Ian Duncan confirmed as L&B P-M

Ian Duncan of Perth, Scotland, has been officially confirmed as the new Pipe-Major of the Lothian & Borders Police Pipe Band of Edinburgh. Duncan replaces David Barnes, who was voted out of the role by the band at a meeting on August 31st.

 

In a statement to pipes|drums, Band Secretary Gordon McCreadie said, “Lothian & Borders Police Pipe Band are delighted to announce the appointment of Ian Duncan as the new Pipe-Major. The band and all its members would like to express their thanks to the former Pipe-Major David Barnes for his time and commitment and wish him every success in any new venture he undertakes.”

 

Ian Duncan was the Pipe-Major of the Grade 1 Vale of Atholl Pipe Band of Pitlochry, Scotland, for many years, taking it from a mainly Juvenile organization to the top grade, winning several major championships along the way. Duncan was most recently the Pipe-Major of the Drambuie-Kirkliston Pipe Band, which was promoted to Grade 1 before it fell apart in 2005 due to sponsorship problems.

 

Since that time Ian Duncan has helped with tuning with the Grade 1 ScottishPower and the Spirit of Scotland pipe bands.

 

“Band members are positive about the future and look forward to regaining the success and momentum previously enjoyed in the band’s long and illustrious history,” McCreadie continued.

 

Considered the world’s most famous band from the 1950s to late 1970s, winning five World Pipe Band Championships under legendary Pipe-Major Iain McLeod, the band has had a multitude of pipe-major changes since Harry McNulty retired in the early 1980s. In addition to McLeod and McNulty, famous Edinburgh City Police pipe-majors include Donald Shaw Ramsay, John D. Burgess and Colin MacLellan.