Gates opened at 9am today for the final European Pipe Band Championships to be held at Grant Park, Forres. Good weather is forecast with warm, dry conditions for the 110 competing bands. A large crowd is expected with the organisers ‘Piping at Forres’ attracting a wide range of stallholders and catering outlets. A Park & Ride facility will operate from the east end of the town at the Forres…
Pipe band expert Alistair Aitkendiscusses the pipe band season so far… By Alistair Aitken OBE Since the British Pipe Band Championships at Paisley on 19 May there have been numerous local competitions throughout the UK as well as the UK Pipe Band Championships in Belfast. What has struck me in particular about the majority of local competitions is the reducing numbers of band entries. Contests which in the past have…
The recent 11th Singapore South-East Asian Pipe Band Championships again highlighted the strong connection between Australia and countries in the region. Two Australian bands were among 10 bands competing this year – Perth Highland and Scots School Albury which was announced winners of both the Grade 4 and Juvenile championships. A number of expat Australians were also part of other bands including Hong Kong which won Grade 3. The Singapore Pipe…
With the Highland town of Forres girding its loins to welcome, for the last time, the RSPBA European Championship, the melting tar or the roads north will be well beaten by the end of the weekend. For Southern France read Northern Scotland – don’t forget hats and sun protection, writes MacStig. Our Grade 2 contest has a very different complexion from just two weeks ago in Belfast where the Mac…
Duncan Watson’s comments on the Donald MacDonald Cuach a couple of days ago were pertinent. Why is it that those who play in this contest stick slavishly to the scores as produced by the pioneer of stave writing? The results are incompatible with traditional teaching, teaching stretching back, at the very least, to the time of Calum ‘Piobair’ Macpherson (1883 -1898), pictured above. We know this from the School of…
Recent Comments