JFK and the Bagpipe

  Today we publish the first excerpt of a feature on US President John F Kennedy and his association with the bagpipe and pipe bands. It is a fascinating read, and we are grateful to author Lt. Col. Robert Gunther for his work for pipingpress.com. It is apposite that we publsih it this weekend, the 51st anniversary of the assassination of a much-loved US President. Check out the pictures and…

Pipe Music of WW1 – Part 2

The second instalment in this important series about pipe tunes connected to the First World War is published today. The Scottish Pipers’ Association project has thrown up some interesting information and also given an airing to otherwise little heard pieces. The concert on July 30th this year continued this worthwhile endeavour. Read more.

SPA WW1 Concert

[easyrotator]erc_14_1414056032[/easyrotator] Scottish Pipers’ Association Comunn Nam Piobairean Albannach Pipers and Pipe Music of the Great War Jeannie Campbell reports: Last year the Scottish Pipers’ Association received £7,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for this project researching the lives of the pipers and the music they played and composed during the Great War. The Association is presenting the stories of the pipers and their music in a series of five concerts. The third…

Poster Reveals Details of 1785 Contest

What did pipers play in solo competition almost 230 years ago? A poster from the 1785 competition held in Edinburgh for the Prize Pipe reveals all. It tells us that 50 pieces of ceol mor were heard during the gathering; it proves that the tunes we play today were in common currency back then; it shows that despite Culloden, its shameful aftermath and the Act of Proscription, piping continued to thrive in…