Face the West live in Glasgow.Friday 25th September.
Category: News
Blazin’ in Beauly,19th-24th October
Blazin’ in Beauly will take place from the 19th to 24th October, including a big Saturday night show on the 24th.
Fiddle Force.August 22nd-23rd
Hi everyone
Robbie and Dawn Leask have kindly said they would have another fiddle force
gathering this year and have chosen the week-end of August 22nd-23rd.
There is space to camp, and
hopefully August will be drier than July….. The phone number I have from last year
is 01651 843695.
It would be really helpful if you could let Robbie or Dawn know soon if you are
thinking of coming…
There are one or two new names on the list – so for those that aren’t familiar
with these week-ends
– anyone is welcome….
– we usually gather on Saturday lunchtime and disperse on Sunday around
lunchtime, but it may well be ok to come on Friday night if you are able to get
there…
– we generally each bring a contribution to the food (best to ask Robbie and
Dawn when you contact them what they think would be most useful)
Love
Jenny
Heather,Auckland,New Zealand
Hi folks,
Wish I could join you all next weekend – have an awesome time. But I won’t be
missing out completely as we have a fiddle weekend at Onewhero about 60 km south
of Auckland. Great rural property and we’re hoping it will be dry enough for a
session in the bush. 
I’ve attached a photo of the stone hut where we play, and
the campfire – not as large as the one at Taransay!!
I had a brilliant time at Taransay. Thank you all for making me feel so
welcome. In my first week back in NZ my head was still in Scotland. Cheered
myself up one evening with a picnic dinner by the beach watching the sunset
except it was 5.30 pm `cos it’s winter here, and I was wearing a coat! The 3rd
photo is the island I could see out in the harbour – not quite Taransay but if
you use your imagination……….
Will be thinking of you next weekend
Cheers
Heather,Auckland,New Zealand.
Simon Fraser University .The Worlds
The World Pipe Band Championships – The Worlds – were held in Glasgow in front of 40,000 people. Simon Fraser University from Vancouver took the top award, for the third time
A CANADIAN team triumphed at the World Pipe Band Championships last night, taking home the trophy for a third time.
More than 40,000 piping enthusiasts flocked to Glasgow Green to watch Simon Fraser University, from Vancouver, wrest the title back from the The Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band, from Northern Ireland.
Third place went to championship veterans the House of Edgar Shotts and Dykehead Pipe Band, who have won the competition 15 times.
Organisers claimed this year’s event was the biggest yet, attracting 221 bands – amounting to 8000 musicians – from 15 countries and bringing £10million in revenue to the city.
Ian Embelton, chief executive of The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA), said: “This year was fantastic. I’ve been putting these championships on for eight years and this was easily the best. The weather was in our favour, the crowds turned up in enormous numbers and it was truly spectacular. We were delighted with this year’s championship.”
French band Bagad Cap Caval won the Grade 2 piping prize and many other foreign bands achieving good results.
Embleton added: “There is something about this championship that seems to be capturing the interest of people all around the world. People are beginning to realise this is a major world championships.
“More people are playing the pipes these days. To get 221 bands where perhaps 20 years ago you would only have got 100, I think that says all you need to know.”
Glasgow is currently celebrating 60 years of association with the championship. The city has managed to keep The Worlds in Glasgow until at least 2012, beating off stiff competition from Belfast.
Glasgow Lord Provost Bob Winter said: “We are thrilled that the RSPBA decided Glasgow was the best home for the Worlds and this has by far been the biggest and best yet.”
This year’s chieftain was culture minister Linda Fabiani.
She said: “I am delighted to have been involved in this fantastic spectacle. The dedication, talent and sheer number of pipers on display demonstrates how piping is thriving not only at home, but all over the world.”