Inveraray & District: 2026 Scottish Champions

Dumbarton, Scotland – July 25, 2026 – Inveraray & District were crowned 2026 Scottish Pipe Band Champions at Levengrove Park, within sight of Scotland’s iconic Dumbarton Rock, against a field of eight other Grade 1 bands competing for the fourth of the five major championships on the RSPBA’s rota of major competitions. St. Laurence O’Toole won the Grade 1 drumming title.

Royal Burgh of Annan won Grade 2 with straight firsts to almost certainly secure an upgrade to Grade 1 for 2027. The band now has firsts in the UK, European and Scottish championships, and a second in the British.

In contrast to the other championships, the Scottish had Grade 1 bands compete in both Medley and MSR events, similar to the two-events-each-day format to be used at the World Championships on August 14-15 in Glasgow.

Inveraray & District marched off the park around 8 pm, despite a much shorter massed bands, rather than a prolonged and bladder-bursting march past, before the prizes were announced. Many pipers and drummers from Ireland and Northern Ireland had to leave the park before the prizes were announced so they could catch their flight home.

There were frequent wide gaps between judges’ placings from Grade 3B on down.

The Scottish is the fourth and penultimate championship, with the Worlds the final major on the RSPBA rota on August 14-15 in Glasgow.

The weather was a taps-aff scorcher: sunny and a high of about 28C.

Grade 1 (nine competed)
Overall
1st Inveraray & District (Scotland)
2nd Field Marshal Montgomery (Northern Ireland)
3rd Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (Scotland)
4th St. Laurence O’Toole (Ireland)
5th Police Scotland Fife (Scotland)
6th Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia (Scotland)
7th ScottishPower (Scotland)
8th Ravara (Northern Ireland) (combined ens.pref.)
9th Police Scotland & Federation (Scotland)
Drumming: St. Laurence O’Toole

Medley
1st Field Marshal Montgomery (1,1,1,3)
2nd Inveraray & District (3,3,2,1)
3rd St. Laurence O’Toole (4,4,3,2) (ens.pref.)
4th Police Scotland Fife (2,2,5,4)
5th Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia (5,5,4,6)
6th Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (6,6,6,5)
7th ScottishPower (7,7,7,8)
8th Ravara (9,9,8,7)
9th Police Scotland & Federation (8,8,9,9)
Judges: Richard Parkes, Gordon Lawrie (piping); Adrian Hoy (drumming); Lee Innes (ensemble)

Four parts MSR
1st Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (2,1,1,1)
2nd Inveraray & District (1,2,4,2)
3rd St. Laurence O’Toole (5,3,2,5)
4th Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia (6,6,3,3)
5th Field Marshal Montgomery (4,5,5,4)
6th Police Scotland Fife (3,4,6,6)
7th ScottishPower (7,7,8,7)
8th Police Scotland & Federation (8,8,9,8)
9th Ravara (9,9,7,9)
Judges: Jim Campbell, Ian Simpson (piping); Stuart Coils (drumming); Ross Walker (ensemble)

The results put Field Marshal Montgomery and Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia in a tie, with 19 Champion of Champions points calculated from the year’s major competitions. St. Laurence O’Toole and Shotts both have 11 points after the four major championships, putting the title out of reach.

In the Grade 1 Drumming Champion of Champions race, Field Marshal Montgomery leads with 21 points, St. Laurence O’Toole has 17 points, and other bands’ drum corps are unable to win the title.

Inveraray & District did not compete at the UK Championships, choosing instead to compete and perform at the Chicago Highland Games, dropping out of the 2026 Champion of Champions title races.

Grade 2 (medley, 15 competed)
1st Royal Burgh of Annan (Scotland) (1,1,1,1)
2nd Uddingston (Scotland) (6,4,2,3)
3rd Manorcunningham (Ireland) (2,5,4,4)
4th Buchan Peterson (Scotland) (4,6,5,2)
5th Bucksburn & District (Scotland) (3,3,7,6)
6th St. Joseph’s (Ireland) (7,7,10,8)
7th TEXO Deeside Caledonia (Scotland) (11,11,6,5)
8th Tullyagan (Northern Ireland) (8,13,3,11)
9th Coalburn IOR (Scotland) (5,2,15,14)
10th MacKenzie Caledonian (Scotland) (12,8,9,9)
11th Denny & Dunipace (Scotland) (10,9,8,13)
12th Johnstone (Scotland) (13,10,12,7)
13th Oban (Scotland) (9,12,14,10)
14th Grampian Police Scotland (15,14,11,12)
15th City of Edinburgh (Scotland) (14,15,13,15)
Judges: Sam Young, Grant Walker (piping); Jim Baxter (drumming); Jim Semple (ensemble)

Grade 3A (MSR, 14 competed)
1st Burntisland & District (Scotland) (3,1,1,1)
2nd Livingston Caledonia (Scotland) (2,2,2,4)
3rd City of London (England) (1,3,3,6)
4th Major Sinclair Memorial (Northern Ireland) (5,5,5,2)
5th Macanta (England) (6,4,7,3)
6th City of Stirling (Scotland) (4,7,4,7)
Judges: Peter Snaddon, Alvis Kerr (piping); Ian Lawson (drumming); Gordon Parkes (ensemble)

Grade 3B (MSR, 15 competed)
1st Williamwood (Scotland) (1,1,2,1)
2nd Govan (Scotland) (2,4,1,4)
3rd Troon Caledonia (Scotland) (3,3,6,7)
4th Royal Army of Oman (10,9,3,2)
5th East Ayrshire Caledonia (Scotland) (5,6,12,5)
6th Wallacetstone & District (Scotland) (9,7,10,3)
Judges: Richard Parkes, Gordon Lawrie (piping); Adrian Hoy (drumming); Lee Innes (ensemble)

Juvenile (medley, six competed)
1st Dollar Academy (Scotland) (1,1,1,2)
2nd George Watson’s College (Scotland) (2,2,2,1)
3rd Preston Lodge High School (Scotland) (3,3,3,3)
4th Lochgelly High School (Scotland) (6,4,4,4)
5th George Heriot’s School (Scotland) (5,5,5,5)
6th West Lothian Schools (Scotland) (4,6,6,6)
Judges: Peter Snaddon, Alvis Kerr (piping); Ian Lawson (drumming); Gordon Parkes (ensemble)

Grade 4A (prescribed MSR, 13 competed)
1st City of St. Andrews (Scotland) (1,2,4,1)
2nd Ratae (England) (2,1,3,2)
3rd Altnaveigh Memorial (Northern Ireland) (5,3,2,6)
4th Moneygore (Northern Ireland) (8,5,1,3)
5th City of Discovery (Scotland) (3,6,10,4)
6th Kirkcaldy & District (Scotland) (4,9,7,5)
Judges: Jim Campbell, Anthony Sloane (piping); Stuart Coils (drumming); Ross Walker (ensemble)

Grade 4B (prescribed marches, 12 competed)
1st Royal Air Force of Oman (1,1,1,1)
2nd City of Brechin (Scotland) (2,2,3,2)
3rd Uddingston Strathclyde (Scotland) (5,4,2,4)
4th Arbroath (Scotland) (3,3,8,3)
5th 1st Troon Boys’ Brigade (Scotland) (4,6,4,5)
6th East Kilbride (Scotland) (7,7,7,7)
Judges: Jim Campbell, Anthony Sloane (piping); Stuart Coils (drumming); Ross Walker (ensemble)

Novice Juvenile A (prescribed MSR, nine competed)
1st George Watson’s College (Scotland) (2,1,1,1)
2nd High School of Dundee  (Scotland) (1,2,6,2)
3rd North Lanarkshire Schools (Scotland) (3,4,3,3)
4th Renfrewshire Schools (Scotland) (5,3,5,4)
5th Dollar Academy (Scotland) (6,6,4,5)
6th George Heriot’s School (Scotland) (8,8,2,7) (ens.pref.)
Judges: Peter Snaddon, Alvis Kerr (piping); Ian Lawson (drumming); Gordon Parkes (ensemble)

Novice Juvenile B (prescribed marches, 15 competed)
1st Stirling & District Schools Jr. (Scotland) (4,3,2,1) (ens.pref.)
2nd Dollar Academy (Scotland) (1,1,6,2)
3rd Isle of Arran Music School (Scotland) (3,4,1,3)
4th Kintyre Schools (Scotland) (2,2,10,4)
5th Burntisland & District (Scotland) (10,9,4,5) (ens.pref.)
6th North Lanarkshire Schools (Scotland) (13,6,3,6) (ens.pref.)
7th Bucksburn & District (Scotland) (7,5,8,8)
Judges: Sam Young, Grant Walker (piping); Jim Baxter (drumming); Jim Semple (ensemble)