A CD recording with a difference has been produced by the family of the late, great John MacDougall (1936-2016).
The set of pipes played by John were made firstly for his father, also called John, by Charles Ewen of Aboyne in 1920. Ewen was a cabinet-maker who lived and worked in the small village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
The pipes are called the Glentanar pipes, because of the location when John Snr. was born and lived for many years, and are made from African blackwood with ivory projecting mounts, ferrules and caps.
When John Snr died in 1988, the pipes passed to John Jnr, one of the outstanding competitive pipers of modern times.
John (pictured) was born in Aberdeen in 1936 and started his piping in the Boys’ Brigade aged 10. He then joined the Bucksburn Pipe Band before being introduced to Bob Brown. The rest, as they say, is history.
John’s competitive track record was outstanding. He won virtually all the prizes going. At the Argyllshire Gathering he won the Former Winners MSR five times and the Senior Piobaireachd twice. He won the Gold Medal in 1969. At the Northern Meeting he was awarded the Gold Medal, the Clasp, the Silver Star MSR. He also won the piobaireachd title at the Glenfiddich once (1976) and the Silver Chanter twice (1968, 1980).
His nickname was ‘The Hoover’, due to his efficiency in sucking up the prizes around the highland games.
On John’s death in 2016 in his 80th year the pipes passed to his grandson, Scott Burgess Hay. The pipes heard on the CD were played by John Snr and Scott. John Jnr plays his 1912 Hendersons purchased through Bob Brown. All recordings were made on basic recording equipment and are part of the family’s archive.
Priced £13.50 plus postage and packng, the CD is available from Burgess Bagpipes at www.burgessbagpipes.com
• Bagpipe.News will carry a reviw of the CD in due course.
The Pipers’ Tryst restaurant at the National Piping Centre, which is extending the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme for the whole of this month, is moving the deal to Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The change takes effect from a week on Monday (September 14).
The deal allows diners to receive 50% off their food and non-alcoholic beverages bill up to the value of £10 per person.
For the full details and to make a reservation go online HERE.
The Pipers’ Tryst hotel will also continue to welcome guests every night.
The Bagpipe Shop remains open all day for walk-in customers.
Meanwhile, the NPC’s new term of new and improved online Evening Classes commence from September 26 . The popular Adult Autumn Online Gathering will run place from November 2-5 and the CLASP has an online weekend workshop in October.
