Piping Press

The New Yorker magazine has published an article under the heading ‘William Barr’s Secret Passion: The Bagpipes’ with a sub heading ‘Dept. of Hot Air’. The magazine states mischeviously: ‘The Attorney General’s role in the City of Washington Pipe Band, which included Secret Service and FBI agents, may be the best evidence we have of a ‘deep state’. It reads……’This magazine has located five individuals who attest that Barr, who…

This week marked the founding of the Northern Ireland Branch of the RSPBA 70 years ago. Happy birthday! What a journey it has been. On Saturday 30th April 1949 a meeting took place in Belfast which legendary Northern Ireland pipe band administrator Eddie McVeigh regularly referred to as ‘the best day’s business ever done for piping and drumming in Northern Ireland’. The previous evening three Scottish Pipe Band Association officials, William McLean (President), RC Whitelaw…

Drumming legend Alex Connell’s funeral is on Tuesday the 7th of May at 9.45am at Daldowie Crematorium, Glasgow. There is sure to be a large representation from throughout the pipe band community, his ex-Glasgow Police colleagues and his former BB Company the 214 Glasgow. Click here for a map and directions to Daldowie Crematorium. Click here to read Ian McLellan’s moving Piping Press tribute to his former leading drummer. Pleasing that the RSPBA have…

Better known these days as a prominent member of the RSPBA’s Adjudicator Panel, Sam Young from Australia was, in his early career, a student of piobaireachd. In this interview with the Editor he talks of how he started playing and of his lessons with Bob Nicol, Balmoral, one of the great figures in 20th century piping….. My father taught me the pipes when I was a boy of nine years…

Leading drummer Alex Connell died on Saturday after several months of ill health. He was 85. Alex was a legend in the pipe band movement and won eleven Worlds titles with the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band, eight as leading drummer and three as a corps drummer under L/D John Kirkwood. Today the band’s Pipe Major during those glory years, Ian McLellan, paid a heartfelt tribute to Alex. Said Ian: ‘Alex…