Kevin Reilly, the new Chairman of the RSPBA, has spoken of his confidence that the Association will be able to survive another year of pandemic. ‘I am absolutely confident that we will be here and ready to go again in 2022,’ he said. ‘I have known better times,’ he said, ‘but I have also known worse. It was not so long ago that the RSPBA was almost bankrupt.’ His comments…

The Piobaireachd Society are holding their Annual General Meeting online this week. The meeting is open to all members who should have received an invitiation. If not please contact the President Robert Wallace on president@piobaireachd.co.uk. The AGM is on Wednesday, March 24, at 7PM GMT and members can view the agenda and the latest accounts online prior to the meeting via the Society’s website. The Society has also launched a…

At the inaugural town hall on Saturday, February 27th, new president Michael Grey announced the Piping & Pipe Band Society of Ontario’s first step towards launching educational opportunities for members, writes Andrea Boyd Taking place from Monday July 5th to Friday July 9th 2021, Summer Blast! will offer a virtual week-long summer school in piping, drumming, bass and tenor drumming tuition for all abilities and ages.  Drawing from Ontario’s leading…

I have it on good authority that that oldest of bagpipe dodges, the two-drone dodge, is being regularly employed by doubtful dodgers in online contests! This dodgy practice is easily done. Shut off one drone; start your video submission; hoist the pipes, 30 second pretendy three drone tune and off you go, drones seemingly in tune, judges none the wiser. But I say this to competitors: don’t be a dodger….

The 1980s were a time of struggle and uncertainty for Ballycoan. The band continued to compete in Grade 2 into the early 1980s but there is not much evidence of it making the prize lists and as the decade progressed absences from competitions were more numerous. Brian Rea continued to work tirelessly to keep the band going. Despite his efforts, by 1985 it had moved down to Grade 3, although…