Donald Macdonald Quach returns to Armadale Castle amid controversy

Amid considerable controversy over the fate of Armadale Castle on the Isle of Skye, the Donald Macdonald Cuach Solo Piping Competition will return to the venue after six years on May 30th, with Alasdair Henderson, Findlay Johnston, Stuart Liddell and Willie McCallum competing for the prestigious prize.

The Clan Donald Lands Trust announced in March that Armadale Castle and its nearly 20,000-acre estate, including a museum and gardens, were for sale. The transaction could be completed in the summer.

A gathering of young pipers from the community held a protest at the site soon after, co-organizer Iain MacKinnon commenting, “The protest is primarily intended to express the shock and displeasure of the community at the way the Trust announced this sale without any consultation. It has caused anger, anxiety and fear, especially for those whose livelihoods depend on the estate.”

Nonetheless, the piping contest will be held at Lord MacDonald’s Stables on the estate, and John Wilson will determine the winner.

The Donald Macdonald Cuach celebrates Donald Macdonald, one of Highland piping’s most important figures. Each contestant is assigned the setting of a piobaireachd found in Donald Macdonald’s seminal manuscript published in the 1820s.

The future of Armadale Castle and its museum collection remains uncertain. The collection includes essential Macdonald genealogical archives, rare artifacts, and a set of pipes made by Duncan MacDougall for Lord MacDonald circa 1880.

A statement said, “While the competition’s return marks a significant moment for Scotland’s piping tradition, it remains overshadowed by questions about the Clan Donald Lands Trust’s management and its disregard for the community it was established to serve.”