Inveraray & District: 2025 European Champions; Ulster Scottish wins Grade 2

Perth, Scotland – August 9, 2025 – Inveraray & District won the 2025 European Championship at South Inch Park, the third major competition of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association’s four-championship season. Inverray won both the Medley and MSR events, as well as the overall drumming title with two seconds. St. Laurence O’Toole won the Medley drumming, and Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia won the MSR drumming.

Ulster Scottish of Philadelphia won Grade 2 and featured two other North American bands, North Stratton of Edmonton, Canada, and the Los Angeles Scots in the prize list.

The competition benefited from the influx of international bands in Scotland for the Piping Live! festival and the World Championships.

The weather was mostly sunny with an occasional shower, one of which belted Inversray & District while competing.

The event concluded with a trial run of a massed bands-style finale, with renditions of “Scotland the Brave” and “Highland Laddie” that were, by several accounts, a great success.

Unusually, there were no chalk circles for bands and judges or traffic cones demarcating the starting line in the Grade 1 competition, enabling bands and adjudicators to go where they pleased.

Here’s a clip of Inverary & District marching off Inch Park.

With three championships over, be sure to get in your prediction for the Grade 1 World Championships result for an opportunity to win more than $7,000 in piping and drumming prizes in our 2025 Pick the Six contest!

Grade 1
Overall
1st Inveraray & District
2nd Field Marshal Montgomery
3rd Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia
4th Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia
5th St. Laurence O’Toole (Ireland)
6th Police Scotland Fife
7th ScottishPower
8th Manawatu Scottish (New Zealand)
9th St. Thomas Alumni (USA)
10th Johnstone
11th Closkelt
Drumming: Inveraray & District

Medley
1st Inveraray & District (1,3,2,2)
2nd Field Marshal Montgomery (4,4,3,1)
3rd Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (2,2,5,4)
4th St. Laurence O’Toole (6,6,1,3) (ens.pref.)
5th Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia (3,1,7,5)
6th Police Scotland Fife (7,7,4,7)
7th Manawatu Scottish (New Zealand) (5,5,8,9)
8th ScottishPower (8,8,6,6)
9th St. Thomas Alumni (USA) (9,10,9,8)
10th Johnstone (10,9,11,11)
11th Closkelt (11,11,10,10)
Judges: Grant Walker, Barry Donaldson (piping); Duncan Millar (drumming); Brian Martin (ensemble)

MSR (four-part maximum tunes)
1st Inveraray & District (1,1,2,1)
2nd Field Marshal Montgomery (2,2,4,2)
3rd Police Scotland Fife (5,3,3,5)
4th Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (7,6,1,3) (ens.pref.)
5th Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia (3,4,6,4)
6th St. Laurence O’Toole (4,7,5,6)
7th ScottishPower (6,5,7,7)
8th St. Thomas Alumni (USA) (8,9,9,8)
9th Manawatu Scottish (New Zealand) (9,8,8,9)
10th Johnstone (10,10,11,10)
11th Closkelt (11,11,10,11)
Judges: Shaunna Hilder, Ronnie McShannon (piping); Allan Craig (drumming); Jennifer Hutcheon (ensemble)

Grade 2 (Medley, 15 competed)
1st Ulster Scottish (USA)
2nd North Stratton (Canada)
3rd Glasgow Skye Association
4th Uddingston
5th Royal Burgh of Annan
6th Los Angeles Scots (USA)
Drumming: Uddingston
Judges: Bob Worrall, David Hilder (piping); Paul Brown (drumming); Robert Mathieson (ensemble)

Grade 3A (MSR, 19 competed)
1st TEXO Deeside Caledonia
2nd Dunbar Royal British Legion
3rd Methil & District
4th City of Discovery
5th Uddingston Strathclyde
6th Burntisland & District
Drumming: Canterbury Caledonian Society (New Zealand)
Judges: Tom Brown, Jim Campbell (piping); Paul Turner (drumming); Gordon Lawrie (ensemble)

Grade 3B (MSR, 15 competed)
1st Elgin & District
2nd Carnegie Mellon University (USA)
3rd Wallacestone & District
4th Scottish Borders
5th Prince Charles (USA)
6th Lower Clyde
Drumming: Carnegie Mellon University (USA)
Judges: Grant Walker, Barry Donaldson (piping); Duncan Millar (drumming); Brian Martin (ensemble)

Juvenile (Medley, four competed)
1st Dollar Academy
2nd George Watson’s College
3rd Preston Lodge
4th Renfrewshire Schools
Drumming: Dollar Academy
Judges: Tom Brown, Jim Campbell (piping); Paul Turner (drumming); Gordon Lawrie (ensemble)

Grade 4A (Prescribed MSR, 14 competed)
1st Vale of Atholl
2nd National Youth – Germany
3rd Northwest Junior (USA)
4th Culter & District
5th Williamwood
6th Kirkcaldy & District
Drumming: Vale of Atholl
Judges: Bob Worrall, David Hilder (piping); Paul Brown (drumming); Robert Mathieson (ensemble)

Grade 4B (Prescribed Marches, 27 competed)
Final
1st Barrhead
2nd Dunoon Argyll
3rd City of Discovery
4th City of St. Andrews
5th Uddingston
6th Royal Air Force of Oman
Drumming: Royal Air Force of Oman
Judges: Maurice Rhodes, Ross Walker (piping); Alex Dudgeon (drumming); Peter Snaddon (ensemble)

Novice A (Prescribed MSR, 12 competed)
1st Lochgelly High School
2nd George Watson’s College
3rd High School of Dundee
4th Dollar Academy
5th Brisbane Boys College (Australia)
6th West Lothian Schools
Drumming: George Watson’s College
Judges: Tom Brown, Jim Campbell (piping); Paul Turner (drumming); Gordon Lawrie (ensemble)

Novice B (Prescribed Marches, 21 competed)
1st Scotch College No 2 (Australia)
2nd High School of Glasgow
3rd Oban High School
4th Bucksburn & District Novice
5th Scots College Sydney (Australia)
6th Lochgelly High School Junior (ens.pref.)
Drumming: Oban High School
Judges: Maurice Rhodes, Ross Walker (piping); Alex Dudgeon (drumming); Peter Snaddon (ensemble)