PP Ed’s Blog: SPA Pro/Jimmy Jackson/ SPJA/ Xavier Vid/ Balmoral Schools/ Allan Chatto/

What will be the first professional piping contest of the season (following the weather cancellation of the Uist & Barra) will be held this Saturday April 14. It’s the Scottish Pipers Association contest and it will be held at NPC West (College of Piping, Otago St. to us old timers) with a good entry in all categories. Last year’s overall winner was Sarah Muir (pictured top with her trophies) who will be…

PP Ed’s Blog: Two Drone Pipe/ RSPBA College/ NEPADA/ SPA/ Liam O Flynn

I snapped this picture in a bar known as the ‘Tilted Kilt’ in Boca Raton, Florida, last month. What intrigued me was that the piper is playing a two-drone pipe. Given that the poster is calling on Irishmen to join up it must have been before the formation of the Irish Republic, and circa the outbreak of WW1. I seem to remember a reference to a regiment called the Irish…

PP Ed's Blog: Skye Under Fire/ Geoff's Collection/ SPA/ Ulster Charity Concert

US broadcaster CNN has handed the island of Skye the unwelcome tag of one of the top 12 global tourists destinations to avoid this summer. The list also includes Barcelona, the Taj Mahal and Mount Everest. The report states that the infrastructure of Scotland’s largest island ‘creaked under the pressure last year as thousands of tourists in coaches and cars plied its narrow lanes resulting in widespread snarl-ups. Eventually the residents…

PP Ed's Blog: S Guards KO/ SPA Dates/ Tutor 1/ BB Jubilee/ Inverness Piping Society/ Alex Beaton

Lucky Jimmy Banks is off on a cruise so thanks to John Rae for sending the latest from the Scots Guards KO: ‘The winner of the knockout piping held at the Scots Guards Club, Edinburgh, on Sunday 26 November 2017 to a capacity crowd, was Dan Nevans who edged out Jamie Elder in a closely matched contest. ‘Dan goes through to the semi-finals along with Jonathan Simpson and Ben Duncan….

PP Ed’s Blog: NI Piper of the Year/ SPA 1999/ Pipe Bands Australia

The Northern Ireland Piper of the Year contest takes place in the Adair Arms Hotel, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, tomorrow. The piobaireachd starts at 12 noon and the MSR at 7pm. All are welcome. Judges are Angus MacColl and David Caldwell and the hosts Kenny Stewart and Chris Stewart. In the PP archive picture above a youthful Angus is photographed through the window performing at the now unfortunately defunct John MacFadyen…