All the excitement of top class piping competition was contained neatly in Eden Court Theatre and its environs for the 2023 Northern Meeting. The NM committee and staff could not have been more welcoming, putting nervous pipers, inquisitive visitors, doddery judges at their ease the moment they stepped through the theatre’s glass doored maw. The bar prices were reasonable too so people were more inclined to hang around chatting in…

To win a Gold Medal is the high point in any piper’s career. Fifty years ago, on September 14 1973, Dr Jack Taylor made his own little bit of history when as an ‘unknown piper’ he took the coveted award at the Northern Meeting in Inverness. Today, on the eve of the 2023 Meetings, Dr Taylor recounts to our Editor some of his memories from that important day half a…