Tag: piping

Editor’s Notebook: Northern Meeting/ Bronze Medal/ Band News/ Horst Kraus

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To Inverness today for the 2026 Northern Meeting, the second of the two major solo piping gatherings to be held within the past week. This year is unique in that the Clasp competition has been split into two Thursday heats, six from each going forward to a final on Friday. Most of the top players would be in Inverness on the Thursday anyway for the Former Winners’ MSR but the…

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Canada’s Sean McKeown on Winning the Gold Medal

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Winning the Gold Medal is something that I’ve been striving for for some time. It’s every piper’s dream to win ‘the Medal’. To have the opportunity to play for it, first of all, has been a great honour. My first year in the Medal, placing behind my good friend Ian K MacDonald twice on his double win in 2016, was a really special moment for me and now, all these…

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P/M William Lyons BEM, 1940 – 2026

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William Lyons was taught to play the pipes, as a boy, at the Corbet Pipe Band, just outside Banbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland. He joined the Irish Guards, in 1957.  During his service, he guest-played with one of Ireland’s top bands of the time, Dromara, under Pipe Major Harold Hook. His first piping instructor in the army was P/M KG Roe of the Scots Guards, and he always described…

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Reflections on Day 1 at the 2026 Argyllshire Gathering

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What a day for North America! Three of the five major prizes went to either Canada or the US with the other going to New Zealand. Scotland’s honour was saved by Finlay Johnston in the ‘big’ MSR – but with Ontario’s Ian K MacDonal right on his brogue heels. Ian’s compatriot Sean McKeown took the coveted Highland Society of London Gold Medal. This was a very popular win. Over the…

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Argyllshire Gathering Day 1 Complete Results

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Four of the major piobaireachd competitions in world piping, plus the Former Winners’ MSR, were held today in Oban, Argyll. Gold Medal1 Sean MacKeown, Port Urlar, £5502 Andrew Donlon, Lament for Capt. D MacKenzie, £4003 Darach Urquhart, Fair Thee Well Donald, £2504 Chris Armstrong, Lament for Capt. D MacKenzie, £2005 Connor Sinclair, MacDonalds are Simple, £150Judges: J Banks, A Forbes, J Wilson Silver Medal1 Zephan Knichel, £3502 Ruairidh Brown, £3003 Ross Miller, £1504 Bobby Durning, £1005 Andrew Smith, £60Judges: E Anderson, M…

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