Dunvegan medal entries are open with Skye Highland Games offering a new prize and more money in 2025

The Dunvegan Medal and Skye Highland Games take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 5 and 6, and the closing date for all senior solo piping entries is May 31, 2025. The entry form can be downloaded here.

Thanks to the generosity of renowned patrons of piping, The Clan Donald Trust for the Gaelic Performing Arts, the Skye Highland Games Piping Committee is extremely pleased to announce the addition of a new prize, “The Charles MacArthur Memorial Award” which will be run in conjunction with, and in addition to the Colonel Jock MacDonald Clasp i.e. The prize winners in the Clasp competition will also be awarded the Charles MacArthur Memorial Award. Each competitor in the Clasp event will also receive £150.  Due to the strict time constraints, a maximum of 7 competitors (including the current winner of the Dunvegan Medal) can be accommodated in the Clasp. If the event is oversubscribed entry will be by ballot.   Both winners of the Dunvegan Medal and the Clasp are invited to play in the following year’s Silver Chanter.

The choice of tunes to be submitted for the Clasp will continue to be four from the prescribed list of MacCrimmon compositions but in addition for 2025 tunes may also be selected from the Piobaireachd Society list for Senior Competitions https://www.piobaireachd.co.uk/set-tunes-archives  In other words, for the Clasp only, competitors can choose four from either list or a combination therefrom.  The Dunvegan Medal requirements are unchanged and 4 tunes from the “MacCrimmon” list should be submitted.

*Charles MacArthur (c.1688 – c.1768) was one of the illustrious MacArthur family who, for generations, were hereditary pipers to the MacDonalds of the Isles and also contemporaries of the MacCrimmons; indeed it is said that Charles studied under Padruig Og MacCrimmon for some 11 years.  Such was the standing in which Charles MacArthur was held at the time that Capt. John MacLellan tells us that Malcolm MacCrimmon sent his son, Donald Ruadh, to Charles to complete his (Donald’s) piping education.

An interesting footnote is that there exists to this day a partially completed inscription on a headstone lying in Kilmuir old Churchyard, Skye eulogising Charles MacArthur.  It is said that the headstone was commissioned by Charles’ son, Donald, but when Donald was accidentally drowned while crossing from Uist to Skye with a boat load of cattle the craftsman doing the inscription, possibly thinking that he would now never be paid for his work, abruptly stopped.  Another theory is that the craftsman was so crestfallen with his mistake (a repeated word) in the inscription that he simply gave up and left.  In any event, we’ll never know what the full inscription may have said.  Now some 250 years old, the stone would be the better of some protection from the elements if the inscription is to survive much longer. 

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Competition No 1:  Dunvegan Medal.   Skye Gathering Hall, Portree.               8.30am
Competitors will submit four tunes from the list below to the Piping Convenor. The competitor will be asked to play one of these tunes by the judges.

The winner of the Dunvegan Medal will be invited to play in the following year’s Silver Chanter.

Competition No 2:  Col: Jock Clasp.   St Columba’s Parish Church, Portree        7.30pm
Competitors will submit four tunes from those marked ** on the list below or any from the Piobaireachd Society list for Senior Competitions https://www.piobaireachd.co.uk/set-tunes-archives (or combination therefrom) to the Piping Convenor. The winner of the Dunvegan Medal will be invited to play in the Clasp.  Competitors, therefore, are advised to prepare four of the specified tunes, which could then be offered, for both competitions. 

The winner of the Clasp will be invited to play in the following year’s Silver Chanter.

List of MacCrimmon tunes:

Competition Nos. 3 & 4:   6/8 March, and Hornpipe & Jig.   
St Columba’s Church, Portree                                                                                                8.30am.
Each piper plays one 6/8 March of own choice followed by a Hornpipe and Jig of own choice.  There will be on opportunity for competitors to re-tune between the March, and Hornpipe & Jig.

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Competition No. 5:  2/4 March (Kemble Star)                                                            9.00am.
Heats – Each piper submits three Marches of own choice and is asked to play one of them once through.

Competition No. 6:  Strathspey & Reel (Peter MacFarquhar Star) runs in conjunction with Competition No. 5, the 2/4 March Heats – Each piper submits three Strathspeys and three Reels of own choice and is asked to play one Strathspey & one Reel once through.

Pipers entering both competitions will play the 2/4 March first and, after an opportunity to re-tune, will play the Strathspey & Reel.

Heat 1 of Competitions 5 and 6 will take place in St Columba’s Church.

Heat 2 will take place in the Skye Gathering Hall, Portree.  

Finals

The top three performers from each heat (i.e. 6 competitors drawn from the two March heats and 6 competitors from the two S&R heats) will go forward to take part in the finals in St Columba’s Church starting at 1.30pm.  For the March Final, pipers will perform the unplayed two tunes from their original submission of three i.e. not the march played in the heats.  If a piper is in both finals he/she will be asked to play their two Marches, and then the Strathspeys and Reels rather than making separate visits to the platform.  There will be an opportunity to retune between the Marches and S&R.  As with the March final, in the S&R final competitors will play their two so-far unplayed S&Rs (once through) in order of their own choosing.

Prizes:              1^st                     2^nd                    3^rd                    4^th                    5^th        6th

Comp 1.            £200                 £175                £150                 £125                 £100     –

Comp 2*           £250                 £150                   £100                    –                     –          –

Comp 3.            £  60                 £  40                 £ 30                  £ 20                  £ 15       –

Comp 4.            £  60                 £  40                 £ 30                  £ 20                  £ 15      –

Comp 5.            £100                 £  80                 £ 70                  £ 60                  £ 40      £ 30

Comp 6.            £100                 £  80                 £ 70                  £ 60                  £ 40      £ 30

Special Prizes:

• The piper with the highest points in the Ceòl beag (light music) competitions will win the Dr Allan MacDonald Cup + £200 presented by the Highland Society of London
• The piper with the highest aggregate points in the Clasp and/or Dunvegan Medal + Ceòl Beag competitions will win the Highland Society of London award of £500.  In the event of a tie points in the Clasp will count double
• *Each competitor in the Clasp competition will receive the Charles MacArthur       Memorial Award of £150
• *The three winners in the Clasp competition will receive the Charles MacArthur Memorial Award of £250, £150 and £100 respectively in addition to the prize money

Points for placings in the Ceòl Mòr competitions are as follows: 1^st – 10 points, 2^nd – 8, 3^rd – 6, 4^th – 4, 5^th – 2.
Note that the last two placings do not apply in the Clasp competition.

Points for placings in the Ceòl Beag competitions are as follows: 1^st – 6, 2^nd – 5, 3^rd – 4, 4^th – 3, 5^th – 2, 6th – 1.
In the event of a tie, weighting will be given to the competitor scoring highest in the Ceòl Mòr events.

Competition Rules:

• Any competitor who is unable to attend the competition after entry must notify the Convenor, at the latest on the day before the competition.  Failure to do this without reason may result in refusal of entry in subsequent years.
• Competitors must appear in Highland Dress, and remain so attired until after the presentation of prizes.  Jackets should be worn in the piobaireachd events.
• Competitors must be in attendance not later than the advertised reporting time, or other notified time, failing which they will only be allowed to play at the discretion of the stewards.
• The order of play will be adhered to as far as is possible, but the committee reserve the right to alter this if circumstances require.
• Competitors, who are not known to the committee, or who do not hold a CPA grade, are required to submit evidence of success in other competitions, or a recommendation from a recognised tutor.

Failure to observe any of these rules, or the instructions of the stewards, may result in disqualification and/or refusal of entry in a subsequent year.

While every effort will be made to ensure that the competitions run as detailed above, the Piping Convenor reserves the right to make any changes necessitated by unforeseen circumstances. 

• Entries for the all piping events will close on 31^st May. A list of successful applicants will be circulated as soon as possible thereafter.
• Entries by post or email will be accepted and an inclusive entry fee of £15 should accompany entries.  Please send to the convenor at the address below
• If a legible e-mail address is provided. the entry will be acknowledged by e-mail, if no e-mail address is given, acknowledgement will not be sent out unless you have included a stamped addressed envelope
• Please make all cheques payable to Skye Games Committee. Regrettably, no late entries can be accepted due to the very strict timetable to which we must adhere.

Piping is supported by the Clan Donald Trust for the Gaelic Performing Arts, the Highland Society of London, and the Royal Hotel, Portree. Piping Convenor: Cameron MacFadyen, 17/18 Borve, Portree, Isle of Skye, IV51 9PE. cameron.macfadyen@btinternet.com