Following our brief report last Thursday that Bobby Pinkman (67) had died, we are now able to provide a fuller obituary on this popular figure in the piping and pipe band scene of East Lothian, Scotland. Robert – ‘Bobby’ – Pinkman was born in Gorebridge, a former mining village in […]
1951 By Jeannie Campbell MBE In 1951, competitors for the Argyllshire Gathering’s Open Piobaireachd competition had to offer four tunes, MacDougalls’ Gathering, John GarveMacLeod of Raasay’s Lament, The Daughter’s Lament, Lachlan MacNeill Campbell of Kintarbert’s Fancy. The Gold Medal competitors were to submit six tunes of their own choice. John […]
Pipers and drummers are required urgently to participate in this year’s Scottish Music Parade tours of Germany. This will be the tenth year of the popular shows that play to large and appreciative audiences all around the country. Each concert last approximately two hours and features a mixture of modern […]
DAN NEVANS relates last week’s in-person competitions at Oban and Lochaber from the perspective of a competing piper I’ve never really been one for vacations. I’m just not good at relaxing. I always feel like the sands of my own personal hourglass increase their irreversible passage as soon as I […]
Miles Bennington has been appointed at Carnegie Mellon as its new Drumming Instructor. Miles’ appointment at the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania university comes after an extensive search, launched in June. He will work with Andrew Carlisle [Director of Carnegie Mellon’s Pipes and Drums], to elevate the stature of the university’s award-winning band. […]
Reader Dave Alton from Australia asks about pipe maintenance in the tropics. He writes: “I live in Darwin in northern Australia – the tropics. There are three seasons here: the wet or monsoon (January-May) which is characterised by torrential rains, the dry (May-October) when virtually no rain falls, and the […]
Pipers are being asked to participate in the 20th anniversary of the Piper’s Memorial at Longueval in northeast France. Sculptured by Andy DeComyn of Birmingham, England, the three metre high monument in Longueval village square [pictured] was erected on July 20, 2002. It is dedicated to all pipers who fell […]
Finlay Johnston and Gordon Bruce arrived in a hot and sunny Oban at the weekend to complete their marathon 104 mile charity cycle from Glasgow. To date, the duo have raised £4,518 raised for Cancer Research. On hand to greet them as they arrived at the finish line near the […]
Where are you from and how did you get into piping?I’m from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia residing on Caribou Island, Nova Scotia. I started with the local Army Cadet Corps 219 under Captain Donald Carrigan’s instruction then continued with the Nova Scotia Highlanders then the Clan Thompson Pipe Band then […]
This year’s Argyllshire Gathering – the 150th anniversary – was notable for the fact that it took place at all. Up until the middle of July, there was a widespread belief that, despite Scotland now being in Level 0 of its government’s COVID-19 restrictions, organisers would nevertheless not be able […]
