Pipers for the Inaugural Argyllshire Gathering Intermediate Championship Announced

This prestigious competition for junior professional pipers will be held at Lochnell Castle, Benderloch, Argyll, on October 2. Ten leading young pipers aged 22 and under have been invited to take part. Most were finalists in the recent MacGregor Memorial Competition run by the Argyllshire Gathering on behalf of the Highland Society of London. Others have developed significant track records since leaving the junior ranks. Those invited are: Bobby AllenRuairidh…

Editor’s Notebook: Band Practices are Go/ Dan’s Book Controversy/ Wedding Disaster/ Ivory Pipes

The way now seems fully open for pipe bands in Scotland to practice and perform. From September 3 the following applies under covid law: ‘These regulations (which come into force on 3 September 2021) amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (‘the principal Regulations’). ‘Regulation 2 amends ….requirement to wear face covering in certain indoor places [and] inserts ‘rehearsing for a performance’ as an activity falling within the…

Review: Piobaireachd is for Everyone by Dan Nevans

Reading of this book, I imagined it would make ceòl mòr more accessible to pipers who had little interest in it, hopefully inspiring them, and that it would help listeners gain greater enjoyment from performances. This has been attempted in the past and proved a tall order. There have been publications on the theme of piobaireachd appreciation before and Seumas MacNeil’s ‘Piobaireachd’ [available here] is one of the more successful….

Uddingston Pipe Band Recruiting Pipers and Drummers/ Balmoral Classic 2021 Announcement/ Glenfiddich Details

In  2020, the Uddingston Strathclyde G4 and G2 pipe bands announced the formation of a new band intending to compete in Grade 3 to support the growth of the organisation, writes Douglas Adams, USPB Executive Committee. With the pressures of COVID continuing throughout 2020 into 2021, a mutual decision was taken that the Grade 4 and Grade 2 bands would move forward as separate organisations. Further to this the Grade 2…

Donald Morrison Archive: Downpour at the Northern Meeting 1930

The following is from a clipping from the Inverness Courier found in Donald’s papers. The headlines read ‘Great Washout at Northern Meeting’, ‘Disastrous Effect of Ceaseless Deluge’, ‘Handful of Spectators Watch the Games’ and ‘Balmoral Ghillie’s Piping Triumph’. In these days the Meetings were held out of doors in the Northern Meeting Park. The report goes on: Rain ruined the Northern Meeting Gathering which opened at Inverness today, even more…