The 10 most-read pipes|drums Results articles of 2025

pipes|drums set several publication records in 2025, our greatest year ever for readership and viewership!

Overall, visitors to pipesdrums.com increased by 11% over 2024, which was in itself an all-time record. By December 31st, we will have published no fewer than 405 articles, another all-time record, and this year, a record number of Feature pieces were brought your way, including more video panels, interviews and commentary pieces than ever.

The space between Christmas and New Year’s is almost always quiet for news from the piping and drumming world, and rightly so. A rest is what’s needed, at least in the Northern Hemisphere.

It’s a great time to take a look at the most-read articles of the year. We exclude the subscribers-only pieces, and, along with articles categorized as News and Features, we’ve decided this year to break out the Results reports as our first Top 10 list.

Here, then, are the 10 most-read pipes|drums Results articles of 2025, in reverse order to create dramatic nervous tension (why they announce prizes from first to last we will never know):

2025 UK Champions: St. Laurence O’Toole; Uddingston wins Grade 2; only 60 bands total – That controversial RSPBA major in Edinburgh on July 12th attracted only 60 bands and just three in Grade 1, but it successfully paved the way for what could be a regular championship in Scotland’s capital city.

Field Marshal Montgomery: 2025 Scottish Champions; SLOT takes the drumming – If it’s late July it must be the Scottish at Dumbarton, and this year FMM laid down the gauntlet for an exciting World Championships.

Brodie Watson-Massey wins 2025 Northern Meeting Gold Medal; Silver Star goes to Beaumont; Wynd wins Silver Medal and B-MSR – Who is this young upstart from Edinburgh winning the Inverness Gold Medal on his first go? Inquisitive readers were captivated.

Colin MacLellan returns to win his fifth Glengarry Cup – After almost two decades not competing, Colin MacLellan returned to his adopted second home in Canada to win the light music event he helped to create in the 1990s.

Maxville 2025: Ulster Scottish wins Grade 2 – There was only one Grade 1 band, so Ulster Scottish won the top competition at the North American Championships against a deep field.

With straight firsts, Field Marshal Montgomery wins All-Ireland Championship for the 28th time – Wherever FMM wins, their fans are attracted to the contest report, and their mid-summer win was a big one for the band under new leaders Pipe-Major Matt Wilson and Lead-Drummer Willie Glenholmes.

Inveraray & District: 2025 European Champions; Ulster Scottish wins Grade 2 – Perth, Scotland, hosted the event the week before the Worlds, where Inveraray and Ulster served notice that they mean business.

Stuart Liddell: 2025 Glenfiddich Champion – Stuart Liddell took down his fourth Glenfiddich title as part of one of the best competitive season any piper in history has experienced.

Kerr McQuillan: 2025 World Solo Snare Drumming Champion; Jordan Bailie wins Tenor Championship – The young McQuillan attracted the eyeballs, and it says something that the WSDC garners so much attention. And what is that “something”? Well, maybe there should be more solo drumming events!

Inveraray & District: 2025 World Champions; Inveraray also wins the drumming; Grade 2 goes to Glasgow Skye – Of course, the Worlds is the biggest Results report. It’s the biggest of the big, with the biggest performances, the biggest big lines at the biggest beertents, and the biggest celebrations at the biggest buses. Inveraray & District made it a win for the ages.

Stay tuned for the 10 most-read pipes|drums Feature articles of 2025, coming very soon!