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

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….

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

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,…

History: The Kilberry Pipers – Part 2

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…

History: The Kilberry Pipers and their Medal

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…

Outcomes from the Latest RSPBA Board of Directors Meeting

Take aways from the recent RSPBA Board of Directors meeting….. The association has formed a group to examine ways of reducing the time it takes for the March Past and prize announcements at contests, particularly the Majors. BoD have agreed that at the World Championship all qualifying announcements will held at the Needle on Glasgow Green.  Former Chairman Kevin Reilly will continue his involvement within the 850th celebrations for Glasgow…