Scottish Championships Reportedly In Dumbarton

After an unusually long delay, the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association has allegedly secured Dumbarton, Scotland, as the venue for the 2001 Scottish Pipe Band Championships on Saturday, July 28.

Several RSPBA judges have reported receiving the association’s official judging availability form, which includes the date and venue for the Scottish.

The July date is unusual also, as it falls in the UK’s holiday month in which, among others, the “Glasgow Fair” and “Edinburgh Trades” are breaks that take place, respectively, in the first and last two weeks of the month.

Dumbarton had apparently been in the running for a championship in 2000, and the news of its securing the Scottish comes only weeks after the RSPBA announced that the British Pipe Band Championships would be held in May in Banbridge, Northern Ireland.

The decision to put the British in Northern Ireland has been met with some derision from Scotland-based bands, complaining that it will cost a great deal with little time to budget for travel and accommodation.

Said one North American pipe band member: “I don’t understand what the problem is. Overseas bands plan their vacations around the World Championships and spend tens of thousands to get there every year. Surely the Scottish bands can deal with it once in a while.”

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