers

I have just finished my term as President of the Glasgow Highland Club. One of my last duties was accepting a most generous donation from the family of the late David Kettlewell. David spent a lifetime teaching youngsters the pipes and a stipulation of the gift is that it should be used as a prize for junior piping. By Colin Kerr The spark that ignited David’s lifelong love of piping happened…