News

Check out the rules and history of the AKQ here.

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Silver Chanter

The Piobaireachd Society has agreed to take over the running of one of piping’s most iconic events, the Silver Chanter. It will do so under an agreement with Mossburn Distillers/Torabhaig Distillery and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the Gaelic College. Both are near neighbours on the Sleat Peninsula on the isle of Skye.

The Silver Chanter will be funded by the Society and by Mossburn/Torabhaig. Both have agreed substantial financial support for the next five years. The venue will be Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, thus maintaining ‘the Chanter’s’ presence on its home island. 

The first year of the new arrangement will be 2024. There will be no Silver Chanter this year. The Society will maintain as many of the traditions associated with the competition as is possible. The date will be the Thursday evening of the Skye Gathering. It will be a black tie, gala occasion. It will be recorded.

The competition will remain invitational but with the six pipers drawn from the Dunvegan Medal, the Col. Jock MacDonald Clasp (both Skye Gathering competitions), the Gold Medals and senior piobaireachd events at Oban and Inverness, and the current Silver Chanter holder. The music will be from the MacCrimmon tune list used for the senior competition at the Skye Gathering.

Robert Wallace, President of the Piobaireachd Society, said: ‘The National Piping Centre ran the Silver Chanter successfully over the past five years. Now that their time has come to an end, our members and our General Committee were of the view that we should do whatever we could to ensure the survival of the recital/competition, and that it should be held, if viable, on the isle of Skye.

‘We believe that the sustainable model we have established will give stability to what has been, since 1968, an important fixture in the piping calendar. The original aim of the Silver Chanter was to encourage piobaireachd on Skye and I believe the Society’s decision will continue this.’

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THE PIOBAIREACHD SOCIETY SET TUNES FOR 2024

The Piobaireachd Society recommends the following for competitions in 2024:

A. SENIOR COMPETITIONS

A new approach to setting tunes for the senior competitions was adopted in 2023 for a trial period of five years.   The aim is to give competitors a wider choice of tunes while still ensuring exposure for the appropriate repertoire.   If deemed successful, the period may be extended beyond five years.

Competitors will submit six tunes from the list below.   Different tunes will be selected for each competitor for the Argyllshire Gathering and the Northern Meeting in the same year.   The chosen tunes will be noted and competitors will not be permitted to submit these two tunes again for a period of at least five years.   

The list may be expanded from year to year on the recommendation of the Piobaireachd Society.  It is unlikely that any of the tunes will be removed from the list.

The Finger Lock	PS 1, K
In Praise of Morag	PS 1, K
The Unjust Incarceration	PS 2, K
The Bells of Perth	PS 2, K
Lament for Donald Ban MacCrimmon	PS 2, K
Donald Gruamach’s March	PS 2, K
Colin Roy MacKenzie’s Lament	PS 3, K
Lament for the Duke of Hamilton	PS 3, K
Lament for the Earl of Antrim	PS 3, K
Lament for the Children	PS 3, K
Patrick Og MacCrimmon’s Lament	PS 3, K
Scarce of Fishing	PS 3, K
The Red Speckled Bull	PS 4, K
Beinn a Ghriain	PS 4
John Garve MacLeod of Raasay’s Lament	PS 5, K
Mary’s Praise	PS 5, K
Lament for the Union	PS 6, K
Craigellachie	PS 6, K
The Daughter’s Lament	PS 6, K
The Sound of the Waves against the Castle of Duntroon	PS 6, K
The End of the Little Bridge	PS 8, K
Lady MacDonald’s Lament	PS 8, K
Nameless Cherede Darievea	PS 8, K
The Laird of Anapool’s Lament	PS 9
The Rout of the Lowland Captain	PS 9
MacLeod of Colbeck’s Lament	PS 10
MacKenzie of Gairloch’s Lament	PS 10
The Red Hand in the MacDonald’s Arms	PS 10
The MacLeans’ March	PS 10
The Battle of Waterloo	PS 11
Mrs MacLeod of Talisker’s Salute	PS 11
The MacDonalds’ Salute	PS 11
Abercairney’s Salute	PS 11
My Dearest on Earth, Give me your Kiss	PS 11
Lament for the Harp Tree	PS 12, K
Port Urlar	PS 12
Lament for Airds	PS 13
Lament for Hugh	PS 13
Salute to MacDonald of Staffa	PS 13
Good Health to You Donald	PS 13
The Sutherlands’ Gathering	PS 14
Lament for King George III	PS 14
Lament for Cluny MacPherson	PS 14
Sir James MacDonald of the Isles’ Salute	PS 14
MacLeod of MacLeod’s Lament	PS 15, K
Farewell to the Queen’s Ferry	PS 20th Century Piob. 2020 edition
Lament for John MacDonald, Inverness	PS 20th Century Piob. 2020 edition
Lament for Pipe Major Robert Reid	PS 20th Century Piob. 2020 edition
Salute to James Campbell	PS 20th Century Piob. 2020 edition
Salute to the MacCrimmon Cairn at Borreraig	PS 20th Century Piob. 2020 edition
The Phantom Piper of Corrieyairack	PS 20th Century Piob. 2020 edition
Roderick MacDonald’s Salute	Donald MacLeod Piob. 2019 edition
A Son’s Salute to his Parents	Donald MacLeod Piob. 2019 edition
The Edinburgh Piobaireachd	John MacLellan Ceol Mor

B. GOLD MEDAL COMPETITIONS

The Big Spree	PS 1, K
Black Donald’s March (#)	PS 3, K
The Blue Ribbon (#)	PS 5, K
The MacDougalls’ Gathering	PS 5, K
Nameless (Hiharin odin, hiharin dro)	PS 5, K
The Glen is Mine (#)	PS 6, K
Clanranald’s Salute (#)	PS 7, K
Farewell to the Laird of Islay (#)	PS 9
The Battle of Sheriffmuir (#)	PS 15, K
The Gunns’ Salute	PS 15

Competitors will submit six of the above tunes, one of which they will be required to play.

For the purposes of the Gold Medal competitions, tunes marked (#) require crunluaths a mach.

C. SILVER MEDAL COMPETITIONS

Lament for MacSwan of Roaig	PS 1, K
The Gathering of Clan Chattan (#)	PS 2, K
The Gathering of the MacNabs (#)	PS 5, K
MacKintosh’s Lament	PS 8, K
MacNeil of Barra’s March	PS 10
Melbank’s Salute	PS 14
The Cave of Gold (#)	PS 16
Cronan Phadruig Seumas	Donald MacLeod Piob. 2019 edition

Competitors will submit four of the above tunes, one of which they will be required to play.

For the purposes of the Silver Medal competitions, tunes marked (#) require crunluaths a mach.

PS = Piobaireachd Society Collection    K = Kilberry Book of Ceol Mor

The Donald MacLeod and PS 20th Century Piobaireachd collections have been corrected and re-printed recently in A4 format and it is recommended that these be used as the sources for these tunes.

Competitors are not restricted to settings in the Piobaireachd Society Collection and Kilberry Book.   Those who wish to play alternative settings should submit legible scores, indicating the origins of the settings, to competition organisers along with their tune selections.

Altogether different tunes known by the same or similar names will not be accepted as alternatives.

This announcement is without prejudice to any arrangements made by the Argyllshire Gathering or the Northern Meeting.

For the Music Committee, Ronald McShannon, 2 Ascot Avenue, Glasgow, G12 0AX

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2023 Annual Conference

A report by President Robert Wallace on last weekend’s Annual Conference can be read by members here. The conference was well attended with a very high quality of contributions both written and played.

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