“There were 40 entrants in the 2021 Aboyne Games online piping competitions, writes Dr. Jack Taylor. “This meant three heats for piobaireachd and two for light music. It was good to welcome guest judges Jack Lee, Bill Livingstone and Roddy S. MacDonald, and to have JonDon MacKenzie on the Aboyne […]
News
Argyllshire Gathering’s 150th anniversary: draw and prize money
Further to our report last month on the Argyllshire Gathering’s invitational piping competitions to mark its 150th anniversary, organisers are now able to post the draw, judges and prize money for the respective categories is as follows: Ceòl Mòr (commences in the Argyllshire Gathering Halls in Breadalbane Street at 12.00 […]
Piper jailed for sexual assault / Europeans on for 2022 / Mòd piping entries / Pipe down!
A piper in New Zealand has been sentenced to 12 months’ intensive supervision after committing a roadside sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl. He was also given a ‘first-strike warning’ under New Zealand’s three-strikes legislation. John William Nicholl (54) of Outram, a rural suburb of Dunedin in the South Island, […]
Piping Live! 2021 all set / Giovanni Giulianini / PM John McLellan DCM anniversary /
Piping Live! 2021 kicks off this Saturday with the prestigious Silver Chanter invitational solo piping competition/recital at the National Piping Centre’s headquarters in McPhater Street in Glasgow city centre. It is one of a number of events this year that are able to have a limited physical audience inside the […]
Stuart Letford: Where are we now?
Well, readers. What’s up? “It’s an adverb!” I’m aware of that, thank you. What I mean is, how is the COVID-19 situation in your part of the world? From what I gather, the picture globally remains quite inconsistent yet. In some places, such as Australia, where we in Scotland had […]
Winter Storm cancelled again / Ian K. on form at online Maxville / Andy Matthews new Oban PM
Next year’s annual Winter Storm has been cancelled. This will be the second consecutive year the popular event has been cancelled outright due to the on going COVID-19 pandemic. Organisers said today in a statement: “In view of the continuing impact of COVID-19 on global travel, the Midwest Highland Arts […]
McCallum’s to supply bagpipe for Queen’s celebrations / Donald Drone enjoys the ‘craic’ at band practice
McCallum Bagpipes is to suply a set of bagpipes as part of efforts to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee in 2022 around the UK and the Commonwealth. As we reported exactly two months ago, pipers are asked to help mark the milestone by playing a tune composed for the occasion […]
For those about to pipe …
We toyed with the idea of making Bon Scott the latest installment of our occasional Famous Pipers series. However, Bon himself would never have described himself as a piper so why should we? Today, though, we wish to pay tribute to the Aussie rocker who would have turned 75 this […]
The history of the Argyllshire Gathering, part 21
1948 By Jeannie Campbell MBE In 1948, the Gaelic Concert took place in Oban Old Parish Church Hall on the evening of the first day of the Gathering. Sir Charles MacLean Bt., Duart Castle, Chief of the MacLeans, presided. The programme included Oban Gaelic Choir plus various other vocal and […]
Brodie Watson-Massey: The future won’t stop coming
It may be a cliché to say this but lockdown has been hard for everyone. Our struggles and experiences will have differed greatly but for most people reading this, the common struggle has been the lack of social gatherings that revolve around our instrument. The stoicism that the world has […]