PART THREE by JEANNIE CAMPBELL MBE. Although none of the pipers in the parades and other events were named in the newspaper reports several can be identified with some certainty. It is also possible that some of the pipers and dancers who had played or danced in the competition earlier […]
PART TWO by JEANNIE CAMPBELL MBE. Not long before the Royal visit the Edinburgh piping competition was held as usual at the Theatre Royal and was reported in the papers on August 3, 1822. The competition had been held on the previous Tuesday and was judged by 18 members of […]
PART ONE by JEANNIE CAMPBELL MBE. Two hundred years ago Edinburgh was in a frenzy of Royal celebrations equal to those in London in 2022. This was to mark the visit by George IV, the first of the Hanoverian kings to visit Scotland. George IV succeeded to the throne on […]
PART 1 by JEANNIE CAMPBELL MBE The stories of Queen Victoria’s pipers are well known and there is no need to repeat them here, but there were several more pipers, perhaps less well known, who were employed by other members of Queen Victoria’s family. The young queen’s visit to Taymouth […]
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 […]
By Jeannie Campbell MBE In the early years of the 19th century there were several Scottish groups in London. Many of these were benevolent societies, giving their profits to relieve the suffering of destitute Scots in London. Several Scottish cities had similar societies. Many of the gentlemen involved were the […]
One of the earliest piping competitions took place in Edinburgh in 1784 and was organised by the Highland Society of London. It had actually been intended to hold the contest at Falkirk but a decision was made at the last minute to move it to Edinburgh. The competition took place […]
By Captain John MacLellan The year 1781 has much more significance to piping than the fact that it was the first time that a properly organised competition for ceòl mòr was held. As to the past, we can only surmise that competitions were held – none are on record. Apart […]
The literature of the Highland bagpipe The works of Angus MacKay (Raasay) – Part 1(Introduction) By Captain John A. MacLellan Angus Mackay of Raasay has been described by the late Archibald Campbell of Kilberry as one of the two most important pipers in 19th century piping. I would go further […]
With most of us self-isolating during these uncertain times, there is, perhaps inevitably, a dearth of news to report. However, we at Bagpipe.news will continue to use this time to bring you great articles from our archives. Today’s piece was written by Dr Peter Cooke and published in The International […]
