By Keith Mumby I’d like to communicate a very pleasurable experience I had recently which took me nearer the heart of the spirit of piobaireachd than anything so far to date. I was at the College [of Piping] for a couple of days’ tuition under Duncan Johnstone (my, doesn’t he […]
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 […]
1949-1950 By Jeannie Campbell MBE In 1949, competitors for the Open Piobaireachd had to offer four tunes, The End of the Great Bridge, Lament for MacDonald’s Tutor, Scarce of Fishing and The Vaunting. For the Gold Medal no tunes were listed but for the Northern Meeting Gold Medal the requirement […]
1946-47 By Jeannie Campbell MBE The Second World War ended on September 2, 1945. It had lasted six years and one day. The military pipers started to return home and in 1946 the regular piping competitions were being restarted. On May 25, 1946, the Oban Times carried a notice for the resumption […]
Archie MacNeill (1879-1962), is probably best known as the composer of Donald MacLean’s Farewell to Oban, The Detroit Highlanders, David Ross of Rosehall and a few other great tunes that have stood the test of time. Archie, though, was an important figure in piping and, in fact, could be regarded […]
By Hugh Cheape No profession of substance and reputation can be without its magazine or journal. This supplies the focus and forum for discussion for an interest group and gives shape and expression to its identity. The Piping Times performed this function with its regular output of news and current […]
By Jeannie Campbell MBE The “Piobaireachd Society of Scotland” gave notice in the autumn of 1903 that it would hold a competition at the 1904 Argyllshire Gathering at which it would award a total of £30 in prizes. The first prize shall be £20 and a Gold Medal, second prize […]
By Bridget MacKenzie This article is based to a large extent on material kindly supplied by George Moss’s nephew, Jim (Hamish) Hamilton, Aberdeen, to whom I give my thanks George Moss (1903-1990) was an important figure in Highland piping who has not received the recognition due to him. Such men […]
By Seumas MacNeill Archie MacNeill composed Donald MacLean’s Farewell to Oban in 1938 at a time when he was probably at his most prolific in producing tunes. That was the year of the ‘Crisis’ (which itself was responsible for the production of a tune by Willie Fergusson), the time when […]
By Thomas Pearston • From the February 1995 Piping Times. CollWhen one looks at the number of tunes produced by pipers from the island of Coll we are surprised how many we can total from such a tiny island. The Laird of Coll’s Galley, Lament for Great John MacLean, MacLean […]
