Celtic Connections intends to run a ‘hybrid’ online version of the festival. The news comes one week after the festival was forced to cancel most of its in-person shows due to ongoing uncertainty around COVID-19 safety measures in Scotland. A new programme will be published next week. Performances will be […]
1972 By Jeannie Campbell MBE For 1972 the set tunes for the Open and Clasp were Mrs MacLeod of Talisker’s Salute, My Dearest on Earth Give me your Kiss, The Lament for the Union, MacNeil of Barra’s March, MacKenzie of Gairloch’s Lament and The Red Speckled Bull. Competitors were required […]
Where are you from and how did you get into piping?I am from the USA. I got into piping while living in the UK. I was bored with guitar, and always loved the pipes. There was a teacher close by, so it made it doable. Now I live in Thailand. […]
Norman Matheson, the well known piper and piping judge, died in hospital in Aberdeen on Monday. He was 89 and had been ill for some time. Matheson, who was a surgeon by profession, was born in Inverness but lived in Aberdeenshire for much of his life. He also had family […]
After Stuart Letford’s recent article on the 1921 Census appeared, readers have contacted us to point out that the year was the birth of quite a few individuals who would go on to become notable names in piping. These include: Tommy Pearston co-founder of the College of Piping – born […]
The National Piping Centre (NPC) is currently seeking a Shop Manager for its busy retail outlet, The Bagpipe Shop. As an integral part of the team, the successful applicant will be tasked with supporting the running of the shop. This is an exciting opportunity to develop and learn more about […]
By Stuart Letford for Bagpipe.news Pages from the 1921 Census in the United Kingdom (UK) were made available for the first time yesterday. Unfortunately, the pages only cover England and Wales. The pages that cover Scotland won’t be released until late this year due to “complications” as a result of […]
I’ve long thought that Angus MacKay’s life would make for a great film. It has it all: sex, drugs (well, alcohol), rock n’ roll and a young death. Angus went from a childhood of poverty to an adolescence spent frequenting palaces and hobnobbing with the great and good of his […]
1970-1971 By Jeannie Campbell MBE In 1970, the Gathering took place on August 26-27. The set tunes for the Open and Clasp competitions were The Big Spree (including tripling and Crunluath variations), Lord Lovat’s Lament, Craigellachie, Nameless (Hiharin Odin Hiharin Dro), Clanranald’s Salute and The Prince’s Salute. Four were to […]
It was, was it not, pleasing to learn that the Irish language – Irish Gaelic – has received full status as an official language of the European Union? What a tremendous boost for the language of that fine country. Language is the principal method of human communication and this time […]
