Ceol Mor Concert Tickets Available/ AG Judges/ Blair Atholl Gathering

Tickets for the eagerly anticipated concert of ceol mor to be held in Edinburgh this August are now on sale via the Fringe Festival Box Office priced £10. The date is Sunday, August 12, at 7pm. The venue is the newly refurbished, 200-seat St Cecilia’s Hall, Edinburgh. The concert is expected to finish around 9.30pm and there will be a small reception afterwards. Click here to reserve your briefs for what…

PP Ed's Blog: Government Funding for Piping/ Argyllshire Gathering/ RSPBA Indoor/ Mystery Piper

I have some sympathy with composer Sir James MacMillan’s stance on Government interference in the arts. ‘Art for art’s sake’ it has to be. Sir James was writing after the latest tranche of grants was announced by Creative Scotland, the Government’s cash for culture coordinators. Sir James reminded readers in The Times of a meeting called by Fiona Hyslop the Scottish Government’s Arts Minister last May. ‘National Culture Strategy’ was…

Dress at Oban and Inverness and the Standard of Play in B Grade Events

A last look at the piping at the 2017 Northern Meeting today. Before that a word about Oban and its dress code. Pipers at the Argyllshire Gathering are permitted to play without jackets. The rooms get hot at times and the laudable aim of the organisers is to make the competitors as comfortable as possible in the pressure cooker atmosphere of the small theatre at the Corran Halls and in…

Some Personal Reflections on the 2017 Ceol Mor Competitions at Oban and Inverness

Chris Terry has studied ceol mor throughout his life. In his competing years he won many top prizes in Scotland including several placings in the Gold Medal and this despite the necessity of having to travel thousands of miles each year at great expense to do so. He has been solo piping champion of South Africa on innumerable occasions. We are very grateful to Chris for taking the time to…

The Argyllshire Gathering and a Look Back at Day 1- New Pic Added

Well that’s the Argyllshire over for another year, and despite the difficulties some individuals try to throw in the way of this great gathering, I think it would be fair to say it all went off with nary a hitch, writes the Editor. All credit to Piping Convenor Torquil Telfer, his assistant Jamie Mellor and their stewards.  From speaking to the judges we had the usual mix of brilliant performances…