Pipes & Drums Feature at Dollar Bicentenary/ Thoughts on Donald MacDonald Cuach

Our Dollar Academy correspondent has sent this….A remarkable 243 pipers and drummers gathered at Dollar Academy, Clackmannanshire, over the weekend to kick off the start of the school’s bicentenary year. With a parachute team arriving with the special bicentenary flag, which will fly over the Old Playfair Building this year, current band members and scores of former pupils (many in mature age ranges) got together to parade on the lawns…

PP Ed’s Blog: Concert formation/ PP New Look/ Band MSRs/ Gairloch Junior Festival

Well done to Chicago Highland Games and the Mid West Pipe Band Association for continuing with their successful concert formation at their recent contest. Everyone’s a winner with this, especially the audience and the judges. The Ross Bandstand (above) in Edinburgh yesterday had the same option for bands.  Boghall won G1 as expected with Skye second. G2 went to George Watson’s juvenile band (how good is this grade?) with Boghall…

Preview of the Grade 2 UK Championship in Belfast

Some say his granny was a welder on the Titanic with a mouth to match….that he has inherited her vocals and can be heard howling down the slopes of Black Mountain every full moon……that to him using his loaf is launching lumps of Veda at Lough Neagh’s birdlife. All we know is he looks like this…. Raincoat, check, umbrella, check, sun cream, check, ferry ticket….there’s always something you leave on…

Euros Preview: For Pipe Band MSR Read ‘Mostly Sadly Repetitive’

Today we introduce our newest correspondent. He is highly placed in the piping and pipe band worlds. He has chosen to submit this article  on condition of anonymity. (See what you’ve started MacStig!) He writes of the malaise that afflicts pipe band MSRs. Read on and you will discover that – let’s call him The Analyst – is no fool, nor is he MacStig nor the editor on a good day….. The…

PP Ed’s Blog: Europeans 2019/ CoP-NPC/ Queen’s Honours/ PS recital/ Bill Boyle

A couple of readers have asked about the venue for nest year’s (2019) European Pipe Band Championships. RSPBA Chairman John Hughes  has told us that an announcement will be made this week once final arrangements between the Association and the new promoters have been completed. This year’s Europeans are at Grant Park, Forres, Morayshire, on June 30th. Massed bands from last year’s contest above. This will be Forres’ sixth and final…