History of Clan MacRae Published in Book Form

Piping historian Iain Duncan has compiled a neat booklet on the history of the Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band. It is based on the series of five articles published in Piping Press and contains lots of photos and facts all readily accessible, writes the Editor. Not in the book is the photograph above. It was published in ‘Pipe Band’ magazine in the early 1980s and accompanied a letter. The writer,…

Irish Pipers and the Spanish Civil War/ Ross’s Xmas Song

Reader Alastair MacGregor on ‘Irish Pipers and the Spanish Civil War’: ‘I nearly choked on my cornflakes last week when l saw the request for information on the Irish pipers who fought for Franco’s fascists in the Spanish Civil War. ‘There can be many reasons for historical research – lets hope it’s not based on ambivalence or indifference. I’m not surprised there is difficult in tracking down relatives. I’d be…

Editor’s Notebook: Oban and Inverness/ Irish in Spain/ MacDonald Search / Lorient Poster/ Eagle Pipers 1969

I hope that the new, early registration rule for senior pipers works in cutting down the numbers at Oban and Inverness. (Entries in the Former Winners’ MSR, Clasp and Senior Piobaireachd need to be in by January 31 next year.) However I suspect most of those pipers who qualify will enter anyway and ‘see how they feel about competing’ nearer the time. Most will, of course, play; but a few…

Oban and Inverness Entry Rules for 2024 Announced

The Argyllshire Gathering and Northern Meeting have issued a joint statement clarifying and updating procedures for entering their competitions in 2024. A new rule states that senior pipers must enter by January 31 or they will be ineligible. The statement reads: The number of competitors in the Gold and Silver Medal competitions has been restricted to 25 for a number of years. Competitors are selected based on their CPA Grade…

St. Mary’s Anti-Communist Pipe Band and a Sojourn to Spain in Support of General Franco

On Monday we carried a request from a reader in Spain for information regarding the visit of an Irish band to Spain in 1937. We are grateful to Dublin-based piper Ronan Maguire for alerting us to the following information about the band and their controversial trip…… According to an article in ‘Dublin Life and Culture Magazine’ the majority of Irishmen who fought in the Spanish Civil War did so on…