Piping Press

Temper your relief at the lifting of CITES restrictions on blackwood pipes. Ivory is still, rightly, a hot topic. Travelling with tusk mounted pipes may still bring grief. Those precious Hendersons worth the customs risks? No; buy an imitation set from one of our advertisers and sleep easy. With the licence fees gone post November 30 these should be cheaper than before. Journalist and piper Tom Peterkin has been in…

Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band have sent this… Graham Drummond (27) has made the move to join Shotts and Dykehead as Pipe Sergeant following a 10 year tenure in the front rank of Field Marshal Montgomery. He joins his friend and former Field Marshal band member, P/M Emmett Conway, in the leadership team at Shotts. P/M Conway, who succeeded Ryan Canning as P/M of Shotts in September 2018, said,…

By Jimmy McIntosh MBE I do not usually get to listen to the piping programmes from Scotland but was fortunate to hear some of the competitors’ tunes from the Northern Meetings. I also recently spent several weeks in my native country and heard recordings from Lorient Piobaireachd and also the Piping Centre Masters contest. I was quite disappointed with the standard of what I heard. I don’t know what has happened…

By Robert Wallace Bagpipemakers and other musical instrument manufacturers have finally won their battle over the use of African blackwood (ABW). For almost three years UK pipe makers have had to apply for costly licences for every set of pipes they export outwith the EU. These costs have had to be passed on to customers.  An earlier announcement that restrictions were to be lifted last March was put on hold…

The Scottish Pipers’ Association Annual Juvenile competition was held today, 7th September, in the National Piping Centre (Otago Street). There was a high standard of playing in all events. Prizes were presented by Anne Lore, France, a long time supporter of the SPA. 18 and under Piob:1st Hazel Whyte 2nd Cameron May3rd Thomas Young 18 and under March: 1st Hazel Whyte2nd Thomas Young3rd Cameron May 4th Kyle Gordon  18 and under S&R:1st Cameron…