George Sherriff Amateur Invitational Results

The results for the 2021 George Sherriff Memorial Invitational were announced on Saturday, November 20, in a livestream broadcast. The winners’ names were interspersed with video recordings of the first place performances. The contest was organized virtually this year.  It was the 25th anniversary for the competition which saw the top 10 amateur pipers from Canada and the United States perform in three separate events.  By Bob Worrall The overall champion…

The Worlds: A Taste of What We’ve Been Missing

This report is from the October 2008 edition of Pipe Band Magazine….. The World Championships 2008 have been hailed the best ever. Certainly RSPBA Chief Executive Ian Embelton is convinced that last August’s spectacular event on Glasgow Green was the best since he became involved in 2001. And officials from the BBC who filmed the competition for a show broadcast on September 7 were delighted with the response from viewers….

Remembrance Week: The Meaning of Bagpipe Music on the Western Front During WW1

The piper with his bagpipes has been understood for years to be a symbol of Scottish patriotism, fierce, a brave fighter, and a cultural icon. Seeing the piper on the front lines of the First World War had the effect of energising the soldiers and lifting moral. When pipers jumped over the top of the trenches and played the pipes with no thought of their own mortality, they harkened back…

Memorial Gatherings Pay Tribute to the Late Jimmy McIntosh MBE

Two memorial services commemorate and celebrate the contribution to piping of Jimmy McIntosh MBE, who left us earlier this year.   The first was held on November 13th in Anderson, South Carolina, where we lived latterly. Piping friends from five nearby states and local friends and acquaintances gathered for a service and a ceilidh. Music continued late into the evening at the McIntosh residence.  By Joyce McIntosh The second memorial service…

MacStig Returns: Though Not a Happy Bunny, He’s Kinda 2022 Hopeful

There is little point registering the disappointment shared at the absence of the activity we are all fans of. So much water under the bridge, players sadly lost to the pandemic, lost to the bagpipe, and pages of time turned. I’ve played more board games, had overseas travel cancelled and looked at empty supermarket shelves more than I’d want to in a lifetime. The buzz of a ‘major’ venue, the…