Harry McNulty, 1933-2026

Harry McNulty, one of the pipe band world’s most accomplished and widely respected figures, died on September 8, 2026, at the age of 93.

A successful pipe-major with both the Lothian & Borders Police and British Caledonian Airways, McNulty was one of only a few in history to lead more than one band to a Grade 1 RSPBA championship. He later became a respected adjudicator and influential teacher whose impact extended well beyond his native Scotland.

Born in Edinburgh on April 17, 1933, McNulty grew up immersed in piping. Orphaned by the age of seven, he was adopted by his maternal grandfather, William Sinclair Sr., founder of the renowned William Sinclair & Son bagpipe-making business in Leith. McNulty lived above the premises where the instruments were made and maintained a connection with the company for much of his life.

His piping developed substantially during National Service with the Lowland Brigade, where he came into contact with Tom McAllister Jr. of Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia and prominent Edinburgh piper George Stoddart.

In 1954, McNulty joined the Edinburgh City Police Pipe Band. John D. Burgess succeeded Donald Shaw Ramsay as pipe-major in 1958 and returned the band to competition before Iain McLeod took over. McNulty would spend much of the next two decades in McLeod’s ranks, winning five World Championships and numerous other major titles. When McLeod reached mandatory retirement in 1976, McNulty was elected pipe-major.

Leading the renamed Lothian & Borders Police, McNulty maintained the band among the top Grade 1 contenders. His successes included the 1979 Scottish Championship and the Inter-Continental Pipe Band Championship at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, then one of the most important competitions on the calendar.

Approaching his own mandatory retirement from the police, McNulty made a move that surprised the pipe band world, accepting the pipe-major position with the Grade 1 British Caledonian Airways. In 1980, he recruited legendary drummer Alex Duthart as leading-drummer, along with much of Duthart’s Shotts & Dykehead drum corps.

Together, McNulty and Duthart assembled one of the most formidable collections of players of the era. The pipe section included Angus MacDonald, Allan MacDonald, Roddy MacLeod, Willie McCallum, Hugh McInnes, Peter Hunt, Andy Young, Craig Walker and Ian Roddick, while Duthart, Bert Barr, Eric Ward and John Scullion were among the celebrated drummers.

British Caledonian Airways won four major championships during McNulty’s tenure and twice finished second at the World Pipe Band Championships, in 1989 and 1990.

Away from competition, McNulty retained close ties with William Sinclair & Son. While working as a policeman, he continued part-time with the company, specializing in quality control, particularly its blackwood pipe chanters, which for decades were regarded as a benchmark for pipe band sound. His position with British Caledonian Airways also took him around the world as the band became a prominent part of the airline’s international marketing.

McNulty was equally influential as a teacher. From the 1970s onward, he regularly taught at piping and drumming summer schools, including long associations with schools in Timmins, Ontario, and Idyllwild, California. His teaching had a particularly lasting influence on piping and pipe bands in the western United States.

Through much of the 1990s and 2000s, he was also a frequent RSPBA adjudicator, earning a reputation for fairness and independence. Those who encountered him as a competitor, teacher, judge or friend also knew him for his congenial personality, quick wit and seemingly inexhaustible supply of stories.

For all his achievements in piping, McNulty was equally devoted to his family. He and his wife, Barbara, known universally in the pipe band world as “Babs,” were married for more than 60 years. They had two sons, Calum and Ross, and grandchildren Cara and Bruce.

Harry McNulty’s career spanned some of the most important decades in modern pipe band history. As a player, pipe-major, teacher, bagpipe maker and adjudicator, he contributed at virtually every level of the art. His rare achievement of bringing two different Grade 1 bands to championship success speaks to his leadership, but his reputation for kindness, humour and fairness was arguably just as important to those who knew him.

In Harry McNulty’s case, nice guys really could finish first.

We extend our sympathy to Harry McNulty’s family, his many friends, and the thousands of pipers and drummers he influenced worldwide.

Be sure to learn more about the great Harry McNulty in the extensive pipes|drums interviews linked below.