PP Editor’s Blog: John MacDougall/ Joe Wilson/ South Florida

A sad loss this week with the passing of John MacDougall. John was a hugely respected figure and a great example to the younger generation of solo competitors with his dedication to his art, his prodigious ability. On the boards he was a fearsome competitor, very seldom ever opening the door to a rival with a slip or a poor pipe or a missed taorluath; off the boards a thorough…

Tributes for the Late John MacDougall 1936 – 2016

Dozens of tributes have been paid to John MacDougall since his death was announced yesterday. John(80), one of the world’s most outstanding pipers, died peacefully in his sleep at home in Kincraig on Speyside. He had suffered ill-health for a number of years but still managed to get out to judge at the games at the major competitions at Oban and Inverness, often with the use of a wheelchair and with…

History: Eight Times World Champions, Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band

One of the great pipe bands of days gone by was the Clan MacRae Society. Piping and Dancing Magazine of 1936 detailed the for­mation of the now defunct band,  and its progress up the competition ladder …  The Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band was formed in the autumn of 1913 by the late Pipe Major Farquhar MacRae, under the name The City of Glasgow Pipe Band. The majority of the original members…

Donald MacLeod Memorial Competition Details Announced

The Annual Donald MacLeod MBE Memorial Piping Competition 2016 details have been announced. The contest, featuring some of the leading pipers in the world, is to be held in the Caladh Inn, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, on 8th April 2016. The piping begins at 10.15am, and, as last year, may be livestreamed over the internet. Competitors are as follows: Callum Beaumont, winner of the 2015 Northern Meeting Clasp Finlay Johnston,…

PP Editor’s Blog: Highland & Islands Festival/ Sandy Hain’s Music/ Old Results

Riona MacInnes of the Highlands & islands Festival has sent this: ‘We now have a Facebook page which is being regularly updated and if you have a look at that you will see that the syllabus is now available and the entries are to be in for 14th March. We are trying to be a bit more rigid this year about pipers changing their tunes at the last minute and I…