Set of Smallpipes for Sale/ Piobaireachd by the Sea/ Piping Livestream/ Northern Ireland Bands

Pipemaker Brian Mulhearn: ‘I have a set of smallpipes for sale. They are a new ‘A’ set made by myself and are boxwood with blackwood mounts. ‘They come with a boxwood or blackwood chanter and a quality set of bellows and are reeded up and ready to play. Price £975.’ Email Brian here. PIOBAIREACHD by the SEA Piping Press editor Robert Wallace will conduct a piobaireachd masterclass at the annual…

Victorian Championships and Australian Piobaireachd Medal Results

Editor’s Notebook: Reid Letters/ Festival Contest/ Tony Lightfoot/ MacLellan Contest/ Piping Live March

Comparisons are odious as they say, but it is a habit in which we pipers just can’t help indulging. For example, Robert Reid jnr., we read this week, believed Malcolm Macpherson a better player than the Bobs of Balmoral. I don’t suppose we’ll ever know. The ‘Binneas’ recordings of Malcolm are very poor and I know of no others of him. There are good recordings of RB Nicol and RU…

MacDougall of Aberfeldy, the Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria and Dunolly House

I noticed the brief feature on Piping Press concerning the sale of Dunolly House, Aberfeldy, and its association with the MacDougall pipemakers. Some facts and dates concerning Duncan MacDougall’s places of residence and his being a ‘Royal piper’. These are all from my ‘Bagpipe Makers’ books. By 1873 Duncan MacDougall was piper to Breadalbane at Taymouth Castle but he continued his pipe making business in Aberfeldy. By Jeannie Campbell Duncan’s…

My Father, P/M Robert Reid – Part 3

We continue with our correspondence from Robert Reid jnr. to Jimmy McIntosh. This abridged letter is dated July 1994. There are comments about RG Hardie, the firm of RG Lawrie, the Piobaireachd Society, John MacDougall Gillies, William Connell, John MacDonald, Inverness, and RU Brown and RB Nicol who, he reveals, went to his father for lessons…. Bob Hardie to my knowledge never was employed by Lawries. Hardie was an apprentice…