Piping Press

The World Pipe Band Championships 2020, due to take place at Glasgow Green on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 August have been cancelled. The event, which attracts around 200 bands from around the world to compete, will return to Glasgow in 2021. The World Pipe Band Championships have been held in Glasgow every year since 1986. Inveraray and District Pipe Band are the current world champions. Ian Embelton, Chief Executive…

Time to harness the creative thoughts and banish the lockdown blues with a new piobaireachd. Piping Press is once more partnering the Shasta Piping Society in the US and Canada’s Burley Bagpipe Co. in promoting their composing competition 2020. Judges for the contest will be Piping Press Editor and Piobaireachd Society President Robert Wallace, South African piobaireachd expert Chris Terry and New Zealand’s double Gold Medallist Greg Wilson. Steve Rooklidge,…

The RSPBA have just confirmed that the Scottish Pipe Band Championships scheduled for Dumbarton on July 25 have been cancelled due to the virus epidemic. In a statement the Association said: ‘In response to the current Coronavirus outbreak (CoVid-19), and after careful consideration and discussions with West Dunbartonshire Council, we have made the decision to cancel the 2020 Scottish Pipe Band Championships in Dumbarton. ‘Our decision is based on the…

At 8pm UK time millions of people in the UK will be clapping their hands in public to show their appreciation of frontline virus health staff. Pipers are already gearing up for a blast of Scotland the Brave to go along with the clapping. Now Oban High School Pipe Band and their pipe major, the world famous Angus MacColl, are calling all bands, pipers AND drummers – to join them…

It is looking less and less likely that there will be any major pipe band championships this year. Everyone should brace themselves for cancellation of the Scottish and World Championships. Major August events such as the Edinburgh Festival and Military Tattoo have tumbled already. This pandemic is now so serious that I wonder if people’s hearts would be in it anyway. Would bands have time to prepare? Short notice could…