News

Queen’s jubilee: win a set of Stuart Liddell’s pipes

Queen’s jubilee: win a set of Stuart Liddell’s pipes

Further to our report in early August that McCallum Bagpipes is to supply a set of pipes for the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations next June, organisers have provided further details. Bruno Peek, Pageantmaster, said: “Anyone can enter this competition to win a set of McCallum’s MacRae SL4 pipes. This range […]

Andrew Ferguson wins inaugural Lochnell contest

Andrew Ferguson wins inaugural Lochnell contest

Andrew Ferguson of Dollar, Scotland was the overall winner at yesterday’s inaugural Lochnell Intermediate Piping Championship held at Lochnell Castle, Argyll. Andrew won the MSR and the Ceol Mòr in this competiton which pipers aged under 22. The standard of playing heard from all ten pipers was reported to be […]

Famous pipe bands: Clan MacRae

Famous pipe bands: Clan MacRae

One of the truly great bands in the history of the pipe band movement was the Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band of Glasgow, Scotland. Farquhar MacRae (1859-1916) formed the band in the autumn (fall) of 1913 but he called it the City of Glasgow Pipe Band. Farquhar won the Gold […]

Stuart Letford reviews ‘Bagpipe Brothers’

Stuart Letford reviews ‘Bagpipe Brothers’

Bagpipe Brothers by Kerry Sheridan was published in paperback in 2006. It’s taken three attempts for me to finish it. There are two reasons for this: 1) given its subject matter ­– the four pipe band members, all firemen, who played at the funeral of every colleague who perished in […]

CLASP profile: Damien Pitman

CLASP profile: Damien Pitman

• Where are you from and how did you get into piping?Johannesburg, South Africa. I started learning the bagpipes when I was 12 years old. Rory Bellingan tutored me. I started playing because the secondary school that I chose to attend (Jeppe High School for Boys) had a band and […]

Stories of the Tunes – The Battle of Auldearn

Stories of the Tunes – The Battle of Auldearn

Three miles east of the town of Nairn lies the small village of Auldearn, the scene of a bloody struggle on the May 9, 1645 when Royalist forces under James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose fought with those of the Solemn League and Covenant (Covenanters) led by Sir John Hurry […]

The history of the Argyllshire Gathering, part 25

The history of the Argyllshire Gathering, part 25

1953-1954 By Jeannie Campbell MBE At the beginning of 1953, in an effort to extend the season, hoteliers in Oban asked the council to hold the Argyllshire Gathering a week later. However, the stewards of the Gathering decided against altering their arrangements.Competitors for the Open Piobaireachd in 1953 were required […]