After three years in Aviemore, the Northern Meeting piping competitions have
returned to Inverness, to the newly refurbished Eden Court Theatre. The main
auditorium, now called The Empire Theatre, has been much redecorated, with
the seating capacity increased. There are now two other rooms, the One Touch
Theatre and the MacLean Room, well suited to piping competitions. The light
music competitions no longer take place half way up the stairs with people
passing through at all times. The only complaint that I heard was that there
is still not equality of temperature between the tuning rooms and the
auditoria, and this seemed to give some competitors a little difficulty when
they came on to play.
The competition for the Highland Society of London’s Gold Medal opened the
proceedings as always. The set tunes for this were divided into two groups.
The first group consisted of four lesser known tunes, and the second of four
tunes which are often heard at this level. Competitors had to submit two
tunes from each group. The result was a day-long concert in which each of
the tunes was heard more than once.
The winner was the last to play, Alan Bevan. He gave an excellent performance
of Clan MacNab’s Salute, a tune in the first group. William
Geddes, who came second, played another tune from the first group, The
Blind Piper’s Obstinacy. This is a tune by Iain Dall MacKay, who
was blind and was a pupil of Patrick Og MacCrimmon. The Gaelic name is Crosanachd
an Doill and the first word, crosanachd, has “obstinacy” as one
of its several meanings. The tune is unusual in that its last two variations
instead of being the usual taorluath and crunluath, are in the nature of a
crunluath fosgailte in reverse. The succession of variations gives an
impression of the blind piper’s frustration and impatience, as well as a
desire to disregard his disability.
Third prize went to Callum Beaumont for his performance of The Stewarts’
White Banner, another gathering tune. Niall Stewart, winner of the Gold
Medal at Oban this year, in fourth place, played a tune from group two: The
Park Piobaireachd No. 2. This is a forceful battle tune, commemorating a
bloody encounter in about 1495 in which the Mackenzies defeated the
MacDonalds. This year a fifth prize was offered, which was won by Fiona
Manson, who also played The Blind Piper’s Obstinacy.
The Silver Medal competition also takes place on the first day. Winning the
Silver Medal is the piper’s passport to eligibility to compete for the Gold
Medal. The set tunes for this event were also divided into two groups. This
was won by Colin Lee, from British Columbia, who played The Lament for
the Castle of Dunyveg. Dunyveg (Dùn Naomhaig in Gaelic) was the
headquarters in Islay, of the Lordship of the Isles, which was brought to an
end by King James IV in 1493. Who composed the tune, or when, remain
unknown. Pipe Major Neil Hall came second, with Corrienessan’s Salute,
a tune also played by Cameron Drummond, who took third prize. Sean McKeown,
also from Canada, played Hector MacLean’s Warning for fourth
prize. Hector MacLean was the son of one Ailean nan Sop, a MacLean of Coll,
and something of a rogue by reputation. In fifth place, Lyric Todkill, from
the U.S.A., played The Massacre of Glencoe, a simple lament for the
act of royal treachery by William III and his Secretary of State for
Scotland, The Master of Stair, in 1692.
As at Oban, the first day ends with the march, strathspey and reel competition
for former winners of the A grade ceòl beag events, the Royal Scottish
Pipers’ Society’s Silver Star and the MacBrayne Centenary Challenge Cup. It
provides an unbeatable concert of light music from the foremost players and
was won by Angus MacColl.
There were fewer competitors in the Gold Clasp competition this year. This was
likely because all the tunes in the set list were 20th century tunes, and
entry involved learning four tunes which were probably unfamiliar to those
eligible to enter, that is, holders of the Highland Society of London’s Gold
Medal. Of the thirteen entrants, only eleven actually played.
Most of the eight tunes in the list came from the Piobaireachd Society’s book
of Twentieth Century Ceòl Mór. These tunes were also unfamiliar to many of
those listening to the event. One of them, entitled Echoing Roots of
Brittany, was not a Scottish tune at all, but as the name suggests, a
Breton tune, which was the composition of Patrick Molard. Only one entrant
submitted that tune, Dr. Angus MacDonald, and he was asked to play it at
Oban, and therefore was not given it at Inverness. All the other tunes were
played, three of them more than once. These tunes are all of interest in
their ways. They included the Salute to the Isle of Iona, composed by
an American, John Goodenow, from Detroit; Roderick MacDonald’s Salute
by Donald MacLeod and Duncan Johnstone’s Lament for Alan my Son.
The winner was Greig Wilson, who played The Phantom Piper of Corryairack.
This was the best known of the eight tunes and was also played by Iain
Speirs and Dr. Angus MacDonald. The tune is the composition of the late
Captain John MacLellan. Second prize was won by Jack Lee, from British
Columbia, who played The Lament for Angus Campbell, by Archibald
Campbell of Kilberry. In third place, Roderick MacLeod played The Lament
for Pipe Major Robert Reid, composed by William Barrie, a pupil of
Robert Reid. The same tune was played by William McCallum for fourth prize.
Stuart Liddell came fifth, playing Archie Kenneth’s composition for an old
friend of his, The Salute to James Campbell.
The Northern Meeting Quaich is awarded to the piper who achieves the best
aggregate in the Clasp and former winners’ March, strathspey and reel. This
was awarded to Stuart Liddell.
The A grade march, strathspey and reel for the Royal Scottish Pipers’
Society’s Bronze Medal and the Colin Drummond Memorial Trophy, also played
on the first day, was won by Greig Wilson. In the B grade, the ceòl beag is
divided into the march competition and the strathspey and reel. The march
and the Mrs. MacDonald of Craigniche Trophy was won by Colin Lee, the son of
Jack Lee. The strathspey and reel for the Pipe Major Dan Macrae Memorial
Trophy was won by Corporal Peter MacGregor. The Donald Ross Memorial Trophy
for hornpipe and jig, open only to those in grade A and above, was won by
Pipe Major Gordon Walker, not for the first time.
The Sandy Grant Gordon Challenge Quaich, founded last year to encourage and
reward those up and coming pipers who excel in the B grade competitions, and
is based upon achievement in the Silver Medal and the two B grade ceòl beag
events, was won by Colin Lee.
There are three junior events, confined to residents of the north-eastern
Scottish counties, which attracted good entries. The under-15 march
competition for the Pipe Major William Young Trophy was won by Karla
Urquhart from Muir of Ord. The under-18 march, strathsey and reel for the
MacInnes Cup was won by Craig Sutherland, who came third in the under-18
piobaireachd playing The Massacre of Glencoe. George Stewart, who has
been a successful competitor here, at Lochaber and in the MacGregor at Oban
for two or three years now, won the Evan MacRae Trophy in the under-18
piobaireachd with The Big Spree and came third in the march,
strathspey and reel. The second prize-winner in the under-18 piobaireachd
also wins the Rhoda MacLeod Memorial Cup, and Glenn Ross, playing The
Lament for the Viscount of Dundee won this. Fourth prize was won by
Michael Spittal, who played The Lament for the Departure of King James.
For aggregate points George Stewart and Craig Sutherland tied; however, the
position in the piobaireachd competition always takes precedence, and
therefore George Stewart took first and Craig Sutherland second in the
junior overall aggregate. The girls’ aggregate was won by Karla Urqhuart.
Other results
March, strathspey and reel, former winners
1. Angus MacColl; 2. Chris Armstrong; 3. Stuart Liddell; 4.
Bruce Gandy; 5. William McCallum
A grade march, strathspey and reel
1. Greig Wilson; 2. Iain Speirs; 3. Glenn Brown; 4.
Callum Beaumont; 5. Neil Smith
B grade march
1. Colin Lee; 2. Peter MacGregor; 3. Fraser Wylie; 4. Xavier
Bodériou; 5. Sylvain Hamon
B grade strathspey and reel
1. Peter MacGregor; 2. Andrew Hall; 3. Sylvain Hamon; 4.
Gordon Bruce; 5. Jamie Forrester
Hornpipe and jig
1. P/M Gordon Walker; 2. Andrew Hayes; 3. Angus MacColl; 4.
Jenny Hazzard; 5. Alan Bevan
Under 18 piobaireachd
1. George Stewart; 2. Glenn Ross; 3. Craig Sutherland; 4.
Michael Spittal
Under-18 march, strathspey and reel
1. Craig Sutherland; 2. Michael Spittal; 3. George
Stewart; 4. Glenn Ross
Under-15 march
1. Karla Urquhart; 2. Charles MacDonald; 3. Ross Fraser; 4.
James McPetrie
