Tag: pipes and drums

News from Across the Water: All Change at NI Branch/ Jeffrey McCready/ Bands Query/ Belfast Tartan Day

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Change afoot in the RSPBA Northern Ireland Branch. The AGM is at 11am this Saturday, 30th November, in Cookstown Methodist Church Hall. Judging by the number of post holders who have decided to step down, there will be significant changes to the 2025 officer team. Those not standing for re-election include current Branch President Winston Pinkerton, Treasurer Kenny Crothers, RSPBA NI Director Lorraine Ronaldson and Branch Chief Steward Brian Harvey….

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George Watson’s College ‘Caritas Banner’ Results/ George Sherriff, Ontario, Results

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The George Watson’s College competition for the Caritas Banner was held at the Edinburgh school yesterday, November 24. Organiser P/M Ben Duncan reported: ‘It was a great day of tunes with 55 pipers entered and some of the very best in the business on the pen. The event was kindly sponsored by the Piobaireachd Society and Kintail Bagpipes. ‘The winner Fraser Hamilton received the coveted Caritas Banner and a beautiful…

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Editor’s Notebook: Northern Winter School/ Caritas Banner/ Letters/ Sound of the Somme

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Snow falls on cedars here on the North German plain as the 2024 Winter School draws to a close. It was a rewarding week of long days teaching and long evenings round the hostel campfire. Pictured above is one of the 60+ piping students, 16-year-Niklas Helmke. He was placed second in the Under 18 Piobaireachd at Inverness this year and will be back again in 2025. This lad tunes accurately,…

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History: The Kilberry Pipers – Part 2

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Below are extracts from the diaries of John Campbell of Kilberry, father of Archibald Campbell. They have been reproduced here by kind permission of John Campbell of Kilberry, the current Piping Convenor for the Argyllshire Gathering. They show the extraordinary lengths the family went to support and promote piping. It was at John Campbell’s instigation that the piobaireachd Society was formed and his son and grandson, Archibald and James, went…

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History: The Kilberry Pipers and their Medal

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I came across this piping medal which I thought might be of interest, writes John Campbell, Kilberry. It was struck in 1899 and competed for by the estate pipers. It has the names of five recorded winners on the reverse. The pipers were all members of the Kilberry Estate pipe band tutored by my grandfather, Archibald Campbell, compiler and editor of the famous ‘Kilberry Book of Ceol Mor’. The competition…

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