Piping Press

Next year, for the first time in its history, the Northern Meeting in Inverness will be held before the Argyllshire Gathering. The dates for the NM at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, are Thursday 20th and Friday 21st of August, 2020 Piping Convenor Alan Forbes confirmed today. Said Mr Forbes: ‘As you may have heard Eden Court Theatre has booked another event for the week next year in which we normally…

One hundred years ago, on the seventh of August 1919, Donald Ramsay was born a farmer’s son near the West Lothian village of Torphichen, Bathgate. He began his piping under Alexander ‘Sandy’ Forrest, pipe major of the local band and a noted pupil of John MacDougall Gillies. By Robert Wallace Donald immediately showed great promise and soon won everything available to him in the amateur ranks venturing north to the…

A first look today at the new, £1m custom refurbishment of the RSPBA’s Headquarters in Washington Street, Glasgow. Sanctioned by the Association’s Board of Directors three years ago, the new building is scheduled for opening in May or June of next year. Fire, caused by a faulty radiator, severely damaged the main headquarters building in 2017. An insurance claim of £120,000 was paid and added to the substantial building fund…

The death has been reported in New Zealand of one of the great pipe band side drummers of the 20th century, Robert Turner. Robert was trained in the 214 Boys Brigade pipe band in Glasgow and after winning all the Juvenile titles with that band went on to take over as leading tip of the legendary Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band. There he won five World Championships in a row…

This year again, ‘Pibroch by the Seaside’ at Cancale (Brittany) was a success. This was the 15th year of the event. The weekend started on Saturday 14th September with a piobaireachd workshop which attracted pipers from various parts of the world, France, Holland and California, under the expert guidance of Jakez Pincet, Pierre Gallais and Hervé Le Floc’h, with the support of the Piobaireachd Society. The following day, as every year,…