Today’s tune in our irregular series, ‘Stories of the Tunes’ appears although the ‘story’ behind it is quite stragithforward: it is simply a tune composed by Pipe Major Donald MacLeod in tribute to the regiment in which he served for many years. As the notes in his book of ceòl […]
Further to yesterday’s report about the forthcoming book of Evan MacRae’s memoirs, we hear of a fellow piper in the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders is currently completing his memoirs. Jimmy McIntosh MBE (94) served in the regiment from October 1939 (aged 14) until 1949. He served with the 5th Battalion, […]
We hear that the life of Evan MacRae (1922-1991), who is mentioned briefly in the Lochaber Gathering report from 1996 (below), will be the subject of a new book. Evan is remembered by many in Lochaber today from his time there working as a piping instructor in the schools. Born […]
Dr Hugh Hepburn, a keen support of piping and was a popular and well known face in the piping scene of the northwest of Scotland, died, aged 80, on May 8. The Aberdeen-born piper had a short battle with Myeloma, a form of blood cancer. Boxing was another of Hugh’s […]
Reader, Stewart Donaldson from Blairgowrie, Scotland sent us these photographs with a plea for information. He tells us the photographs were taken by Fred Oudney from Perthshire town who played in the local pipe band and also the Perth & District Pipe Band in the 1970s. The photographs are part […]
Today, we remember the great drummer, Alex Duthart (1925-1986), a huge figure in the pipe band world. Alex was destined to be a pipe band drummer. His father, John, an Ulsterman, was a drummer in the 8th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders during the First World War. Initially, Alex learned his […]
After our story yesterday about next month’s piping tribute to the soldiers captured at St Valèry-en-Caux in June 1940, several readers have reminded us about an article that appeared in the June 2002 edition of the Piping Times. The article included a photograph of the pipers of the 2nd Battalion […]
Skye Games will not take place this year. Cameron MacFadyen, Piping Convener, said: “It is with much regret that I have to advise that the decision has been taken very recently to cancel the 2020 Skye Games in view of the current emergency. “With the exception of the two World […]
Roderick MacDonaldwas born on South Uist in 1901. He was a member of Glasgow City Police Pipe Band from 1923 to 1956. He served under two Pipe Majors, Willie Gray, then the famous John MacDonald, his brother. At the Argyllshire Gathering, Roderick won the March in 1928, the Strathspey and […]
The MacDonald’s Salute is one of three compositions relating to the reconciliation between the MacLeods of Dunvegan and the MacDonalds of Sleat, following a protracted period of conflict between the two. The other tunes are MacLeod’s Controversy and The MacLeod’s Salute. The tunes are attributed to MacLeod’s piper, Donald Mòr […]
