After the Second World War the band recruited Pipe Major Harry Sawyers as their tutor and this led to great success through the decade and into the 1950s. In addition to the successes he achieved with the band, of equal importance was his ability as a teacher to improve the tuning and playing techniques of the band’s many young members. This tutelage would prove paramount during the decades that followed….

David Ogilivie has sent this regarding our recent articles on the Red Hackle band: ‘I loved the stories about the Hackle. There was a photo of the band that hung in MacLeod Highland Supplies in Bridgegate, Glasgow, for many years. ‘When Donald [Gibson] was retiring and closing up shop, I asked if I could have this photo as it was most likely getting binned. It’s from 1953 and would be…

The following is abridged from an article by Stephen Sedley in a recent edition of the London Review of Books … In 1957 Vera Lynn, who died this summer aged 103, recorded a song called ‘Travellin’ Home’. It was an instant hit, selling thousands of copies. On hearing it, London publisher J. Curwen & Sons noticed a striking similarity to their song ‘Westering Home’ published in 1939 and by Sir…

During the 1960s and 70s the Robert Armstrong Memorial Pipe Band dominated the Irish pipe band scene with one of their main rivals being St Patrick’s, Donaghmore. While both bands have long since departed the scene the Belfast-based RAMS as they were known remain revered with a considerable amount of information available compared to that of the St Patrick’s band who in their day were also trail blazers. During the lockdown I contacted…

I have it on good authority that we have seen the last of the Piping Times. If my information is correct, and I have no reason to doubt it, this is more grim news in piping’s grimmest of grim years. It gives me no pleasure at all to write this article. I was editor of the magazine for 15 years from 1999 – 2014. I gave my journalistic best to…