History: John MacFadyen Hails Angus MacKay’s Book as a Work of a Genius

Fifty years ago John MacFadyen, award winning piper, teacher, administrator, wrote a review of a new edition of Angus MacKay’s historically crucial work, ‘A Collection of Ancient Piobaireachd’. The following is from this review, published in the Oban Times in 1973 in John’s ‘Piping World’ column… Conditioned by the materialism of the society in which we live my first reaction to the news that a reprint Angus MacKay’s ‘Collection of…

The Missing Majors: Council Cash Cuts, RSPBA Statement, National Press Involved

All those piling in on the RSPBA regarding the difficulties over the ‘missing majors’ should have a close read at this statement from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the body that speaks for our local councils: ‘The Scottish Government has delivered a major blow to communities and has put councils at financial risk with a cash cut to local government. It will mean cuts in every community in Scotland…

Editor’s Notebook: Robert’s Top Job/ Mull of Kintyre/ Tools for Sale/ Pipers’ Persuasion/ Northern Meeting 1996

I hear that Robert Mathieson (pictured) has taken on the role of Convenor of the RSPBA’s Adjudicator’s Panel Management Board. Best man for the job, and the Board of Directors should not be slow in approaching him for ideas about how to solve the ‘missing majors’ crisis. Indeed there are several individuals on the APMB whose experience and knowledge should be drafted in to help. It’s got to be all…

RSPBA Directors Meeting: Summary of Main Points of Discussion

The RSPBA have issued the minutes of their Board of Directors meeting earlier this month. Here are the main take aways at a glance: The Marketing and Media group is to look at attracting advertising to the Association website. At present the site, very popular at competition times, is ad-free. The BoD will discuss ways of celebrating the Association’s Centenary in 2023 and also making a contribution to Glasgow’s 850th…

‘Talk Piobaireachd’ Tonight / London Piper and His First Prize in 1937

The next session in the Piobaireachd Society’s popular ‘Talk Piobaireachd’ series of online tutorials is tonight at 8pm GMT. It features champion piper Jack Lee from British Columbia, Canada. Jack will discuss and play two tunes, Black Donald’s March and the Cave of Gold. The first is the tune with which he won his first Gold Medal, at Inverness, in 1981. The second is a more obscure, seldom heard tune,…