Archive
In what could be a record for a purely piobaireachd teaching weekend, 42 pipers from all over North America soaked up ceol mor tuition and performances at the fourth annual Jimmy McIntosh MBE Piobaireachd Workshop at Carnegie Mellon University’s Cohon University Center in Pittsburgh. Described by the organizers as “action-packed,” […]
“Liddell performs with the rare ability to make the impossible sound effortless. ‘Garron’ is the album that puts it all in one place.”
The National Piping Centre was stowed out with young pipers and their proud parents at the organization’s 2026 Junior Solo Piping Competition, where Charlie Mack won the aggregate trophy in the Under 18 category, Shay McInarlin gained the Under 15 aggregate, Larry Presslie won the overall trophy in the Under 13, and Charles Campbell was best aggregate in the Practice Chanter.
Connor Sinclair of Crieff, Scotland, won the Ardmore Cup for the third time, an event that showcases invited competitors in a creative setting that includes a freestyle Medley contest as well as a traditional MSR. Each piper also plays a slow air during their tuning, with a separate award for each.
Vancouver – February 21, 2026 – Steven McWhirter was the winner of the Pacific Rim Solo Snare Drumming Championship, presented by the BC Pipers’ Association and hosted by the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada at the Seaforth Armoury. McWhirter won all three events and earned CAD$2,500 for his success. The MSR […]
Our discussion with four leaders from the National Piping Centre: Emma Hill, NPC Clubs Producer; Laura-Beth MacCrimmon, Youth & Communities Producer; Finlay MacDonald, Director of Piping; and David Shedden, NYPBoS Producer, continues as the organization reaches its 30-year milestone this year.
Judging structures need to evolve with what pipe bands have become over the last hundred years.
We continue this important discussion at a time when pipe bands worldwide are looking for real solutions to an age-old problem that must be solved, first by identifying the causes, then by working on real change for a better future.
The fourth annual Skye K. Richendrfer Memorial Cup Grade 4 Piobaireachd Challenge was won by Matthew Hubbard, of Omaha, Nebraska, playing “Sir James MacDonald of the Isles’ Lament.”
Founded in 1950, the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association’s Northern Ireland Branch will celebrate its seventy-fifth anniversary on February 21, 2026, with an RSPBANI Anniversary Gala to mark the occasion with a formal gala dinner at the La Mon Hotel & Country Club in Newtownards, Co Down. The night will […]
This morning, depending where you stood, the sun rose precisely over Nelson’s Monument at Glasgow Green, where a gaggle of druid-like pipe band zealots camped overnight just to see the annual spectacle. That’s right, today is Worlds Solstice, exactly six months since and six months until the World Pipe Band […]
On Friday, March 6th, St. Columba’s School in Kilmacolm, Scotland, will welcome a mini-band from Grade 1 Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia to perform with the school’s bands at an evening of music. The “We Are On Our Way” concert is about six weeks before 61 members of the school’s thriving […]
If you’re one of the thousands of non-UK citizen pipers and drummers planning to travel to the UK to compete, judge, or simply attend competitions, performances and festivals, you’d be wise to get your papers in order, as significant new border measures will be introduced on February 25th. The new […]
We chat with Emma Hill, Producer of NPC Clubs; Laura-Beth MacCrimmon, Youth & Community Producer; Finlay MacDonald, Director of Piping; and David Shedden, National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland Producer.
Cameron Drummond of Edinburgh will compete to gain a consecutive Captain John A. MacLellan MBE Medal for piobaireachd on August 29th at the 2026 Memorial Dinner & Recital Competition at the Caledonian Hotel in Scotland’s capital city. Organized by the Eagle Pipers’ Society, with sponsorship from the William Grant Foundation, […]
Blair Beaton of Scotia, New York, won the 2026 RSPBA Adult Solo Snare Drumming Intercontinental Championship held at the Irish American Association of Northwest New Jersey, the first in the association’s eight-contest Champion of Champions League. Beaton also earned a spot in the semi-final at the 2026 World Solo Pipe Band Snare Drumming Championship in Glasgow in October.