Practice Evenings, in person and using an on-line conference medium, are held on Tuesday evenings from 19:30 (October to May). Session 2023-2024 concluded on 14 May 2024. Activities will resume in early October 2024.
Joe Noble
Members will be sad to hear of the death of Joe Noble on Thursday (29 Aug 2024) at home in Bearsden.
Joe was an outstanding solo drummer who started his career with the 214 Company Boys Brigade and went on to become World Solo Drumming Champion on two separate occasions.
After his playing days he travelled the world as an RSPBA Judge and opened the hugely successful Band Room. His influence was global and he will be sadly missed as far and wide as South America and Spain.
Our thoughts and condolences to his wife Lynn and his wider family.
C N Kerr, President.
Session 2023-2024
Royal Scottish Pipers’ Society
The annual Joint Meeting with the Royal Scottish Pipers’ Society took place on Tuesday 14 May 2024 in the Glasgow High School Memorial Pavilion, Old Anniesland.
Glasgow Highland Club President Colin Kerr (Top, 2nd row, 5th from Right) welcomed Hon Pipe Major Dugald MacLeod (L) and the Royal Scottish Pipers’ Society pipers to the rooms of the Memorial Pavilion, and Pipe Major Donald Morrison (R) and his Highland Club pipers. The bands played together and separately. The bar was open, to help wash down the excellent Kilbarchan pies, and late in the evening there was a performance of Gaelic song from the locals.
The Away Weekend
On Saturday, 27 April 2024, members and guests spent an evening at the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club. Dinner, Piping and Gaelic Song were on the programme. A number of those present had enjoyed a round at the Cardross Golf Club earlier in the day.
GLASGOW HIGHLAND CLUB PIPING RESULTS
The President congratulates everyone who took part in these events, during which there was some very fine piping and first class participation.
Tuesday 19 March 2024
| 2/4 March | Strathspey & Reel | 6/8 March | |
| 1 | John Frater | John Frater | Donald Morrison |
| 2 | Donald Morrison | Donald Morrison | John Frater |
| 3 | Norman MacLeod | Norman MacLeod | Donald Glass |
John Frater received the:
2/4 March; Strathspey and Reel; and M/S/R Quaich.
Norman MacLeod was awarded the Confined March Trophy.
Donald Morrison won the trophy for the 6/8 March
Tuesday 26 March 2024
| Piobaireachd | Slow March | Jig | |
| 1 | Donald Morrison | Donald Morrison | Donald Morrison |
| 2 | James Kenny | Norman MacLeod | James Kenny |
| 3 | Gilbert MacKay | Donald Glass | Norman MacLeod |
| 4 | Norman MacLeod / John Duthie |
Donald Morrison achieved a clean sweep taking home the:
6/8 March Cup; Slow Air Plate; Jig Bowl; Piobaireachd Statue; and the Championship Quaich and Kilt Pin.
The Uist and Barra Competition. This event was held in the College of Piping, on Saturday 09 March 2024. Club President Colin Kerr was on hand to present Piobaireachd winner Callum Beamont with the Glasgow Highland Club medal. Details are here
The Glasgow Highland Club Schools’ Competition 2024: was held on Sunday 25 February 2024 at Hutchesons’ Grammar School, Glasgow. Details of the event are here
The At Home, the Club’s annual Highland Ball, took place on Friday 16 February 2024 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
This session’s Second House Dinner took place in the Art Club on Monday, 29 January 2024.
The Club’s annual Piobaireachd Seminar took place at the Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club on 02-03 Dec 2023.
This session’s First House Dinner took place in the Art Club on Monday, 20 November 2023.
The Annual Business Meeting took place on Monday, 06 Oct 2023.
Session 2022-2023
The Joint Meeting with the Royal Scottish Pipers’ Society took place on Friday 12 May 2023 in the Society’s Rooms in Edinburgh.
The second of the Club’s two Competition Evenings took place at the High School Club on Tuesday 28 March 2023. The events comprised: Piobaireachd; Slow Air; and Jig.
The combined results are as follow:
2/4 S/R 6/8 P S/A Jig Pts
Ernest Cho 1 1 1 – 2 1 14
Donald Morrison 3 – 2 3 3 2 8
Stuart Letford 2 – – 1 – – 6
John Duthie – – – 2 1 – 6
Norman MacLeod – 2 – 4 – 3 4
Donald Glass – – 3 – – – 1
Steven Whitton – 3 – – – – 1
Photographs of the first of the two evenings may be found Here
The Club’s annual Schools’ Competition took place on 26 March 2023 at Hutchesons’ Grammar School, after a break of four years. The Pipe Band event was held in the morning, with the Individual Piping and Drumming competitions following in the afternoon.
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The first of two sessions of the Club’s annual Piping Competitions were held at the Glasgow High School Memorial Pavilion on Tuesday 21 March 2023, after an absence of six years. The events comprised: 2/4 March; Strathspey and Reel; and 6/8 March.
The results are as follow:
2/4 S/R 6/8
Ernest Cho 1 1 1
Donald Glass 4 – 3
Stuart Letford 2 – –
Norman MacLeod – 2 –
Donald Morrison 3 4 2
Steven Whitton – 3 4
The At Home, the Club’s annual Highland Ball, took place on Friday 24 February 2023 at the Marriott Hotel.
The Second House Dinner took place on Monday 06 February 2023, at the Glasgow Art Club.
Alistair McQueen
We are sorry to learn of the passing of Alistair McQueen in December.
01-Feb-2023
The Piobaireachd Seminar and First House Dinner. took place successfully on 03-04 December 2022 and 21 November 2022, respectively. Both were well attended.
At the Seminar, held again at the Royal Northern Yacht Club in Rhu, The Club Piper took those present through A S MacNeill of Oronsay’s Salute and Lament for Duncan MacFadyen.
The First House Dinner took place on Monday 21 November 2022, at the Glasgow Art Club. At the Dinner, the Club Piper, enthralled the company with a rendition of the Piobaireachd: Salute to the Glasgow Highland Club.
Thereafter, the guest performers took the floor, and those present were royally entertained by a mini-band from the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming, led by Pipe Major Reid, SCOTS, and by Cameron Nixon and Rachel Campbell, whose choice of songs and tunes made the evening all the more special.
The 140th Annual Business Meeting was held in the Western Club on Monday 03 October 2022, with Club President Lt-Col AW Hamish H MacLeod in the Chair.
Session 2021-2022
Covid-19: Please note that in September 2021 the Directors took the decision that face to face meetings and events were to be resumed in part.
Practice Evenings, using on-line conference media, are held on Tuesday evenings from 19:30 (October to May). Session 2021-2022 is underway.
Piper and Drummer Registrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Event, on Thursday 02 June 2022, are invited. The tune Diu Regnare will be performed.
Piping members are to resume weekly practice meetings in person on Tuesday 01 February 2022. This is to be a hybrid event, in that attendance will be possible on-line.
The Second House Dinner will take place on Monday 07 February 2022, at the Glasgow Art Club.
The Piobaireachd Seminar and First House Dinner. took place successfully on 04 December 2021 and 22 November 2021, respectively. These were the first occasions to be held face to face since the 2020 Annual Lecture, which took place a fortnight before first lock down. Both were well attended.
At the Seminar, this time held at the Royal Northern Yacht Club in Rhu, The Club Piper took those present through Corrienessan’s Salute.
At the Dinner, the Club Piper, enthralled the company with a rendition of the Piobaireachd: Salute to the Glasgow Highland Club. Thereafter the guest performers took the floor, and those present were royally entertained by a mini-band from the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming, led by Pipe Major Reid, SCOTS, and by Cameron Nixon and Rachel Campbell, whose choice of songs and tunes made the evening all the more special.
The 139th Annual Business Meeting was held on-line on Monday 04 October 2021, at which the office of Club President passed from Dr James RIR Dougall to Lt-Col AW Hamish H MacLeod.
Letter from the Club President, May 2021
The Annual Lecture this year was delivered by our Chief, Sir Malcolm MacGregor of MacGregor. This was held on-line on Wednesday 31 March 2021 and was entitled: Experience and Memories of Twenty Years of photography in Scotland. A great speaker, with natural authority and great enthusiasm, Sir Malcolm devoted his attention to the Scottish Highlands and Islands. The event attracted an attendance of 75, which was left with the view that we should do this again.
At Home, and Dance Practice. The format of the At Home this year was replaced by a Whisky Tasting event, which was held on-line on Saturday 27 February 2021. We are grateful to the Scottish Gantry of Milngavie for supplying both the materials beforehand and the expertise on the day. To the mix were added musical offerings and recordings of Scottish country dances. This most enjoyable evening was enjoyed by an excellent turn out.
Letter from the Club President, Christmas 2020
Events:
The Second House Dinner took place on-line on Monday 08 February 2021. The offerings this time included recording from the Club Piper and from Malin Lewis, the latter currently based in Helsinki on a student exchange programme. Thereafter the gathering participated in small group discussions.
The Piobaireachd Seminar and First House Dinner. took place successfully on 05 December 2020 and 23 November 2020, respectively, by means of online conference medium. Both were well attended. The Club Piper took those present through Catherine’s Lament and Salute to the Glasgow Highland Club
The Dinner commenced with a recital by the Club Piper, and the offerings thereafter included a recording from the Glenfiddich Championship by Honorary Member Stuart Liddell and small group discussions.
In Memoriam.
We are sorry to report the recent deaths of Former Club President Coll Findlay, Former Club Secretary and Treasurer George Ritchie and thirdly the Reverend Eric Hudson.
Annual Business Meeting.,
The Annual Business Meeting took place on Monday 05 October 2020, using an Internet Conference Call Program.
Gold Medal
The Club is delighted to have received from Robert Baker of Australia the gift of the Gold Medal presented to Pipe Major JHB Livingston of the Glasgow High School Pipe Band in April, 1922. The medal was given for first place in the March, Strathspey and Reel competition.
Letter from the Club President, Summer 2020
The First House Dinner took place on Monday 18 November 2020
The Piobaireachd Seminar was held on 05 December 2020
The Second House Dinner will take place on Monday 08 February 2021
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Season 2019-2020.
The At Home took place on 28 February 2020
Opportunities to dig out the no.1 kilt outfits and ball gowns are getting sadly scarce these days so it was a great pleasure on Friday 28th February to see 115 members and their guests in all their finery at our annual “At Home” ball in the Glasgow Marriott Hotel.
Club Vice President Hamish MacLeod was our host for the evening and, after leading a grand march and dance (accompanied by members of our pipe band), he welcomed us and we sat down to a splendid meal. Arthur Bruce, Scottish Opera’s current Emerging Artist, sang the Selkirk Grace.
Club Piper John Wilson treated us to a selection of immaculately crafted tunes. Then it was over to the Ian Muir sound to take the stage and start us into our programme of country dances. After the first few dances Pipe Major James Beaton marched the club pipe band onto the floor and they gave us a selection of tunes, allowing the appreciative audience a chance to regain their breath while enjoying the uplifting and unforgettable spectacle of a pipe band in full flow.
4/4 March: Peter Mackenzie Warren and The Banks of Loch Ard
Slow Air: The Glasgow Highland Club
2/4 March: Donald MacLellan of Rothesay
Strathspey & Reel: The Caledonian Canal and The Sound of Sleat
6/8 Marches: Ballochyle and the Glendaruel Highlanders (Club Tune)
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Country dancing took over for the rest of the evening, and was enjoyed by dancers of all ages and abilities. Thanks to Iain Smith’s excellent refresher session a week before the main event, even the less knowledgeable dancers among us felt confident enough to take part in almost all the dances and didn’t give away too many free kicks around the box, to use a footballing analogy.
The newly refurbished function suite at the Marriott was a most convivial and fitting venue for this prestigious event, and we look forward to enjoying their hospitality again on February 26th, 2021
J Trevor Watson.
The Annual Lecture took place in the Art Club on Thursday 12 March 2020
Saints in Space: Glasgow University’s Gilbert Marcus demonstrated how the occurrence of hagiotoponyms in Scotland may be used in determining probable delineation of territories in times past.
Away Weekend 24-26 April 2020
The weekend was to have been held at the Royal Dunkeld Hotel. Golf was to have been played on the journey on Friday, and on the Saturday there were to have been walking and golf, with dinner in the evening. The Club intends to make similar arrangements for the 2021 event.
E-mail: bookings@royaldunkeld.co.uk
Tel: 01350 727322.
Visit to the Royal Scottish Pipers’ Society: Friday 29 May 2020
This event was cancelled also.
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