The Highland Newsroom



Welcome to yer auld Uncle Fergus' Highland Newsroom, where we bring ye the latest news and information from the Bagpipe Universe!

Our top bagpipe story:

The 21-time Grade One World Pipe Band Champion Glasgow Police Pipe Band has appointed Duncan Nicholson as their Pipe Major, returning him to the role he held from 2010 to 2015. He replaces young Alasdair MacLaren, who, according to pipes|drums Magazine, "left the post before he really began it, choosing to return to his native Australia, just 3 months after having accepted the Pipe Major post.

"MacLaren had in turn replaced Iain McPherson, who had served as Pipe Major for three seasons, only to leave the Band due to private family matters.

"The move is the latest in a multitude of changes that have affected the Band over the past 10 years,"  the pipes|drums story continues. "In addition to numerous leadership changes, the Band endured a major period of uncertainty when the Scottish Police Forces amalgamated to form Police Scotland. As a result, the Band underwent a series of name changes, eventually restoring its most well-known and straightforward name, the Glasgow Police Pipe Band."

The Perth Scottish Games will be held Sunday, August 9th at Scone Palace, where Games Chieftain and longtime stage actress and television presenter Lorna Craig and Games Patron and Provost Councillor Dennis Molloy will welcome some of the finest competitors in the fields of Heavy Athletics, Scottish Highland Dancin', Pipes and Drums, Running and Cycling and Tug-o'-war. The Games at Perth are constantly previewed and updated as shown, as well as at www.facebook.com/PerthHighlandGames.   

It was the largest live audience for a single Massed Pipes and Drums display in recorded history. With an untold 2,000,000 spectators packing the streets of downtown Toronto, the combined Pipes and Drums of the Toronto Police and Fire Services led the Toronto Raptors and their friends, fans and families, as Canada celebrated its first-ever NBA Championship. pipes|drums Magazine reports that the group was assembled from available members from the various Police and Fire Pipe Bands in Grades 2, 3 and 5, leading a 4-hour cavalcade through the streets of North America's fourth-largest city. Local politicians, including Mayor John Tory and Police Chief Mark Saunders, plus members of the Raptors, including the team's owners, executives, members of the team's broadcast unit, and popular music star Drake, a Toronto native, were among the featured speakers.

"It was an amazing experience, and the crowd, although so massive and yet so close, was also very friendly to us along the way!" reported Brian Urkovsky, Pipe Major of the Grade 5 Ryan Russell Memorial Pipes and Drums, chosen by Toronto Police Pipers as the day's Pipe Major. Urkovsky along with others in the Band are active Toronto Police Officers. Traditionally, the Toronto Police Service Pipe Band are the resident Pipe Band for Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays.

But the day's festivities were marred by chaos, as The Washington Post later reported, when four people were wounded and three were arrested when an unknown gunman opened fire, resulting in a momentary stampede that was quickly taken care of by Toronto Police Officers. According to Chief Saunders, three individuals were later taken into custody; and the Chief requested footage from any witnesses to the shooting, or those who had captured the incident on video or other social media. Mayor Tory also hoped "for a quick recovery for those who were injured."   

The Metropolitan Chapter of New York City's Queen Victoria Society, with a big assist from the American-Scottish Foundation, hosted a 2-hour Bicentennial Feast and Awards Presentation, cellybratin' Her Majesty Queen Victoria, who ruled Britain for exactly 63 years, seven months, two days: the second-longest reigning British Monarch, a reign long since surpassed, of course, by her now-93-year-old great-great-granddaughter, Elizabeth II. Location: Papillon Bistro & Bar, 22 East 54th Street. This was only one in a cluster of year-long events both within and beyond Britain, cellybratin' Queen Victoria's 200th Birthday. Please visit Google tae find local or regional Queen Victoria 200 events in yer area.

The High Desert Pipe Band from Albuquerque, New Mexico was among 15 Pipe Bands representin' the United States last year at the World Bagpipe Band Championships in Glasgow, the largest U.S. Pipe Band contingent in recent memory. The lads an' lasses from High Desert were there t' commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Band's first Championship at the Worlds, in Grade 4, in 1999. Also representin' America's Four Corners Region was the Mesa, Arizona Caledonian Pipe Band.   

Well-prepar'd for their first American visit were the lads and lasses from the North Lanarkshire Schools' Pipe Band, who brought their Novice and Juvenile Pipe Bands to Tartan Saturday Afternoon! Aye, there they were, almost 50 of Scotland's most talented young Pipers and Drummers! They were also joined by Jean Jones, Provost of North Lanarkshire, wearing her ceremonial chains.

The Band, with a roster from St. Ambrose, Calderhead, Caldervale, Chryston, Dalziel, Kilsyth, Cumbernauld, Our Lady's, Braidhurst, Clyde Valley and Taylor High Schools, plus the Airdrie and Belshill Academies, were 2016 World Champions in Junior categories at the Worlds in Glasgow, and in 2018 were Scottish, British and European Pipe Band Champions, as well as Champion of Champions! In addition, the Band performed with the Scottish National Youth Pipe Band, at the Commonwealth Games, and in the presence of members of the Royal Family. And for a big finish to their American adventure, the Band even brought Grand Central Terminal to a standstill, playing two tunes before the Terminal's Station Manager ordered the youngsters to knock it off!

Big Burns Supper at Dumfries fill'd th' air wi' two weeks of some of the most incredible music, and also kids' activities, Highland seisiuns and all sorts o' stuff, in and aroond Southern Scotland's biggest city! Music legends like Ben Rowlands, Dirty Clap Trap, the Postcard Band, the Strumsum Trio, the Birds of Chicago, Redfish, Stoney Broke, Hazel O'Connor, KT Tunsall ---- and lots, lots more, performed in an 800-capacity Spiegeltent, with international talent encompassin' more than 800 area venues throughout the town!

Burly Angus MacFayden is Robert the Bruce (the role that he originated in Mel Gibson's Braveheart) in a new, original story, co-starrin' Jared Harris as the Bruce's nemesis John Comyn; Anna Hutchison as Lady Morag; Patrick Fugit, Zack McGowan, Gabriel Bateman, Talitha Eliana-Bateman, Sean Lessard, Emma Kenney, Diarmaid Murtagh, Seoras Wallace, Shane Coffey, Melora Walters, and Pirates of the Caribbean veteran Kevin R. McNally. 

In this new story, directed by Australian-based Richard Gray of L.A.-based Yellow Brick Films, produced by Gray, MacFayden, and Hutchison, and written by MacFayden and Eric Belgau, Robert the Bruce, injured and exhausted, is pursued across the Highlands. 'Tis Lady Morag and her fearless youngsters who grant the Bruce shelter and nurse their King back to proper health. Inspired by the family's good deed, Robert the Bruce goes on to spearhead the fight for Scottish independence.

Says MacFayden: "Robert the Bruce rose from the ashes of his former self and became a hero who gave Scotland her independence. And yet he fought for the commonwealth of the land, held by none save her people. Not his own wealth, nor his own land. And what's more, he never slept in a castle again, choosin' instead tae bae one wi' the land and wi' Mother Nature. That's a lesson we need to learn today with the utmost urgency, and I can't wait to share that lesson with audiences around the world!"

Filmed largely in Montana, the Ponderosa Films/Emerald Way Entertainment Production of Robert the Bruce was the Opening Night Presentation at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and was screened as such at the Vue Edinburgh Omni Centre; and has since landed a 50% ratin' from Rotten TomatoesThe film will be released to DVD, Blu-ray and Digital DVD, on April 6th, the actual 700th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Arbroath. U.K. sales rights for Robert the Bruce are handled through Metro International. Robert the Bruce will also bae presented in a special, one-time-only U.S. screening, Thursday evenin', April 16th, in advance of a full-fledged screening in limited release on Friday, April 24th. As for Braveheart itself, the four-time Academy Award winner will observe its 25th Anniversary with selected screenings on Sunday and Monday, March 22nd and 23rd. Both screenings will feature sneak preview trailers for the Robert the Bruce film, t' be distributed across North America through Screen Media Entertainment.

Visit edfilmfest.org.uk tae learn more aboot how t' make yer plans fer the next Edinburgh International Film Festival!      

Washington, D.C.'s St. Patrick's Day Parade has now been postponed, say event organizers, in light of the ongoin' coronavirus stiuation.  Per the Parade website, the march has been 'rescheduled' in favor of "an event and date still to be determined. Details for other 2020 events celebrating the mission of the Washington, D.C. St. Patrick's Day Parade will be announced at our website, on our Facebook page, and via e-mail, once all information has been finalized." The 2020 Parade Grand Marshal: Alice McDermott; her four Gaels of the Year: Manus Cooney (James Hoban Gael of the Year); Patrick Burke (John Barry Gael of the Year); Vinnie Burke III (Swampoodle Gael of the Year) and Maggie O'Neill (St. Brigid Gael of the Year). In addition, a contingent from the D.C. St. Patrick's Day Parade was also scheduled to join the line of march in Manhattan's St. Patrick's Day Parade; however, that event, for the first time in its more than 200-year history, has now been cancelled. A bus trip would have been co-organized by the Irish-American Club of Washington, D.C., the Washington, D.C. St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee, and the Washington, D.C. Police Department Emerald Society, with members of each group uniting to carry the D.C. Parade's "HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY" Banner in the New York Parade's line of march. For further updated details, e-mail irishamericanclubdc@gmail.com. 

To mark the 75th Anniversary of the Signing of the Armistice, Pipe Bands and Individual Bagpipers throughout Scotland and around the world are invited to play one tune at 3 p.m. Friday afternoon, May 8th, 2020: "When the Battle's O'er." Conceived and coordinated by the College of Piping, "Battle's O'er: A Nation's Tribute," led by Pipe Major Bruno Peek, L.V.O., O.B.E., O.P.R., "Battle's O'er" will involve scores of Pipers from everywhere playing the same tune, in a whole new method. Already, Individual Pipers and Pipe Bands representing some 30 nations have signed up tae take part in this global piping event; visit veday75.org/get-involved/battles-oer/ if ye wish tae register as well, and learn more about the full saga.

Scotland's National William Wallace Monument cellybrated its 150th Anniversary in 2019. Inaugurated on September 11th, 1869, the monument spent much o' the year undergoin' major renovation and upgradin', particularly on the stonework, as well as D.W. Stevenson's bronze statue of Sir William. There were a big lineup o' happenings in an' around the Monument, and nae doobt the biggest o' these was the Wallace Wha Hae Festival, held on th' grounds o' Wallace High School, at Stirling. This day-long family-friendly event enchant'd fans wi' a fully licensed bar, the Red Hot Chili Pipers and the Royal Burgh o' Stirling Pipe Band among th' featured live musical acts, plus Jock the Box, Stevie McCrorie, Ted Christopher, The Clann Stunt Team, members of the Monument Dance Squad, the Scotsbard, along wi' nae less than King Robert the Bruce himself in person, and lots more! Wallace Wha Hae was funded in part by EventScotland. See more William Wallace-themed activities and events at nationalwallacemonument.com

To cellybrate the milestone at the Monument proper, Christine Simpson, Provost of the Town of Stirling, launch'd the festival with a full line-up of festivities, stories, live bagpipe music and fully costumed re-enactors. The first 150 visitors were rewarded with a 'special' souvenir; and all visitors received a commemorative certificate celebrating the milestone. The night ended with a fantastic light-show display that dazzl'd spectators' eyes with striking patterns and colours; and fireworks lit up the dark skies over Stirling itself and the Abbey Craig. See how it all went doon here!

They tried breakin' the Guinness World Record ® for Largest Massed Pipes and Drums, as part of the 2nd Annual Ceol Mor Bagpipe Competition, hosted by the Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians at the Rockland County Gaelic Athletic Association Fields, Old Orangeburg Road in Orangeburg, New York, where 55 Individual Pipers and 13 Pipe Bands came together to play both "Minstrel Boy" and "Amazing Grace." But the final tally came nowhere near the previous World Record attempt, staged on May 16th, 2012, at the Bulgarian Culture Palace in Sofia, when 333 participants, playing "kaba gaida" bagpipes from the Rhodope region of Bulgaria, performed at an event organized by the Art of Living Foundation. Please visit the Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians Pipe Band at http://www.facebook.com/RCAOH/ for photos from the day.

The 53rd Silver Chanter Solo Piping Competition return'd to Glasgow's National Piping Centre, as the Opening Night event of Piping Live! 2019. Masters Piobaireachd Champion, Jack Lee, emerg'd triumphant in a field that saw him come out on top against rivals Iain Spears; Dunvegan Medalist, Jamie Forrester; Winner of the Senior Piobaireachd Competition at the Argyllshire Gathering, Stuart Liddell; Northern Meeting CLASP Champion, Callum Beaumont; and Glenfiddich Champion, Finlay Johnston! They play'd MacCrimmon Piobaireachds, and this was Jack's second big prize in less than 8 days, as well as his first victory at this competition! 

The event was supported by the William Grant Foundation. Learn more at http://www.pipinglive.co.uk, and ha'e a peek at a few highlights from the previous competition held in Christchurch, New Zealand, with an all-female cast of adjudicators, at the Canterbury Pipers' Club's official Facebook presence, located at facebook.com/PipersClubCanterbury/videos/284542562164515/, or visit pipersclub.co.nz for the full  results. Apparently, the whole idea was to raise awareness of the participation, or lack thereof, in top-flight solo piping. Female Pipers and Drummers comprise between 25% and 30% of all Pipe Bands, and compete more prevelantly in amateur solo piping events; yet there exists a marked drop-off in the number of women who compete at the Open or Professional levels.

The Declaration of Arbroath, the Scottish version of America's Declaration of Independence, and primary inspiration for various Tartan Day events across the world, including New York City's Tartan Saturday Afternoon, will be publicly displayed from Friday, March 27th to Sunday, April 26th, 2020 at the National Museum of Scotland. 2020 marks the 700th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Arbroath, and 15 years since the document itself was last on public display. The Declaration is a simple letter, dated April 6th, 1320, and was written by the Barons and their free-holders of the Kingdom of Scotland, and addressed to His Holiness Pope John XXII, requestin' him t' recognize Scotland as an independent nation, and, by so doing, acknowledgin' Robert the Bruce as the undisputed King of all Scotland.  

Quoth Alice Blackwell, Curator of Medieval Archaeology and History for National Museums Scotland: "We are pleased to have the opportunity to publicly display the Declaration of Arbroath here at the National Museum of Scotland. It is a hugely significant document, and a vital element of Scottish history. We look forward to welcoming many visitors to share with us the rare opportunity to discover the Declaration close-up."

Nae doobt tha' th' Arbroath 700th Anniversary is a verra big deal in terms o' Tartan Saturday Afternoon, April 4th, 2020. Alas, the New York Tartan Day Parade Committee has just decided to cancel Manhattan's shortest and fastest Parade. Here's the heart-breakin' statement from Kyle Dawson and the Tartan Day Parade Committee:

"We'd hoped we could go ahead with the Parade being three weeks away, but as a result of yesterday's news, New York City and New York State are banning large gatherings until further notice. We are so sorry. This is hugely disappointing news for us to share with you. Given that the COVID-19 pandemic is a rapidly-evolving situation, we will not reschedule this year's Parade. Instead, we'll focus on returning stronger than ever on Saturday, April 3rd, 2021."

Well, me Highland friends, all we can do now is recall Tartan Saturday Afternoon, 2019, when Clan Scallagrimsson invaded New York City! John Nicolson, a/k/a Lord Thorstein Egilsson, 2019 Lerwick Up Helly Aa Centennial Guizer Jarl, follow'd the tradition of prior Guizer Jarls Lord Thorvald Thorvaldssen (Stewart Jamieson), Gamle Erickssen (Stevie Grant) and Lord Solmund Sigurdsson of Tonsberg (Mark Evans), by marchin' along 6th Avenue for Tartan Saturday Afternoon, as he led a 60-man-strong Guizer Jarl Squad featurin' John's own 13-year-old son Bobby, John's two older brothers, 2007 Guizer Jarl Graham Nicolson (Lord Gunnar Egilsson) and 2012 Guizer Jarl David Nicolson (Lord Bothvar Egilsson), and their father, 1979 Guizer Jarl Jim Nicolson (Lord Egil Scallagrimsson)! 

As was the case with the previous Quests, those proud-hearted Hordesmen sailed into Manhattan with the help o' their honorary shipmates from Serco NorthLink Ferries, then they stow'd all their battlegear --- axes, helmets, swords, shields, boots, breastplates, battle-armour, banners, etc., and began their epic journey across ye Byg Appyl! 

As Kyle commented regardin' Clan Scallagrimsson: "This group is keen to join us here in New York, and the intent is to supplement their presence with Jarl Squad members from 2007 (Lord Gunnar Egilsson) and 2012 (Lord Bothvar Egilsson), since in both those years, Gunnar and Bothvar were brothers to the 2019 Jarl, John Nicolson (Lord Thorstein Egilsson) --- the first time, and likely the ONLY time, this will occur in the Up Helly Aa's 100-year-long history.

"The distance alone from Shetland's principal town of Lerwick to London is some 768 miles, atop the additional 3459 miles required tae reach th' Byg Appyl. Given that this trip needs to be made along with heavy, intricate Viking costumes, including helmets, shields, boots, breastplate and armour, represents a major significant financial commitment, not just to personal travel, but also to an unprecedented logistic cargo requirement. A party of 100 has been proposed, but the final confirmation will occur during the next few months.

"What makes this invasion a verra special one is the fact that we'll be havin' three different Guizer Jarl Squads from three different years: 2007, 2012, 2019 --- led by three brothers: Graham Nicolson, 2007 Guizer Jarl (Lord Gunnar Egilsson), David Nicolson, 2012 Guizer Jarl (Lord Bothvar Egilsson), and John Nicolson, 2019 Guizer Jarl (Lord Thorstein Egilsson); their father, Jim Nicolson (Lord Egil Scallagrimsson), was Guizer Jarl in 1979, and now is out some 40 years later, in his youngest son's new Squad."  


Lord Provost Barney Crockett had this to say when Lord Thorvald and his Hordesmen took part in December's Hogmanay marchin': "I used to live in Shetland, and I've taken part in this before, and I've had a great time! It's a fabulous, spectacular celebration. These volunteers do a fantastic job; there are people who've literally devoted years to becoming part of the Jarl Squad. We always get a great turnout from these lads, but this year will be certainly something truly memorable!" There was also a Santa Claus Fun Run, benefitin' the Charlie House charity. In this instance, the challenge involved racin' from Albyn Place in the heart of the City to the grounds of Castle Street within 30 minutes' time. Susan Crighton, Charlie House Director of Fundraising, was likewise thrilled aboot havin' Lord Thorvald and his lads joinin' in the merry marchin'. "Our Christmas Light Parade will attract even more people from across the region to see first-hand this incredible group marching down Union Street," she said."We could very likely convince one of the Vikings to don a Santa suit and join our Santa Fun Run ahead of the Parade!"  

The South Mainland Up Helly Aa has likewise been delayed until next March 21st, reports shetlandwebcams.com/smuha. SMUHA's 2020 Guizer Jarl, Jimmy Laurenson, made the announcement official when speaking with interviewers at Promote Shetland's radio studios, No. 2 Market Street. 

For Valentine's Day's Up Helly Aa in Uyeasound, presenter Kate Humble and crew film'd Andy Hunter, alias Halfdan the Black, 2020's Uyeasound Guizer Jarl and his Squad for an Up Helly Aa documentary, to air in 2021 (or thereabouts) on Channel 5, Unst. Please visit www.raisetheroofproductions.com or e-mail info@raisetheroofproductions.com for further infermation. 

The Kirkwall City Pipe Band were wi' us, too, cellybratin' their 100th Anniversary. Ironically, there were only 10 members from the whole Band, makin' the Kirkwallers the smallest group in the whole Line o' March! In all, 27 Pipe Bands march'd on Tartan Saturday 2019, namely: the Atlantic Watch; the Glasgow Battalion Boys' Brigade; Jonathan Henken and his Mount Kisco Scots (who had barely made it into the Parade after playin' at Brick Presbyterian Church at 10 in th' mornin'!); the Massachusetts Correction Officers' Federal Union Pipe Band; the FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums; the U.S. Corps of Cadets Pipe Band of West Point Military Academy; the Fairfield County, CT Gaelic Pipe Band; St. Brendan the Navigator's Pipes and Drums from Point Pleasant, NJ; the North Lanarkshire Schools' Pipes and Drums; the Jaffa Highlanders; the New York Caledonian Club's Pipe Band; the Shamrock & Thistle Pipe Band; the Middlesex County, NJ Police & Fire Pipe Band; the NYMetro Pipers; the NYU Pipe Band; the New York Peace Officers' American War Pipes and Drums; the West Milford, NJ Highlander Pipe Band; the Tri-County Pipers; the Oban High School Pipe Band; the New Hampshire Scottish Games Pipe Band; the Rob Roy Pipe Band and Highland Dancers; the Caledonian Highlanders from Chemung County, NY; London's Clan Gathering Pipers teaming up with the Bronx's Pipes and Drums of Tir na nOg; the Stephen P. Driscoll Memorial Pipers and the Tunes of Glory Massed Pipes and Drums! 

Please visit facebook.com/kirkwallcitypb/ to find oot more about the Kirkwall City Pipe Band's next big adventures!  

Our 2019 Parade Grand Marshal was Sir Billy Connolly! The world's #1 Scottish singer-songwriter-comedian, best-known for his now-iconic roles as lovable, burly King Fergus from Disney-Pixar's BRAVE, and, of course, even more lovable, not tae mention even burlier, Dain Ironfoot in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, was recently knighted by the Duke o' Cambridge, "for services tae charity and entertainment." Sir Billy was joined by his bride, professional psychologist and former Superman III co-star, Pamela Stephenson (they've been together since 1989); who also judged the Parade's lineup o' wee Parade doggies, especially those lovable Scottish Terriers, specifically, those representin' the Greater New York Scottish Terrier Club; the Long Island Shetland Sheepdog Rescue Squad; Greater New York West Highland White Terrier Club; and the Dandie Dinmont Terrier Group!

And o' course, there were loads o' opportunities for the folks tae say hello to both Sir Billy and Pamela! "I'm thrilled to be this year's Grand Marshal for the New York City Tartan Day Parade!" said Sir Billy. "I canna wait tae hear all those bagpipes echoin' off th' skyscrapers, and just seein' Sixth Avenue awash wi' thousands o' swayin' kilts! It's gonna be brilliant!" Kyle Dawson agreed, saying: "We're beyond delighted having Billy Connolly joining us as this year's Tartan Day Grand Marshal. For more than 50 years, Sir Billy has entertained us through his many works, and because of all this, he has become beloved on both sides o' th' pond. We look forward tae spendin' a big year wi' th' Big Yin!" 

Three generations o' Nicolson Guizer Jarls, the world's biggest Scottish Caber, over 1500 participants, including representatives from 32 Scottish Clans, Nessie & Friends, the Highland Divas, the Long Island Curlin' Club, the Shot of Scotch Dancers, 96th Street's own Alexander Robertson School, the Knickerbocker Daughters of the American Revolution, the "Real Dunoon Hoosewives," the folks who work for our favorite beer, Belhaven --- and Sir Billy Connolly as Grand Marshal: aye, 'twas 'a fantastic Scottish day oot, tae say th' least!

Go t' http://www.nyctartanweek.org to see the 2019 Line o' March, and find out more about the 2018 Line o' March, and to learn where in ye Byg Appyl Lord Thorvald and his Horde carried out their Quest, an adventure that saw Grammy-winnin' Scottish-born singer-songwriter KT Tunstall becomin' the first woman to serve as Parade Grand Marshal, leading a 4000-strong lineup that included, among others, the Accrington Pipe Band, Britain's oldest active civilian Pipe Band; the young kids from the Sgoil Lionacleit Pipe Band from Benderloch, South Uist; the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band from Ottawa, Ontario; and the Forest Legion Pipe Band from Ontario! 

Tartan Saturday Afternoon has three headquarters from whence to launch all the diversion, startin' with the Blooms Tavern, 208 East 58th Street. You can also visit Highlands NYC, 150 West 10th Street, if ye wanna party after sundown; or the Tailor Public House, 505 8th Avenue, between 35th and 36th Streets, in Midtown Manhattan's Garment District, the Official Restaurant for all NYC Tartan Week events! Registration for Tartan Saturday Afternoon, April 4th, 2020, continues apace, and here be Kyle Dawson's personal invitation to all who would be part o' it:

"Come and join us to march up 6th Avenue in New York City, to the swirl of the kilt, to the skirl of the bagpipes, and to the cheers of tens of thousands of spectators. We'll admit t' being a wee bit biased when we tell you that ours is the most FUN Parade in New York City! Come and join Pipe Bands from all across the Tri-State Area, as well as direct from Scotland itself, not to mention Scottish Country and Highland Dancers, Clansfolk, dogs, leading politicians and representatives from the finest cultural organizations in both New York and Scotland, and of course, the Loch Ness Monster --- in a joyous cellybration o' Scottish culture and pride. Our invitation's still out there: If ye're in New York City, gi' me a shout! I'd love t' grab a pint wi' ye!" And ye still can nab a pint wi' Kyle, as he joins the New York Caledonian Club Pipe Band, Whisky Kiss, and the Shot o' Scotch Dancers, for Tartan Saturday Afternoon's Pre-Parade Ceilidh, at the Altman Building, 135 West 18th Street, on Parade Eve, Friday, April 3rd, from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Doors open 6:30 p.m., with the music startin' at 7 p.m. Tickets: $80, general admission; $30, kids ages 5 to 16; children under 5, free. 

And in case ye wanna ha'e fun after Tartan Saturday Afternoon, Sony Hall, 235 West 46th Street, is whar ye needs tae be. 2020's Post-Parade Party, running from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., features Clann an Drumma, Drums & Roses, and Talisker ---- and lotsa drinks and promos from the Belhaven beer folks, along with Montauk Distilling Company. Tickets run 'twixt $60 and $75; go here tae learn more.

Speakin' o' th' Tailor Public Hoose, that venue hosted two big parties fer the Caledonians. First, there was their Pub Night @ th' Tailor Hoose, where there were free drinks fer th' members, as well as them what dared join up with th' Caledonians on the night in question! The Club's 2019 St. Andrew's Day Feast ran until at least 2 inna mornin'! Other than the usual buffet and two drinks, the Club's Past Chieftains and Honourary Members were paid proper tribute. And, needless to say, the Club's favorite bagpipers, among them Kyle Dawson, Jerry Dixon, and Jonathan Henken and his Mount Kisco Scots, played a few tunes! 

Bagpipe fans worldwide were nae doobt disappointed when the Bagpipe Society and the International Bagpipe Organization had tae cancel the Fifth International Bagpipe Conference, in light of the continuing worldwide coronavirus situation. Please visit www.internationalbagpipeorganisation.com/2020---boston.html to read the official statement. Fer now, see photos and video from previous International Bagpipe Day events at http://www.facebook.com/internationaldayofthebagpipe/!

Tartan Week in Washington, D.C. begins this comin' Tuesday, March 31st, and runs until Thursday, April 2nd! See the full schedule on dctartanday.org!

Shocking developments from the World Bagpipe Band Championships, as David Wilton and Steven Graham resigned their posts as Pipe Major and Lead Drummer of Grade 2's MacKenzie Caledonians of Dundee, after less than a year in their posts. The move comes after a disappointing finish where the Band failed to qualify in the final standings. Meanwhile, in Grade 1, 'twas party time in Inveraray, as the Inveraray & District Pipe Band, for only the second time in its history, and the second time in at least two years, nabbed the big trophies! And turning back to Grade 2, those terrific Texans, Houston's St. Thomas Episcopal School Alumni Pipe Band came out on top, in what reporters later called "the most tightly contested Grade 2 event in years." The win makes it back-to-back victories in Grade 2 for a U.S. Pipe Band, after the City of Dunedin, Florida Pipe Band took the 2019 top spot. 

But the big Cinderella story belong'd to Malaysia's Sri Dasmesh Pipe Band! Their triumph in Grade 4B was the first-ever such Championship for an Asian-based Pipe Band! Shortly afterward, the RSPBA upgraded Sri Dasmesh's status from Grade 4B to Grade 4A, while the aforenoted City of Dunedin, Florida Pipe Band, at their own request, was upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1!

Here are the 2019 final standings, with the first-place finishers identified in bold text:



The Gordon Highlanders Museum battles on to fulfill its commitment to chronicling Gordon Highlander history, in its Quest tae raise £100,000 per year over the next several years. Learn more by goin' tae http://www.gordonhighlanders.com/appeal2017.

Yer auld Uncle Fergus officially supports National Night Out Against Crime, organized an' sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch of Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. Every first Tuesday in August --- August 4th in this particular instance --- Police Pipe Bands in more than 2800 participatin' cities make their music for the kids and their families; while individual Police Pipers will also have a bit o' fun playin' fer the wee ones. Remember: so long as things're kid-friendly, safe, and honorable, a guid time is always bound tae bae had by all at National Night Out! 

BBC 1 Scotland: The Television Network is on, at a budget of some £32 million! That be as much as the amount that had been previously spent on BBC4. Some 80 journalism jobs, with an additional 120, have been created for the network's centerpiece, the hour-long Nine O'Clock News programme, airing every Monday through Friday, with bulletins and/or breaking news (if needed) during the weekend. The newscast gives ye the most accurate, updated stories from Scotland, England and the world, seven nights a week. The network runs from 7 p.m. tae midnight, local time, spotlighting the finest in original drama and comedy, documentary, factual and news programming, with approximately 50% of the lineup being rerun material. At the same time, the new channel maintains the old BBC 1 Scotland's commitments to covering, among other events, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the World Pipe Band Championships

The Vancouver Police Pipe Band is still the world's oldest continuously servin' Police Pipe Band!

The Vienna Pipe Band, themselves in Glasgow fer the Worlds, did a 20th Anniversary live concert and ceilidh a while ago, where there were a guid amoont o' honkin' an' bangin' an' drinkin'! It happen'd at the Grand Hall o' das Volkshochschule Dobling at Gatterburggasse; log on to http://www.viennapipes.com or see their photos from the party on Facebook!

All ye guid fiddlers oot thar are bound tae ha'e bonnie fun on World Fiddle Day, Saturday, May 16th, 2020! Initiated in Dublin, Ireland some 15 years ago, and currently popular in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, World Fiddle Day is an all-inclusive, worldwide festival devoted to bowed string instruments --- specifically, violins, violas, cellos, double bass fiddles, a/k/a bull fiddles, violas da gamba, rebecs, erhus, and those who play them and love to play them. Every genre from classical violin to bluegrass, Celtic and Gaelic fiddling is explored on World Fiddle Day. From country hoedowns to string quartets, if ye plays 'em wi' bows, that bae wha' World Fiddle Day is all aboot!  

Of course, no one knows Scottish fiddlin' like the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra, and they and their fellow fiddlers from the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra are boond tae spend another jolly day playin' merrily awa', in support o' World Fiddle Day! 

And lots more fiddlin' fun will be in vogue at the 49th Annual Smithville, Tennessee Fiddlers' Jamboree and Crafts Festival, on Friday and Saturday, July 3rd and 4th, 2020, outside the DeKalb County Courthouse, in the village's famous Town Square! As usual, Cumberland Valley's PBS affiliate, WCTE-TVDeKalb County Telecommunications Cooperative, Inc. (this be their 9th season o' livestreamin') and WJLE Radio, 1480 AM and 101.7 FM, will be there with the best bonnie jolly coverage, keepin' it goin' until EVERY competition's well and truly decided! And if ye be needin' more bluegrass (and semi-Scottish) fiddlin', know that the 2020 Old Fiddlers' Convention at Felts Park in Galax, Virginia, Thursday, August 13th through Saturday, August 15th, with all spectators t' bae chased off o' their land aroond 11 a.m. Eastern time, Sunday mornin', August 16th, will have all the fiddlin', banjo-pickin', mandolin-an'-guitar-strummin' and jammin' ye can willingly take!

And if ye needs tae fiddle aroond s'more, fiddle.com, home o' Fiddler Magazine, is whar ye need tae be! 
   
We'll now say a few words in defense o' th' Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, centerpiece of the Tattoo Week doin's at Halifax' Scotiabank Centre! For 2020, the Tattoo cellybrates two big 75th Anniversaries: one, of the Liberation of the Netherlands; the other, of the end of the Battle of the Atlantic. As the Nova Scotia Tattoo website explains, "An enduring relationship was forged on the battlefields when the First Canadian Army arrived in Holland in 1944 and helped to liberate the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and, through times both of prosperity and strife, Canada and the Netherlands have developed a unique bond that continues to withstand the test of time. Today, over 1.3 million Canadians can boast of havin' family ties to the realms of the Netherlands, and trade between our two countries keeps goin' strong every year." The Nova Scotia Tattoo returns tae its Halifax home, Saturday, June 27th, through America's Independence Day, Saturday, July 4th, 2020! 

And because it's such a big birthday deal, this friendship between Canada and the Netherlands, this year's line-up reflects those two milestones: the Conscript Band of the Finnish Defense Forces; The Queen Juliana Bicycle Squad from the Netherlands; Ethiopia's Kiriku Brothers Athletic Duo; Germany's City of Hamburg Police Motorcycle Display Unit; and the Men and Women o' the Pipes and Drums of the Royal Caledonian Society of South Australia; and, to represent the host nation, Yves Gagnon, Christine Bedard and Marco Dieckmann --- the Russian Bar Trio! Also scheduled to return: the Tattoo's house band, the Stadconas of the Royal Canadian Navy, along with Pipe Major Wayne Moug, Drum Major Angela Corscadden, Lead Drummer Robin Reid and the RCMP Pipe Band leadin' a Massed Pipes and Drums with the lads an' lasses o' th' Canadian Cadets, nae tae mention a few more o' the best military an' civilian Pipers an' Drummers what North America can bring ye!  

The Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo's cast lineup has always been international in nature, with performers from literally every continent on the Planet! Click here to learn more about the accompanying Tattoo Parade Festival, but, as you do, remember that at least seven PBS stations consider the Nova Scotia Tattoo cool enough to share wi' their viewers, three o' 'em bein' in New York: Buffalo's own Channel 17, WNED, they who, in days o' yore, hosted the famous Mark Russell Comedy Specials; WCNY in Syracuse; Plattsburgh's WCFE and the Mountain Lake PBS; Washington State's Northwest Public Broadcasting; Penn State University's WPSU, Clearfield, Pennsylvania; KNPB/5, Reno, Nevada; and finally, WNIT/34, South Bend, Indiana! 

But alas, me Highland friends, Canada's largest live indoor event ain't cool enough to be seen on those three PBS icons: Thirteen/WNET in ye Byg Appyl itself, Garden City, Long Island's WLIW/21 --- and not even mighty WGBH Boston, in which case a hearty grunt o' "Unacceptable!" from yer auld Uncle Fergus is verra much in order! We'll nae bae standin' fer tha', sez I; and if there be any among ye who'd be dainin' t' agree wi' me, visit the Facebook presence at http://www.facebook.com/RoyalNSTattoo and leave yer grumbles thar, say I!

Also during the 4th of July holiday weekend, there were solemn doin's in France, in the form of "United Pipers for Peace." For two whole days, the streets of downtown Amiens, on the banks of the Somme, were flooded with the tartan kilts of over 20 Pipe Bands and Individual Pipers, all gathered to help mark the Centennial of the start of World War I. The event was organized and led by the Samarobriva Pipe Band, which had originated the overall idea for the project in 2016.

Of course, the Highland Newsroom is always proud o' Her Majesty the Queen, the longest and oldest reigning Monarch in British history! And this beloved icon of royalty has nae plans tae stop, as ye learn'd if ye saw the HBO Documentary Films/Oxford Films/ITV News co-production, Queen of the World! This unprecedented chronicle, hosted and narrated by Sarah Lancashire, provided viewers wi' a unique insight into Her Majesty's role as one of the most iconic figures on the world stage: a stage she may yet prepare to depart. 

Speaking with Canada's CTV News, Royal expert Richard Bethelson commented: "I myself felt that, after the Duke of Edinburgh's retirement at the age of 95, it set the way, and was a bit of a trial balloon for the Queen to follow suit within the next few years. She's a few years away from that now, as Prince Philip is now 98. I think that the Queen would, if she could not perform her duties to the full extent that she would like to do, she would probably consider it appropriate for her to either make way for a Regency, or, flat out-and-out abdicate." Mr. Bethelson went on to suggest that the current scandal involving Prince Andrew could likely precipitate such an abdication.  
 
Previously, the Queen had declared that Charles, the Prince of Wales, would be recognized as Head of the Commonwealth of Nations. Meanwhile, Prince Philip made his last official solo public appearance with a visit to a platoon of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, who had just completed a charity athletic challenge, including a 1664-mile march! (Och, that'll ruin yer toes lots, eh what?) Said the Buckingham Palace lads, the decision was entirely the Prince's own, and was made with the full support o' the Queen. 

The BBC's Prince, Son and Heir: Charles @ 70, intended to explore the life and intimate times of Britain's longest-serving Prince of Wales. Unfortunately, the film had an apparently negative impact, reports International Business Timesbbc.com has more on the viewers' response to th' Crux Production, hosted and narrated by Paapa Essiedu, written and directed by John Bridcut, and runnin' in all formats on PBS. See pbs.org/show/prince-charles-70 for more.

Yet another PBS/BBC documentary runnin' in all formats is Royal Wives @ War: Elizabeth vs. Mrs. Simpson, the story of the abdication of Edward VIII, as seen through the eyes of the two women at its core: Wallis Simpson, played by Gina McKee; and Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, played by Emma Davies. Set against the backdrop of 1967 London, with Mrs. Simpson and Elizabeth about to meet up for the first time in over 30 years, the documentary, hosted and narrated by Richard Harrington, also stars Nick Waring as David; John Sackville as Bertie, King George VI; and Emma Campbell-Jones as Thelma Furness; and includes commentary from three top Royal Biographers: Lady Colin Campbell, Andrew Morton, and Anne Sebba.  
  
In other news from ye auld Hoose o' Windsor, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced the birth o' their third child, Louis, which added to 4-year-old Prince George and 2-year-old Princess Charlotte! Congratulations, Yer Graces! And the even bigger story o' th' moment was the engagement of Prince Harry to the beautiful American actress Meghan Markle! They tyed ye auld knot at St. George's Cathedral in Windsor Castle! Only a week afore, a pack o' Corgi puppies assembled in front of Macy*s Herald Square, in support of the Lifetime Movie of the Week, Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance, starring Murray Fraser and Parisa Fitz-Henley. Click here for photos from the promotional happening; and watch the full coverage on http://www.bbc.co.uk!

Marking the 65th Anniversary of Her Majesty's Coronation, the BBC was granted full access to the Queen for an hour-long exploration of The Coronation. It streams in the U.S. on the Smithsonian Channel, where ye can also find The Private Lives of the Windsors, the untold saga of Mary, Henry, George and John: the first Young Windsors from the era of George VI and Edward VIII, and their adventures across the 1920's through the 1950's, as revealed through never-before-seen excerpts from their diaries and journals, presented in their own words. The three episodes are: "Rebellion," "Family First" and "War & Peace."  Also streamin' on the Smithsonian Channel is The Private Lives of the Monarchs, where the untold adventures of Queen Victoria, Henry VIII, Louis XIV, George III and the Prince Regent and Charles II are likewise uncovered.

Two documentaries updated some o' the more controversial happenings in Windsor World. In the first, Harry and Meghan: The Royals in Crisis, Harvey Levin and his team from TMZ explored the couple's plans t' "become financially independent" ---- a desire that not only caused further controversy amongst the Windsors, but sparked several major international incidents. In the second documentary, ABC News' Royal Divide: Harry, Meghan and the Crown, anchored by Deborah Roberts, polo star Nacho Figueras reveal'd: "I spoke with Harry a few days ago .... He has suffered a lot from all the things that have happened to him. He suffers a lot from people judging him. He's being a father, a guy who just wants to protect his 'cub' and his 'lioness' from whatever it takes ..... He has become an incredible man, a man that his mother would be incredibly proud of."   

Learn more about ALL the Windsors, check oot the State Opening o' Parliament, and meet Her Majesty's Piper, Pipe Major Scott Methven, 1st Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (whose own story ye'll see at th' Hoose o' Windsor's Instagram presence), at the Royal Homepage, http://www.royal.uk! Listen, too, to four o' th' Queen's Christmas Greetin's: 201920182017 and 2016

Huzzah!, sez I, to Chris Skaife, a/k/a the Ravenmaster, Pigeonmaster at the Tower of London! "Traditionally, my job has been about caring for the ravens who live with us Yeoman Warders here," says Chris, "but a 'Raven Swap' initiative has been introduced by the Tower to try to 'broaden their horizons'. So, I've said goodbye to all the ravens for now, and now I'll be taking charge of over 200 pigeons over at Trafalgar Square." Chris also reminds pigeon lovers who would dare feed that lot at Trafalgar to "bring some food for them --- mostly mice, rats, chicks, maybe even one or two biscuits soaked in blood." Och aye, that might be a bit disgustin', but that's tradition fer ye!

Well, anyway, on tae saner tidings, me lads an' lasses:

As we stated above, for the first time in its 200-plus year history, New York City's St. Patrick's Day Parade has been cancelled; the event's Grand Marshal was Jim Callahan, General President of the International Union o' Operatin' Engineers, who would have led over 500,000 marchers and 60 Pipe Bands durin' a full 6-hour day! Printed, digital and social media may have updates and cancellation announcements regardin' other St. Patrick's Day Parades across the Planet; sadly, Dublin's big St. Patrick's Day Parade was cancelled some two weeks before. Please Google or visit any Facebook presences for additional information and/or updates. You can also see the full Line o' March in PDF on the Parade website proper, and see the livestream of last year's Parade via the event's YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/NYCStPatricksParade, where yer hosts were NBC4 New York's Weekend Today in New York co-anchors Pat Battle and Gus Rosendale, alongside Tommy and Treasa Smyth from the weekly radio show Ireland Calls.

Flint, Michigan's Scottish Pipe Band's 104th Birthday Ceilidh return'd to th' Knights of Columbus Headquarters, on Davison Road in Davison, Michigan, where the major highlight, as usual, was the Massed Pipes and Drums, as Flint Scottish shared the stage with Pipe Band playmates the Grand Rapids & District Pipe Band; the Michigan Scottish Pipe Band of Troy; Windsor, Ontario, Canada's Border Cities Caledonians, and the Grand Traverse Pipes & Drums! Haggis, meat pies, bridles and Scottish eggs were among the munchies; there was also a cash bar, Celtic vendors, and everythin' else in between! The evenin's special guests were popular Celtic band Roane!  

To learn more aboot upcomin' Flint Scottish Pipe Band events, call Tom Dillard at 1-989/928-4697, or Rob Tripp at 1-313/550-3652. 

Next, Flint Scottish headlined the Band's 5th Annual Highland Celtic Festival at the Church of the Holy Spirit Community Hall, 3700 Harvey Lake Road, Highland Charter Township, with guests The Moxie String Band, who perform'd selections from their album "Breathe," a 2019 Billboard Magazine Top 10 Classical Crossover Album; Pat and the Pub People; and members of the Michigan Irish Dance Academy and the Miller-Mittig Scottish Highland Dance Company. Before then, Flint Scottish would have hit the streets for the Town of Pinckney's St. Patrick's Day Parade. Unfortunately, that event was cancelled, too. 

For now, Flint Scottish is preparing for Memorial Day Weekend, when they usually do the Alma College Scottish Festival and Highland Games, home o' the U.S. Open Pipe Band Championships, on Saturday and Sunday, May 30th and 31st. 

After that, Flint's finest honkers will do their bonnie awesome Massed Pipe Band happenin', with Senior Drum Major Kerry Monzo, the Purcell Irish Pipers, the Motor City Pipes and Drums, the Cabar Feidh Pipes and Drums, the Glen Erin Pipe Band and the Grand Rapids and District Pipe Band  --- all at the Silver Jubilee Saline Celtic Festival at Mill Pond Park, Saturday and Sunday, July 11th and 12th, 2020; follow'd by a return engagement at th' 66th Annual Munger Potato Festival, Thursday through Sunday, July 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th, 2020; later on, Flint Scottish does th' 171st Annual St. Andrew's Society Highland Games at Greenmead Historical Park in Livonia, Saturday, July 31st and Sunday, August 1st, 2020; follow'd by th' 49th Annual Montrose Blueberry Festival (Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 14th, 15th and 16th, 2020); the Band's residency at the Michigan Renaissance Festival; and the group wraps up their year with their Christmas appearance in the Town of Grosse Pointe Santa Claus Parade (Friday, November 27th, 2020) and Linden's Holiday Happenin' Lighted Frosty Parade (Saturday, December 5th, 2020)! 

For additional info on further Flint Scottish events, phone 1-989/928-4687 or 1-313/550-3652; or e-mail dillardmd@hotmail.com or robetripp@gmail.com. And look for more details on further Flint Scottish events as soon we can git word o' 'em!

Yer auld Uncle Fergus be prood as punch tae support Make Music Day UK, where Britain joined over 1000 major cities in some 120 countries in staging completely free musical performances tae cellybrate the Summer Solstice. And no doobt there was lotsa bagpipe-blowin' fer free all across Scotland, as musicians from Edinburgh tae Glasgow, from Aberdeen tae Dundee not only huff'd, puff'd and honk'd, they also fiddled, tootled, and even blew a bonnie blort or four on ye auld tuba, too! If there bae music t' be made, Make Music Day UK had tha', and lots more! And fer ye wha' couldnae make it all the way tae Scotland, know that there's still over 100 Pipe Bands from all over the Tri-State Metro Region that can play ye a tune that can gi' ye a reason tae toast yer fellow Scots. See it all at New York City's Summer Solstice music place, www.makemusicny.org

The Embro Highland Games at Woodstock's Outdoor Park, in the Town of Zorra, Ontario, on the southeast corner of Oxford Road 17 and the 11th Line, is set fer Wednesday, July 1st, as it hosts exhibitions linked to Canada's Outdoor Farm Show. The Embro Games, considered by many to be th' oldest Scottish Games of its kind in Ontario, now has the full run o' the parking lot, along with two existin' buildings. Visit the Embro Games' Facebook presence, facebook.com/embrohighlandgames/, for Photo Galleries, posts from the fans, and more. 

Another o' our favorite Scottish Games from Canada is the Cambridge Scottish Festival at Churchill Park on Christopher Drive. Scheduled fer Friday and Saturday, July 17th and 18th, the Festival promises a heavy dose o' loudness, as favorites like Tom Keefer, the Mudmen and the American Rogues share the Main Stage. Check back soon, as we link to their new website!

Westchester County's Schoolhouse Theatre and Arts Center at Croton Falls presents their 5th Annual Scottish Tattoo, with music, comedy, country dancing, food ---- and naturally, bagpipes! The 4-hour fundraiser benefits the Schoolhouse Theatre in their key objective of bringing you the best in music, theatre, and the performing arts. For additional information, e-mail Joan Gilbert at gilbertjs@aol.com or phone 914/923-7533.

2011's Grade Two World Pipe Band Champions, the NYMetro Pipe Band, whom we mention'd earlier, spent their Tartan Saturday Morning at Connolly's Pub, 121 West 45th Street, 3rd Floor. New official NYMetro Pipe Band T-shirts and hats were sold, and Danny Hamilton thrilled listeners with his recitations from some of Robert Burns' best poetry. The Metros came to Tartan Saturday after a brief visit to the Bronx for Throggs Neck's St. Patrick's Day Parade; that adventure happens this Sunday afternoon.  

The Amerscot Highland Pipe Band's annual fundraiser return'd to Mahoney's Irish Pub and Steakhouse, 35 Main Street, Poughkeepsie, where "baskets of cheer" were given away, along with other fantastic stuff. Proceeds from this year's event were donated to the Hudson River Housing Community and their partnership with the VetZero Project, as well as the Band's ongoing efforts to maintain outfits, instruments, and Band-related accessories. And needless tae say, th' Amerscots play'd lotsa Bagpipes tunes all afternoon long, sez I!  
                                          
The 2020 St. Pat's for All Parade had two Grand Marshals: traditional Celtic recording artist, author, broadcaster and historian Mick Moloney; and the nonprofit group Hour Children, which helps current and previously incarcerated women and their children successfully rejoin their local communties. In addition to all the usual surprises and bagpipin' fun (wi' over 3000 marchers and spectators on hand), the Irish Arts Center, 553 West 53rd Street, hosted the Pre-Parade Ceilidh. Photos from previous parades and concerts at http://www.facebook.com/stpatsforall/!

If ye fiddlers wanted tae hone yer fiddlin' skills, the Irish Arts Center had ye fiddlers cover'd, so they secured the services o' award-winnin' fiddle champion Manus McGuire. Manus had a bonnie night teachin' "Irish Fiddling in the County Sligo Style" at Michiko Rehearsal Studios, 149 West 46th Street. For more info on upcomin' Irish Arts Center events, call 1-866-811-4111; log onto irishartscenter.org or e-mail info@irishartscenter.org.

Lorna McNessie14-year-old daughter of the Loch Ness Monster, is a core member of Mattel's Monster High line. An exchange student from Rotland, the Monster world's equivalent o' Scotland, Lorna has starred in her own original DVD movie, and joined us fer our 17th Annual Tartan Saturday Afternoon Parade and Bagpipers' Block Party, where she greeted the kids, posed with all the Pipers and Pipe Bands, and just had a ghoulish time in ye Auld Rottyn Appyl! That, and fer all ye Hobbit fans, the sight o' Dwalin himself, actor Graham McTavish, officially representin' his role on Starz' Original Series Outlander, led the line o' march on the big Afternoon, alongside Miss Tricia Marwick, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament!

Brace yourselves, Robertsons worldwide! Yer country cousins from West Monroe, Louisiana, that blarsted bearded bunch from A&E's Duck Dynasty, took oe'r bonnie Scotland in the hour-long "Glory is the Reward of Mallard," from November 19th, 2014! Willie, Phil, Jase, Si, Korie, Miss Kay, Jessica and the Duck Commander lairds an' lasses ran amok in the Highlands, learn'd the origins o' golf, made a total mess of the Highland Games, and even hunted fer the Loch Ness Monster! Tae yerselves t' th' Duck Commander pages NOW, ye toulamarons! And be verra afraid, too, because the entire Duck Dynasty series is oot on DVD, Blu-ray an' Digital DVD. Ye hast been warned.

The 70th Anniversary Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo begins its party August 7th through 29th, 2020. Their commemorative theme, "Makin' Our Mark," should give ye an idea as to how they'll go about doin' so. Begin the journey on edintattoo.co.uk/history, so's ye maight learn more! Indeed, ye lot should've been thar last year, when they chose "Kaleidoscope!" as their theme, boastin' performances bold with color, light and sound! See the full who's who an' wha's wha' here!

Ye lot should've been there, too, as Lance Bombadier Megan Beveridge, 19th Regimental Royal Artillery, The Scottish Gunners, made Tattoo history as the first regular Army female Lone Piper to perform on the Castle Esplanade. She was also the youngest person, and only woman, to pass the full Army Pipe Major's Course. As over 8800 spectators watched her, Megan thrilled her listeners with her rendition of the Tattoo Finale's usual tune, "Sleep Dearie Sleep," long heralded by many Tattoo fans as the most deeply moving and uplifting part of every show. 

Megan's been playin' the pipes since she was a wee bairn o' 9 years old, an' joined up with the Army by age 16 ere she made it tae th' Royal Artillery. 

Here be somethin' ye prob'ly dinna know: Before each show, the Lone Piper must be on hand tae welcome the Salute Taker. Together, they perform the Ceremony of th' Gaelic Toast, where Piper and Salute Taker share a Quaich or two o' whisky, and the Piper reads th' Gaelic Toast, which welcomes the Salute Taker to the Castle, and wishes them, Her Majesty the Queen, and all in attendance across the world the very best o' health. At that point, the Piper salutes, and the Salute Taker takes his/her seat. Megan thus became the first woman from a Regular Army Pipes and Drums tae assume this important role, which is usually reserved fer those in the Infantry and Royal Armoured Corps, two key branches of the British Army that, by year's end, accepted women for the verra first time. 

Pictures and video of Megan Beveridge's night in th' spotlight, plus info about how t' be there at http://edintattoo.co.uk! Make sure, too, ye go to #EdinTattoo or just tweet @EdinburghTattoo! Ta'e a peek here t' meet the man who has serv'd faithfully as the Tattoo's writer and commentator (tae say naught of the sole survivin' voice of BBC Scotland Television's hour-long highlights package), Alasdair Hutton, O.B.E.! And look ye here, as what Tattoo executives called "the LARGEST-ever Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo ever staged," came exclusively to ANZ Stadium, in Sydney, Australia, wi' its biggest Grand Finale in livin' memory! Built on the theme "At All Points of the Compass," the show boasted an unprecedented all-star cast o' precisely 1521 performers, the LARGEST international cast in the Tattoo's near-eight-decade history, with musicians hailin' from not just Australia and New Zealand, but also England, Scotland, France, Switzerland, India, the Kingdom of Tonga, Fiji, the Cook Islands, and, for the first time, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, American Samoa and Vanuatu! We bae speakin' o' more'n 320 Pipers and Drummers, 100 Highland Dancers, 13 major military bands encompassin' 865 top-notch military musicians, a 40-piece fiddlers' ensemble, a 100-person-strong Australian Federation Guard ---- in all, some 33 musical, cultural and military groups to astound the eye an' thrill th' ear! 

For them what wanted tae boogie doon on Valentine's Day by trippin' ye lyghte fantastyk, Kendra Monroe from th' Shot o' Scotch Highland Dancers taught her pupils a thing er four at Ripley-Grier Studios, 520 8th Avenue, Room 16-L. 

Ye'll nae see it in U.S. bookstores, but yer auld Uncle Fergus sez it bae a varra interestin' story fer the wee bairns. 'Tis Bagpipes, Beasties & Bogles, written and illustrated by Tim Archbold, where we meet Charlie McCandlewick, a nighttime chimney sweep whose job it is tae look after all those bogie creatures of the night who hide under children's beds! But what does Charlie do with all those wee beasties once he's done capturin' 'em in his thistle-cloth bag? One hint: Look at the varra front cover for the answer tae that question, sez I! Tim Archbold's Bagpipes, Beasties & Bogles is available on http://www.scotsusa.com/shop/bagpipes-beasties-and-bogles-picture-kelpies/!


The livestream of Lerwick's awesome Fire Festival, the Up Helly Aa, stream'd across the Planet through:  


It all began wi' Liam Summers, in the role of Odin, Lord o' th' Gallows, All-father, Master of all Valhalla, as he and his Hordesfolk were granted the Freedom of the Village by Council Convener Malcolm Bell, followed by a drenchy but jolly Mornin' Procession, and then the Announcement o' th' Guizer Jarl's Bill, and later, the big photo op wi' the 2020 Jarl Squad's Longship Yggdrasil (the Tree of all Life). But the main event per se happen'd later that afternoon: the Burnin' o' the Yggdrasil!  

In spite o' frosty snow showers, and temperatures as low as -2 degrees, the 2019 show went on as scheduled, as FIVE generations of Nicolson Lerwick Guizers ---- 2019 Centennial Guizer Jarl, John Nicolson (Lord Thorstein Egilssen), his 85-year-old father, Jim (Lord Egil Scallagrimsson, 1979 Guizer Jarl), his two older brothers, Graham (Lord Gunnar Egilsson, 2007 Guizer Jarl) and David (Lord Bothvar Egilsson, 2012 Guizer Jarl), and Lord Thorstein's own 13-year-old son, Bobby, led both the day and the fiery night in Lerwick's Up Helly Aa Festival Parade! 

2019 was the 100th Anniversary of the modern Up Helly Aa era, along wi' th' 70th Anniversary of the Guizer Jarl dynasty of the Slantigarth, of which Lord Thorstein is a currently active member. Of the original Slantigarth Squad members who ruled on that day in 1949, five are living today; and they were honored during the evening's civic reception at Lerwick Town Hall, when Lord Thorstein was granted the Freedom o' th' Town.
   
Meanwhile, let's ha'e a wee dram fer 2017's Guizer Jarl, His Majesty, King Sveyn Forkbeard Haraldssen, a/k/a Lyall Gair, who led his own bearded burly bunch o' nice Viking Warriors (58 adults, 15 kids and an 8-piece band, with two fiddlers, two guitarists, one bass guitar, one double bass, one banjo picker, and a clarinetist) through Lerwick's downtown streets! 

Later in July, King Sveyn and his Guizer Jarl Squad invaded Alberta, Canada, where their biggest adventure EVER found the Hordesmen in the town o' Cochrane, tae coincide wi' th' legendary Calgary Stampede

King Sveyn, 29 adults, and seven kids spent their day in the Town of Cochrane, Alberta, as reported by the Cochrane TimesLearn more aboot the Calgary Stampede at http://www.calgarystampede.com!  

King Sveyn also headlin'd Lerwick's Follow the Vikings Unst Festival and Activity Day. The week began with the annual Unst Viking Festival, where a few merry Hordesmen visited the event from Ardglass in Northern Ireland, and a few Squadron men from Valhalla came out all the way from Poland, at which point they set up their camp at Haroldswick, with the mighty longship Skidbladner towerin' over th' spectators! Throughout the day, there were storytellin' seisuns, combat demonstrations, vendors sellin' original and one-of-a-kind Viking crafts, and visitors even had a shot at actually rowin' a Viking longship! 

By the end o' the day, the guests were treated to an actual Viking feast ceremony, along with tours of local excavation sites, plus workshops, seminars and live re-enactments with several Viking performers on hand for the diversion. 

That same mornin', Viking Activity Day took over the Shetland Museum & Archives, where excavations, conversations, trading sessions, lectures, workshops and even an afternoon of drumming with Joy Duncan comprised th' order o' the day. Brian Smith ("Violent Vikings and Squeamish Scholars"), Jenny Murray ("Scandinavian Style: Viking Jewelery and Clothing"), Dr. Val Turner (" 'Soapstone': Why Incoming Vikings Felt at Home Here") and Dr. Ian Tait ("At Home with the Vikings: Domestic Life 1000 Years Ago") each lectured in the Gallery, bringing with them their own distinctive take on how Vikings accomplished their own way o' livin'!

The day ended at Hay's Dock Cafe and Restaurant, with King Sveyn as th' guest o' honor at a live, Viking-themed feast, complete with mutton soup, fish chowder, bread, root vegetable soup, roasted lamb, pork belly, baked cod and salmon, mashed parsnips, mixed root vegetables, cheese and Unst oatcakes, barley, honey, berries, mead, wine, apple juice --- and a full session o' storytellin', sagas and singin'! 

T' put a further twist into the cellybration, His Majesty greeted a few o' his longtime and future subjects, strutted his stuff in his full-dress outfit, along with th' rest of the 2017 Guizer Jarl Squad, all of whom also took a moment to pose for photos (and a few selfies), and King Sveyn even shared some o' his favorite Star Wars/Chewbacca memories, too!

Follow the Vikings was co-sponsored by Shetland Amenity Trust, and was also in residence at the Jorvik Viking Centre in York's Coppergate Shopping Centre, where their 37th Annual Viking Festival, managed by the York Archaeological Trust, is scheduled for February 12th through 21st, 2021. This past February's Viking Festival featured, among other things, Horrible Histories creator Terry Deary greetin' his fans at Barley Hall in York fer a cellybration o' "25 Years of Those Vicious Vikings!" The festival theme was the world of Viking Women, particularly "the women who fought, schemed, and led their people through the most turbulent times." Across the Festival, a wide variety of happenings dazzled everyone, from the Banquet of th' Voyagers @ Adventurers' Hall, from living history to talks and tours, from the March t' th' Village of Coppergate to a live Viking Encampment complete with combat demonstration, from the Best Beard Competition @ St. Sampson's Square to the climactic Battle Spectacular in the Land of Darkness, plus all th' mead ye can guzzle doon over at Odin and Freya's Feast at the National Centre for Early Music --- and much, much more! 

Follow the Vikings ended in Norway, wi' the last day of the Borg Viking Festival at the Lofotr Viking Museum


Turnin' now to other Lerwick Up Helly Aa developments: 

Some 800 people came together to mourn the loss of Lord Johannes Sanderrevet of Valsgarde, alias John Hunter, 2011 Lerwick Guizer Jarl, who passed away from a brain hemorrhage on February 11th. At the funeral, 5550 lbs. was raised to support the MRI Scanner Appeal, one of the largest donations ever to be granted to a British-based medical charity. The funeral was held at Whiteness, where John and his brother Robert and older sister Kaye were raised by their late parents, Ronnie and Kathleen. After leaving school, John began working at the Clickimin Centre, where he was serving in an administrative position at the time of his death. While John had had varied interests, Up Helly Aa was very special to him and his family indeed; and his proudest day, of course, came on January 25th, 2011, when, as Lord Johannes, he led that lovable but not-so-fierce bunch o' warriors from Lerwick. According to Kaye Hunter, the decision to support the MRI Scanner Appeal was linked to her brother's sudden death, as well as her own problems with a blood clot on her brain. "Maybe if John had had the opportunity for a scan, we could have picked up that there was a problem," said Kaye, who herself has had a catscan that identified a blood clot on her brain, and allowed her to be treated with life-saving medication before her doctors transferred her to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Robert Hunter added that an MRI scan could directly benefit Shetlanders and that, given current advances in medically-related technology, was now an important piece of medical equipment.   

'Tweren't enuf fer Liam Summers tae bae servin' as yer 2020 Lerwick Up Helly Aa Guizer Jarl. So early last year, before assumin' the role o' Odin, he set an ambitious goal fer himself: runnin' in the annual Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run Half-Marathon at Glasgow City Centre, which was broadcast LIVE on BBC Scotland Television! Liam's mission: tae support Mind Your Head, a charity that provides support and services to those who are struggling with mental health issues across the Shetland Islands region. Liam certainly fulfilled his Quest a'right, that bae fer certain, raisin' some 1841 lbs. in support o' Mind Your Head. As the Big O explain'd in his online commentary, suicide is the leading killer of male adults under the age of 45. 

Sandwick's own Gary Smith takes over the Lerwick firefest come 2032; he'll follow the lead of his Dad, Willie, who, as 1997's Lerwick Guizer Jarl, ruled as King Sigurd Magnusson. Meanwhile, turning back to King Sveyn, His Majesty started his big day by deliverin' a delicious speech at the Guizers' temporary Meeting Hall and Daytime Feastin' Hall, at Mareel, used by the Up Helly Aa Committee tae fill in fer the regular meetin' place at Town Hall, then undergoin' extended renovation. (The Jarl Squad even treated their audience to a rawther silly riff on Elvis' "Burnin' Love," too!) Afterwards, the Squad lads posed with their mighty longship, the Falcon (as in Millennium, given that Lyall fancies himself a fan of Star Wars in general and Chewbacca specifically). 

Up Helly Aa 2020 followed its usual formula, wi' 35 cameras scatter'd across Lerwick to capture the action! Yer returnin' presenters were Davie Gardner, Tom Morton and 1997 Guizer Jarl Peter Malcolmson (King Eirik Bloodaxe Haraldsen), who broadcast from the Promote Shetland studios, No. 2 Market Street, Downtown Lerwick! Promote Shetland estimates that the programme was seen by 1.7 million viewers, aboot half that number watchin' through shetlandwebcams.com/uphellyaa website alone. And in the same way that the All-father Odin had successful plans for the Yggdrasil, as Lord Thorvald had before for his own burly bunch and their vessel, the Good Ship Blaze Away, nae doubt Lord Thorstein's Viking Invasion of Manhattan was similarly successful! See all yer favorite adventures from previous Up Helly Aa festivals at me Up Helly Aa Archive!

So ye say ye wouldn't be livin' without those Vikings? Well, the mighty Captain Bjorn Ahlanders and the crew of the Great Longship Draken Harald Harfagre, saved the day with its epic East Coast Voyage, spanning from Maine to South Carolina. They began their epic 14-stopover Quest at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT; then stopped at Fore Points Marina in Portland, Maine, where the Captain and his mates, along with the Villagers of the Draken, greeted the visitors, held their own mead tasting at Shipyard Brewing Co. on Newbury Street. Afterwards, at Mechanics' Hall on Congress Street, they screened their documentary, Expedition America: A Modern Viking Adventure. Following the film, Captain Bjorn and the crew joined a live panel discussion! They then spent the remainder o' th' night at the Salem, Massachusetts Regional Visitors Center, before they sailed off for Newport, Rhode Island, and the Seamen's Church Institute. Further stops took 'em tae Greenport, Long Island, New York; Ocean City, Maryland; Philadelphia's Independence Seaport Museum; and then Baltimore, Norfolk, VA; Annapolis and St. Michaels, MD (Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum); and lastly, onward tae D.C., before returning tae Mystic Seaport for a farewell stopover.

Well, it might ha' been a rawther drenchy Tartan Saturday Afternoon, but there were still tons o' surprises fer ye, startin' wi' the Youth Pipe Band from Perth's own Strathallan School, along with their Piping Instructor, Craig Muirhead. The lads were wi' us prior to making a return engagement at the now-defunct T in the Park Music Festival, on the grounds of Strathallan Castle. There, the Strathallan Band made their debut appearance, including a show-stopping closing solo from young Piper Harry Richards. And here's hopin' ye Outlander fans drool'd nae end, as series co-star Sam Heughan was yer Tartan Saturday Afternoon Grand Marshal! Annapolis' Own U.S. Naval Academy Pipe Band stamped oot their own place on the line o' march, as did the Edinburgh Academy CCF Army Section and Pipes and Drums!
  
Well, if takin' in a one-night-only Tattoo experience be yer cup o' grog, ye need t' be there at Cleveland's Public Auditorium Music Hall, May 11th through 16th, 2020, fer the Cleveland International Tattoo, which is whar ye lot should've been last year, as the U.S. Coast Guard Silent Drill Team, the U.S. Marines Reserve Band, the Colum Cille Pipes and Drums, the City of Cleveland Police Pipe Band, the Red Hackle Pipes and Drums and the City of Ottawa Police Pipe Band, with their special guest, Celtic singer-songwriter Kennedy Jones, gave listeners a night of marchin', marchin, more marchin', Massed Pipes and Drums --- and, just plain ol' Scottish-Celtic-Gaelic magic in general. The show's producers/sponsors, the Greater Cleveland Peace Officers' Memorial Society, will also host the 35th Anniversary National Police Week and Peace Officers' Memorial Day Ceremony. Log onto http://www.policememorialsociety.org/annual-commemoration/ to learn more. 

Makin' their encore appearance at 2015's Tartan Saturday Afternoon was the NYC Volunteer Firefighters' Pipes and Drums, led by Pipe Major Danny Fink and Founding Drum Major Kenny Corrigan! We even had two Pipe Bands flyin' in direct from Scotland herself: the Lanark & District Pipe Band and the Oban High School Pipe Band

The Hamilton Township, New Jersey Professional Firefighters' Pipes and Drums recently staged an all-afternoon St. Patrick's Day Pub Crawl, where they guzzl'd doon their favorite beers, ate all the grub they want'd, told a few tall tales, and, o' course, huff'd an' puff'd on their bagpipes and beat their drums really, really loud! 

For the Pre-Parade Evening Ceilidh, Tartan Saturday Afternoon chose the B. Altman & Co. Building, 135 West 18th Street. Yer headliners, favorite loud Mississippi-based Scottish band Whiskey Kiss, and Manhattan's own Shot o' Scotch Highland Dancers, were on hand fer all the frolickin', food, refreshment, bagpipe music, traditional Scottish folk dancing ---- and lots and lots and lots of BEER! Belhaven beer, t' be exact! Tartan Saturday Afternoon's Post-Parade Party was held later tha' same evenin' at Papillon Bistro & Bar, 22 East 54th Street. 

The American Scottish Foundation's Silver Jubilee Burns Night Feast returned to the University Club, 1 West 54th Street. Greg King and Stewart Buchannan led the wine-tastin', and Kenny Donnelly, Chairman of AmScot and President of the Burns Society of New York again served as yer Master of Ceremonies; Robbi Munro led the Address t' th' Haggis; Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie from Noisemaker shared a few musical interludes; the Mount Kisco Scots was the resident Pipe Band; and a fabulous Wintertime Raffle brought the evening to its close. 

Also, in a private, invitation-only event, Alastair McCulloch played a short fiddle tune on the historic violin owned and often played by Robbie Burns' former dance teacher, William Gregg. The so-called Gregg Violin, long considered to be one of the most fascinating musical objects in Scottish history, was inauguratin' its first-ever tour of the U.S., supervised by David Hope, Curator of the Robert Burns Museum. A previously scheduled outdoor recital at the Robbie Burns Statue in Central Park's Literary Walk was canceled due to the harshness of a 26-degree day. 
 
AmScot likes tae spend much o' its time at the Central Park Zoo Arsenal Gallery Building, 830 5th Avenue and Central Park West! One lecture was themed "Gardening @ the Edge: Gardening at Scotland's West Coast," where Simon Jones, Gardening and Landscape Manager, the National Trust for Scotland, discussed three of the British Isles' most remarkable coastal gardens. There, a team of visionary gardeners have created landscapes of extraordinary natural beauty, filled with both native and subtropical planting. 

AmScot and Goodspeed Musicals team'd up wi' Scott and Claire as they preview'd their original musical drama, Hi, My Name is Ben, based on th' true story of Bernhard Wichmann III, a New York writer who, armed with only pen and notepad, transformed an entire neighborhood o' strangers into a community of friends. Having completed its run at Goodspeed's Terris Theatre in Chester, Connecticut, Hi, My Name is Ben was the first transatlantic collaboration (teaming Goodspeed and Scotland's Dundee Rep Company) to be staged in that historic venue. The reception and preview performance was held at the aforemention'd University Club, 1 West 54th Street. 

AmScot and the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York will do their Flag Day Parade and Ceremony, June 14th, 2020, as they take the marchers from City Hall Plaza to the Fraunces Tavern, 54 Pearl Street. 

Aye, me Highland friends, AmScot's everywhar! They did an unlikely book launch in Soho, as author Pavle Sabic and his new book's inspiration, Walter DeForest, bagpiper, walker, and world-record holder for the most portraits drawn within 12 hours, read from Pavle's new children's book, Walter the Wanderer, at the RM Williams Store, 152 Spring Street. In addition, those who attended with a usable pair of old boots were encouraged to donate them tae th' nonprofit Family Promise, which supports homeless bairns throughout the world. In return, patrons were honor'd wi' a special store discount. AmScot then co-sponsor'd Pavle and Walter DeForest again, this time in Edinburgh, at the University of Edinburgh Business School, 29 Bucclouch Place on King George V Square. See Walter's website fer a look back!       

AmScot, the St. Andrew's Society, the New York Caledonians and the St. George's Society co-hosted the British Societies' Garden Party at Holy Trinity Church, 316 East 88th Street. Other British-themed groups taking part: the American Friends of British Art; the American Friends of the Georgian Group; the Anglosphere Society; the British-American Project; the New York British Schools and Universities' Club; Cantab NYC, the Cambridge University New York City Alumni; the Colonial Dames of America; the New York State Daughters of the British Empire; the U.S. English-Speaking Union; Historic Royal Palaces; the Mountbatten Programme; the New York Welsh; the Order of St. John; the United States Pilgrims; the Queen Elizabeth II 9/11 Gardens; the Rhode Island Welsh Society, the Royal Oak Foundation; the St. Nicholas Society of the City of New York; the New York State Society of the Colonial Wars; the Society of the First Families of New York; the St. David's Society of the State of New York; the U.K. Alumni Group of New York; and the Welsh Society of Western New England. 

Fer info on all future St. George's Society events, e-mail hello@stgeorgessociety.org!  

AmScot also spent 2 hours at the New York Genealogical & Biological Society, 36 West 44th Street. Lecturin' was Dr. Marjory Harper, Professor of History at the University of Aberdeen, who explor'd "Testimonies of Transition: Voices from the Scottish Diaspora," focusin' on several recollections from various Scotsfolk, as recorded directly from her own archives. Also, the St. Andrew's Society welcomed back author-historian Nicholas Birns 't the Brick Presbyterian Church, 62 East 92nd Street, 3rd Floor Living Room. Nicky's topic: "Scottish Modern Writers: Gibbon, Mackenzie and MacDiarmaid." A reception followed the 2-hour lecture in the Gallery immediately afterward.  

AmScot and Carnegie Corporation of New York co-hosted "The Scots Who Built New York: The Life and Impact of Andrew Carnegie on the Building and Shaping of New York City," with architect-historian John Kinnear discussin' Mr. Carnegie's primary contributions tae how th' Byg Appyl was forged intae the mighty landscape it be today! Location: Carnegie Corporation of New York Headquarters, 437 Madison Avenue, 31st Floor, between 49th and 50th Streets.  

For further information on future AmScot events, please phone 1-212/605-0338.   

On the eve o' Groundhog Day, which, as Fate would have it, also shared the date wi' the most powerful weekend in professional sports, Super Bowl LIV, AmScot and the Bryant Park Corporation team'd up fer their 2nd Annual Bagpipers' Skatin' Seisiun, at Bryant Park's Winter Village Rink, between West 39th and West 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan, beginnin' at 2:30 p.m. wi' a Group Skate, followed by the Bagpiper-led Kilt Skate and Opening Ceremony, featurin' the NYU Pipes and Drums, who nae doobt stay'd on dry land! Aye, here was a unique way to cellybrate Scotland's reputation for determination, resilience, and plain auld guid clean FUN --- assumin', o' course, that ye bae inter bare knees and ice! The idea was launched 5 years ago by members of the Scottish Society of Ottawa; now Bryant Park, along wi' these Canadian cities ---Winnipeg (7 Oaks Sportsplex, Garden City Community Centre); Fergus, Ontario (Centre Wellington Sportsplex); Calgary (Olympic Plaza); Toronto (Coca-Cola Canada Coliseum); Ottawa (Landsdowne Park Skating Court); Montreal, Quebec (l'Atrium Patinoire, 1000 Rue de la Gauchetiere); Lethbridge (ATB Centre, 74 Mauretania Road West, with the Bridge City Highlanders' Pipe Band); Boston (The Rink @ 401 Park Drive); and even Dublin, Ireland (South Dublin on Ice @ Tallghat Stadium, Whitestown Way), too! Visitors and skaters alike are bound t' have icy thrills, and lotsa bonnie bagpipe music, too! There was nae charge fer skatin'; most of the time, skates are available fer hire fer aboot $20, but only so long as ye made sure that ye were properly check'd in wi' the ice skatin' guards, and from there, ye just hopped aboard! (If ye wants to skate with yer pipes next year, please e-mail cghellman@aol.com.) Call 1-212/605-0338 or visit kiltskate.com for more information about future Kilt Skate events.

AmScot, the American Friends of the Georgian Group and the Colonial Dames of America also team'd up for a delightful culinary gathering: "Fresh from the Past: Cooking Conventions from 18th-Century Britain." Host fer the evening: Dr. Sandra Sherman, author of Fresh from the Past: Recipes and Revelations from Moll Flanders' Kitchen. She discuss'd Britain's many methods of cooking in time of yore at CDA Headquarters, 417 East 61st Street, Midtown Manhattan.

Wrappin' up another Tartanweek, AmScot and the City o' Glasgow College co-hosted "A Taste o' Scotland, wi' Words an' Whisky." Master o' Ceremonies was Kenny Donnelly, AmScot Chairman and CEO, and his co-host was Paul Little, CEO and Principal of the City of Glasgow College. The event featured special menu selections prepar'd by Gary Maclean, Scotland's National Chef, and winner of the BBC's MasterChef: The Professionals. Delivering the words was The Right Honorable Sarah Fraser of Lovat, author of The Prince Who Would Be King, the saga of Prince Henry Stewart, and basis for the BBC documentary, The Best King We Never Had; and the evening's special guest was the Right Honourable Ms. Eva Bolander, Lady Provost of the City of Glasgow! Cocktails began the evenin', followed by the feasting and ceremony, all o' which were held at The University Club, 1 West 54th Street at 5th Avenue. 

Later, AmScot visited Washington, D.C.'s Republic Restoratives, 1369 New York Avenue Northeast, for a one-night-only performance that saw veteran fiddler Sean Heely and Piper Tracy Jenkins playin' a few tunes to benefit Scottish river ecosystems. The event also showcased an auction of rare whiskies. Proceeds from the entire gathering supported the Spey Group, which was working to fund an upcoming expedition to study Northwestern Scotland's Cape Wrath, said to be one of the last surviving strongholds of the freshwater pearl mussel. Back in New York, yet another 2-hour lecture featured Chris Wardle, National Trust for Scotland's Garden and Designed Landscape Manager for Aberdeenshire and Angus, who updated us on "Historic Scottish Gardens and their Influence on the Early Gardens of New York." Chris talked aboot the Trust's ongoing work on the Burns Cottage Garden, and examined how the early history of Scottish landscaping eventually inspired the city's first park designers. The event was co-hosted by the St. George's Society, the National Trust for Scotland USA Foundation and the Burns Society of New York in association with the New York City Parks Department. The location: the Arsenal Rooftop, Fifth Avenue and West 64th Street, overlooking the Central Park Zoo. A reception followed immediately after the lecture.

AmScot and the Guards Museum of London, along with the University Club (1 West 54th Street) co-hosted "The Guards Museum on Tour," with Museum Director Andy Wallis. The event started with a Pre-event Cocktail Feast and Reception, followed by the Dinner and Discussion with Director Wallace. The tour, of which New York was th' next-to-last stop, focused on the history of the Five Regiments of Foot Guards: the Grenadiers, the Coldstream, the Scots, the Irish and the Welsh, who, together with the Life Guards and Blues & Royals, form Her Majesty's Household Division. The tour also told the story of the Five Regiments, their importance and relevance in a Britain of today, along with a full history of the Museum itself, and the challenges it will need to confront as the third decade of the 21st Century fast approaches.  
 
AmScot and Manhattan's Municipal Arts Society took a walk: Jane's Walk. Theme: "Uncovering Lower Manhattan's Scottish Roots." The two one-hour journeys traced the contributions of Scots through currently active New York City buildings, including some of the City's more forgotten venues, among them, the original New York Stock Exchange, Pirates and Oligarchs, the 'streets of foreign businesses', the grand halls of the vegetables, the homes of the great oceanliners and the proud-hearted men who designed and built them. Leading the walk were AmScot President Camilla Hellman and colleague Heather Quist. 

AmScot and th' NYC Robbie Burns Society then return'd t' th' Central Park Arsenal, East 64th Street and Fifth Avenue, for a full 2 hours of Sunset Tea and Pimms on the Rooftop. Wade Goria, President o' th' National Lighthouse Museum, mark'd the 230th Anniversary o' th' signin' of th' Lighthoose Act o' 1789, by discussin' the role played by Alexander Hamilton in that Act's creation. Hamilton was the Lighthoose Service's first Superintendent, before becomin' Secretary o' th' Treasury; at the time, the Department o' the Treasury was in charge o' overseein' the creation of the Lighthoose and Cutter Services, forerunners of the present United States Coast Guard. Wade then returned to the Arsenal to discuss "Alexander Hamilton, Guiding Light of American Commerce."   

AmScot and the New York Burns Society were supposed tae have done yet another Whisky Tasting ceremony, this one takin' place at the Union Club, 101 East 69th Street. Topic of this 2-hour session: "The Art of Whisky Tasting," where whisky educator and historian Robin Robinson offered "an international tour covering Scotland, Ireland, Canada, the U.S. and Japan, with a few surprises thrown in." Regrettably, the event has been postpon'd until later this September. See here for the official plot synopsis.  
   
AmScot's William Wallace Awards ® for Heritage, Arts and Culture was held at the University Club, 1 West 54th Street! This year's honorees: Francis Finlay, C.M.G., O.B.E., Member, Oxford University Chancellors' Court of Benefactors, "for his contributions to Anglo-American Heritage Arts, Culture, and Education;" and Paul Little, Principal and CEO of the College of the City of Glasgow, "for his contributions to transatlantic partnerships within Scotland's educational, scientific, and maritime studies." Also on the agenda: a Glendronnach Whisky Tasting Reception and Silent Auction, followed by the Awards Presentation and Live Auction, hosted by Auctioneer George McNeely. From there it was nothing but a bonnie jolly time, and the evening ran on intae th' wee hoors, with the jolly sounds of Alex Donner and his Orchestra. Gary MacLean, Executive Chef of the College of the City of Glasgow, and National Chef of all Scotland, led the "Taste of Scotland" feastings. The Wallace Awards Benefit partially supported AmScot's Lord Malcolm Douglas Hamilton Bursary Programme. 

AmScot and the New York Burns Society shar'd a Scottish Christmas at the Union Club, 101 East 69th Street at Park Avenue. There was an open bar, beer, wine and heavy hors d'oeuvres, along with live musical accompaniment as members of the two organizations sang several Scottish-style renditions of their favorite holiday tunes. More info on upcomin' AmScot events at http://www.americanscottishfoundation.com/events/!


The Explorers' Club had Gen. Wesley Clark, U.S. Army (Ret.) visiting their Clubhouse at 46 East 70th Street. The General devoted his lecture tae "A New Security Paradigm: Climate Change and a Global Opportunity."  More info at reservations@explorers.org!

Nighttime was fun, if ye were Scottish Octopus. They, and London-based Wight Hot Pipes, spent their night rockin' oot at Connolly's Pub and Restaurant, 121 West 45th Street.

The St. Andrew's Society's 263rd Annual St. Andrew's Day Banquet, featurin' the presentation of th' Mark Twain "Sammy" Award, which honors those who have made a major positive impact upon the Scottish community across th' globe, return'd t' the University Club, 1 West 54th Street. Along wi' St. Andrew's Society Piper-in-Residence Larry Cole, and Jonathan Henken and th' Mount Kisco Scots, and the Presentation of the Haggis, this year's honoree was writer-author-playwright-broadcaster Billy Kay, native of Galston, Ayrshire, and 2016 Inductee into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame, who o' course also responded tae "The Land o' Cakes." The 2018 special guest was The Right Honourable Viscount Thurso of Ulbster, P.C., CEO of VisitScotland.org, and Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant and Representative for the Region of Caithness.

Comin' up two days afore Tartan Saturday is the St. Andrew's Society Cocktail Reception, hosted by Society President Donnie Whamond, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Racquet & Tennis Club, 370 Park Avenue. Tickets: $85, members; $95, non-members. Registration is required; please go here tae learn more. Firstly, though, the Society welcomed author Victoria Johnson, who introduced her new book, American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic, at the Brick Presbyterian Church, 62 East 92nd Street, 3rd floor.

Author and historian Nicky Birns is back again at St. Andrew's Society Headquarters, 150 East 55th Street, 3rd Floor, next Thursday night. Nick's 2-hour talk, which begins at 6:30 p.m., is aboot "William Small of Aberdeen: Thomas Jefferson's Scottish-Born Teacher." Reception immediately follows the lecture; tickets are but a mere $25. Go here to learn more. 

If ye likes Long Island's own Northport Pipe and Drum Band, this movie should be a treat: Bagpipes Calling! is a half-hour documentary about a typical day in the life of the Northporters, through the lens of filmmaker and musician Andrea Vozny, as she examines the community of Irish folk musicians and Scottish Bagpipers --- wrappin' it all up with the Northport lads an' lasses on the march in the Blue Point St. Patrick's Day Parade. The film was recently screen'd at the Cinema Arts Center, 423 Park Avenue, Huntington, Long Island. A live traditional Irish music seisiun followed with the Northporters and the other musicians performing live, and the night ended with a Q&A roundtable discussion and reception with Andrea and all the musicians. 

The New York Caledonian Club's 2020 Burns Supper Night return'd to the India House, 1 Hanover Square, Lower Manhattan with a full-scale Cocktail Reception and dinner. The New York Caledonian Club Pipe Band honk'd, Robbie Munro addressed th' Haggis, and there was live Ceilidh Dancin', a Silent Auction, and all the rest of it.    

There was a wee bit o' pre-4th of July fun, from a fiddler's perspective, because the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra came tae play fer all ye guid folks! Ye Byg Appyl was their first stop on a six-city North American Tour! These 70 young future fiddlers, led by their Musical Director, David Moore, were in Lower Manhattan's Bowling Green; the hour-long Lunchtime Concert was sponsored, as ever, by our ever-vigilant AmScot pals! The AFO kids are back home now, havin' ended their journey with a spirited visit t' Centennial Park in Ontario, where they help'd the Ayr Military Tattoo honor the aforenoted Canadian Sesquicentennial.

As noted above, 2020 marks the 700th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Arbroath. But what if ye canna go to the National Museum o' Scotland? The American-Scottish Foundation tae th' rescue, nae doobt, because an exact copy of the physical Declaration of Arbroath will be displayed at Wall Street's Federal Hall National Monument, from March 23rd through June 8th. Visitors will see an English translation of the original Latin text of the Declaration itself, while related exhibits will explore the context whereby said document was written, some 700 years ago. 

And back at the Arsenal, a new lecture, where AmScot is joined by the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA and the University of the Highlands & Islands. Join Kirsten Bridier, Executive Director of the National Trust for Scotland USA, along with Professor Stuart Gibb, Vice-Principal, International and External Engagement and Director of the Environmental Research Department of North Highland College at UHI as they discuss "Scotland on the Edge: Climate, Marine and Gardens and their Impact on the National Trust." The discussion begins at 6 p.m., Wednesday evenin', April 1st, with light refreshments served afterwards. Tickets: $35, members; $45, guests. 

With the cancellation of the Tartan Parade, centerpiece of NYC Tartanweek, AmScot will tweak its schedule for the traditional hour-long Lunchtime Concerts at Bryant Park's Fountain Terrace. Each seisiun is a full weekend-long affair, wi' all concerts runnin' from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., starting with Friday's Traditional Tartan Day Observance on April 3rd, featuring readings from the Declaration of Arbroath, as well as the famous Senate Resolution and Presidential Decrees! Kenny Donnelly and Camilla Hellman are again yer Master an' Mistress of Ceremonies; the Edinburgh Academy and Isle of Cumbria RBLS Pipe Bands will be honkin', Scottish rocker Lisa Kowalski will share new songs; and the Highland Divas sing the U.S. and Scottish National Anthems. 

The Saturday Pipe Band Seisiun should go from 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.; look for, among others, the Atlantic WatchShamrock & Thistle; the Kirkwall City Pipe Band; the NYU Pipe Band; the Highland Divas; the Shot of Scotch Dancers; and the Edinburgh Academy and Isle of Cumbria RBLS Pipe Bands. 

The weekend concludes on Sunday, April 5th, with an afternoon wi' Whisky Kiss and Lisa Kowalski. 

As usual, all Bryant Park events are free and open to the public.

More info on upcoming happenings: http://www.americanscottishfoundation.com/events 

Meanwhile, the St. Andrew's Society of the State o' New York hosts its Pre-Parade Brunch an' Kirkin' o' the Tartans Service at the Church o' Our Saviour, 370 Park Avenue, startin' at 10 a.m. Registration is required for tickets, which are $30, Society members; $40, non-members; $15, children under age 10; free, children under age 5. Jonathan Henken and his Mount Kisco Scots are the performing Pipe Band. 

As co-sponsors of the Federal Hall exhibit of the Declaration of Arbroath, AmScot will share an evenin' o' words, music and whiskey on Monday evenin', April 6th, the actual 700th Anniversary date. the location: the Coffee House Club o' the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen's Building, 20 West 44th Street, Midtown Manhattan, beginnin' at 6:30 p.m. The words come from Dr. Donna Heddle from the University of Highlands & Islands; the music comes from the band The Sounds of the Islands; and the whiskey is Glendronach. Wine and other light fare will be served. Tickets: $45, AmScot members; $55, non-members.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Corps of Cadets Pipe Band, with Pipe Major Conor Woods and Drum Major Peter Fugate, who had joined us fer Tartan Saturday Afternoon; had had tae cancel their 36th Annual West Point Military Tattoo at the Trophy Point Amphitheater, due to inclement weather. Had it gone on as scheduled, ye would ha' seen the West Point Marching Band, led by their first-ever female Drum Major, Staff Sergeant Nicole Caluori, along with returnin' favorites th' Blue and Gold Pipe Band of the New Jersey State Police; the Police Department Emerald Society Pipes and Drums of Westchester County; the Pipes and Drums of Local 21 Steamfitters; the Hudson Valley Regional Police Pipes and Drums; the Rochester Scottish Pipe Band; the Iona College Pipe Band; the Stephen Driscoll Memorial Pipe Band; the Westchester County Firefighters' Emerald Society Pipes and Drums; the MacGregor Pipes and Drums; the West Milford High School Highland Pipes and Drums; the Edward Larkin Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians Pipes and Drums; the Celtic United Pipe Band; the Shamrock and Thistle Pipes and DrumsO'Rourke's Irish Dancers; the McLoughlin School of Irish Dancing; the Shot of Scotch Scottish Country Dance Group; the Jig Factory Irish Dancers of Ridgewood; the West Point Celtic Dance Team; the West Point Hellcat Marching Band and the Black Knight Drill Team. Well, there's always 2020 (Sunday afternoon, April 26th, t' be precise), so for more info on the West Point Tattoo, contact Captain Matthew Lines, Commanding Officer, 1-845/938-2902 (phone); 1-916/690-4617 (cell); matthew.lines@usma.edu (e-mail).    

Well, if ye really need a day in Scotland in the Finger Lakes Region, the Finger Lakes Celtic Society of Shortsville and Farmington will surely take care o' ye, with their Celtic Festival at Collett Road in Shortsville, on Saturday, May 16th, 2020, from 9:30 a.m. t' 7:30 p.m. Look fer these Pipe Bands t' honk a few merrie tunes a' Shortsville: the Gordons o' Locust Valley and Lattingtown; the MacKenzie Highlanders; the LBS Highlanders of Rochester; the Rochester Scots; the Buffalo Caledonians; Feadan Or and Ontario's City of Thorold Pipe Band. Click ye as shown tae learn more! 

In the end, as we told ye above, Tartan Saturday Afternoon 2019 had over 2000 participants (or thereaboots), and loads o' surprises! Again, see last year's Line o' March at http://www.nyctartanweek.org; or else, look up the whole bloomin' photo gallery at http://www.facebook.com/nycTartanWeek/?fref=ts

 
The 2020 Virginia International Tattoo, signature event of the Virginia Arts Festival, returns to downtown Norfolk's Scope Arena Thursday, April 30th through Sunday, May 3rd; like the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, the Virginia Tattoo ain't cool enough fer Thirteen/WNET New York, WLIW/21 Garden City, Long Island, or even WGBH Boston (damn the bloomin' lot o' 'em!). In 2020, the Virginia Tattoo celebrates the 75th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War. As stated on the website, "With stirring music, historic photographs and video footage, tributes from several top military and law-enforcement bands, and special appearances by retired and semi-active veterans, we will honor those who changed the course of History, not only for these United States, but for virtually the entire civilized world." And the lineup looks fabulous, with musicians from the Britain (the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Commando Training Centre), Switzerland (the Top-Secret Drum Corps), Latvia (the Central Military Band of Latvia's National Armed Forces) and an 8-piece Massed Pipes and Drums (the Queensland Police Pipe Band from Australia; the 2nd Canadian Mechanized Brigade Pipe Band; the RCAF Pipe Band, RCAF Pipe Band [12th Wing Shearwater] and RCAF Pipe Band [14th Wing Greenwood]; the Appalachian Piping Academy; the Spirit of '76 Pipe Band; and the Tidewater Pipe Band) joining the Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus, the Virginia Tattoo's Highland Dance Team, the Virginia Kids' Chorus and the Virginia Beach City Public Schools Tattoo Festival Choir! The Virginia International Tattoo is produced in cooperation with NATO and the Norfolk, Virginia NATO Festival Committee. Learn more at http://www.vafest.org/tattoo/

The St. Andrew's Society nae doobt gave fans of that blarsted Hamilton thing a thrill, when they had their Alexander Hamilton Birthday Bash thing at the Down Town Association, 60 Pine Street. See the full photo gallery of previous events at http://www.facebook.com/standrewsny/The Society's 2-hour Christmas Feast was held at Society Headquarters, 150 East 55th Street, 3rd Floor, presided over by young Donnie Whamond, Jr., now the 102nd President of the St. Andrew's Society of the State o' New York. Donnie will return as Toastmaster when the Society hosts its next Tartan Day Cocktail Reception at the New York Racquet & Tennis Club, 370 Park Avenue; date and other details tae bae determin'd. 

For additional information on all St. Andrew's Society events, contact Brigid Tucker at office@standrewsny.org or call 1-212/223-4248. 
  
Piping Live!, the Glasgow International Piping Festival, returns in 2020 from August 8th through 16th, with the Worlds at Glasgow back on Friday, August 15th; still, Britain's #1 honkfest had another fantastic year's worth o' Pipers and Drummers, and again, the centerpiece was the Official Countdown Concert, hosted by the National Pipin' Centre, and recorded live for BBC Radio Scotland. The Piping Live! Big Band also return'd in support o' the Heart o' Scotland Appeal from Heart Research UK, to whence funds were distributed throughout Scotland, in support o' vital research into the prevention, treatment, and eventual cure of heart disease. Roddy MacLeod, Founding Director of Piping Live!, and Piping Live! Big Band Pipe Major, explained: "We're delighted that, thanks to Piping Live!, we're able to raise funds for this important charity that helps so many people across Scotland." Visit http://www.pipinglive.co.uk/the-festival/piping-live-big-band/ for photos and videos! Also, Piping Live! organizers launched their "Sounds of a Lifetime" campaign, wherein the fans were asked t' submit some o' their favorite bagpipe memories. These, said event executives, were printed on the official, limited-edition Piping Live! T-shirt, which was made available through pipinglive.co.uk. Go here, here and/or here to see more. Further, the first-ever Piping Live! Memories Book was also shared at the National Pipin' Centre's offices on McPhater Street, City Centre, in downtown Glasgow, where a Piping Live! commemorative reception took place t' accompany the event's Openin' Ceremony. 

As always, due to time constraints, BBC 1 Scotland's hour-long special on the Worlds, anchored by the lovely Jackie Bird, focused solely on Grade One. To review everything, be sure t' see http://www.facebook.com/PipingLiveFestival, or watch the full 2019 results at http://www.youtube.com/user/PipesDrumsMagazine!    

If it were rockin' and rollin' ye were wishin' fer, the 21st Annual Ohio Celtic Festival rock'd th' Mentor Civic Center wi' a huge lineup: Epcot's former bagpipe group, Off Kilter, the American Rogues, the Narrowbacks, the Screamin' Orphans, Gaelic Brew, Colm Keegan, the Bryne Brothers, MarysLane, the New BarleycornBrigid's Cross, No Strangers Here, the Mad Macs, Andy MacManus, Padraig Stevens and Leo Moran from the Saw Doctors, Donal Clancy and Rory Maken, heirs tae th' immortal Clancy Brothers an' Tommy Makem, th' dancers from the Murphy Irish Arts Center and the Leneghan Academy o' Irish Dance; the Irish-American Club East and West Side Pipe Bands; the Great Lakes Pipe Band; the Red Hackle Pipe Band; and the Black Sheep Pipers, and Jack McDonough's Fife an' Drum Corps! In short, 'twere a weekend o' diversion on a truly epic scale! Yer 2020 dates for the Ohio Celtic Festival: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 18th, 19th and 20th!

Take a peek at what our mates, the Kiltie Band of York, Official Pipes and Drums for the City of York, Pennsylvania, are up to! While the York St. Patrick's Day Parade has been cancelled, the Kilties are still on track to march at Allentown next Sunday, March 22nd, as they join seven other top Pennsylvania-based Pipe Bands; then ye'll see 'em at Towson, Maryland's 4th of July Parade, followed by the Kilties' big march each year, the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend Parade!

Still scheduled to serve as Grand Marshal for York's St. Patrick's Day Parade in 2021 is Father Patrick J. "Paddy" Rooney, former Senior Pastor of York's Christ Lutheran Church, and Chairman of the York County Historical Center.  

The Caledonian Club of San Francisco Scottish Games at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton is still one of the world's oldest-existin' Scottish Games events. Go here to ta'e a look back! 

If ye plan on spendin' a week or twa' in Callyforny, prepare yerselves fer ScotWeek Los Angeles, from April 9th through 19th! This festival is L.A.'s Scottish party, "celebrating Scottish culture and excellence across multiple industries to facilitate and cultivate education, in film, TV, music, art, fashion, design, sports, philanthropy, innovation and more." Centerpiece of the Festival: the ScotWeek L.A. Parade on Saturday, April 11th, beginnin' at 10:30 a.m. Expect a Massed Pipes and Drums packed with a line-up of California's finest Pipe Bands, members of the Southern California Scottish Terriers' Club, a massed display of vintage Astin Martin and McLaren automobiles, local and national guest celebrities --- and a live reading of the full text of the Declaration of Arbroath on this, its 700th Anniversary!   

As noted above, Sir Billy Connolly was our 2019 Tartan Saturday Afternoon Parade Grand Marshal; and, as we reported a wee bit back, he was knighted in London by
the Duke o' Cambridge, just a few weeks prior tae his 75th birthday, "for services to charity and entertainment." With Pamela Stephenson at his side, Sir Billy attended a 10 Downin' Street reception, hosted by the U.K.'s Prime Minister, marking 200 years since the original publication of Dr. James Parkinson's "Essay on the 'Shaking Palsy'." 

When asked by reporters to react tae his new status as a Knight, Sir Billy commented, "I'm kinda numb. It means a great deal to all those in me friends and family, as well as the fans. I was at the football last week, and I was amazed at the reception I got from so many loyal supporters. It seems to mean a great deal to them, which is lovely."

Well, Tartan Saturday Afternoon 2019 could have been Sir Billy's last major public appearance. A never-before-seen interview wi' Sir Billy was screen'd in movie theatres in England, Scotland and Ireland, and in various European territories, as part of the feature-length documentary The Sex Life of Bandages, a filmed record from the Australian leg of what would prove tae be the beloved Big Yin's last-ever stand-up tour. In the interview, filmed specifically for this single-night screening, Sir Billy reflected on his life, career and legacy. The sequence was filmed in late 2015, before his diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease forced his retirement after some 50 years of service to Scotland's funny bones! The Sex Life of Bandages is not bein' screened in the U.S.; please visit billyincinemas.com for further information.   

But ye still couldnae stop the Big Yin as far as the telly be concern'd, for ITV had him starrin' in and executive producin' a 3-part epic documentary saga, Billy Connolly's Great American Trail! Starting with his adventures at Tartan Saturday Afternoon, and wrappin' up at Music City USA --- Nashville, Tennessee --- Billy journeys to venues familiar and unexpected, as he follows th' migratory trails o' the American Scot. Says the show's plot synopsis, "Billy Connolly's Great American Trail bursts at the seams wi' music, football, gangsters, whales, real-life moonshiners --- and not just one, but two mad, bad, terrible American Presidents, both of whom had Scottish parents!" Billy's adventure began with New York to Ellis Island; and the journey continued with Kearny, NJ to Floyd County, Tennessee. And the trilogy concluded wi' Billy finally makin' it tae Nashville, startin' wi' a visit t' the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and, eventually, on stage at the Grand Ole Opry House! Billy Connolly's Great American Trail is now available on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital DVD from ITV Studios Global Entertainment!

And if ye need more belly laughs from ye Big Yin, Billy's put 'em all t'gether in his book, Tall Tales and Wee Stories, a complete chronicle of some his best tales from over 50 years of comedic tale-tellin'. Grab a hold o' yer own copy here!
 
As always, count on yer auld Uncle Fergus and http://www.nycstpatricksparade.org tae keep ye lot abreast as tae all things goin' on when it comes tae St. Patrick's Day! See our Pipe Band Rundown fer yerselves!

And here's tae those o' ye who saw Turner Classic Movies' screenin' o' Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People, starring Albert Sharpe, Jimmy O'Dea, and the verra young Sean Connery, kickin' off TCM's "Treasures from the Disney Vaults," now with former Entertainment Tonight film historian Leonard Maltin as sole host. Followin' the Darby screening, there was the Disneyland series episode, "I Captured the King of the Leprechauns," in which Walt travels t' the actual village of Rathcullen, where he meets Darby himself, who then introduces Mr. Disney to the presence of King Brian Connors of Knocknasheega. This, alas, was the only time Messrs. Sharpe and O'Dea ever did anything on television; so this 50-minute bit o' footage is indeed a verra rare treat!  

The 2017 World Pipe Band Championships was highlighted by the final in-competition appearance of legendary Pipe Major Billy Livingstone, who, at the age of 75, has spent more than six decades at the forefront o' Grade One competition, and for 29 of those years, as the Pipe Major of the 78th Fraser Highlanders. Since 2011, however, Bill has been honkin' with the Toronto Police Service Pipe Band.

"It seemed like the right time tae step awa'," Billy told pipes|drums Magazine, "though I'll stay around the Toronto Police Pipe Band, likely doing a few concerts, and offerin' whatever help I can." Guid fortune t' ye, Pipe Major Livingstone!

The 2018 pre-Worlds evening concert at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall had Dublin's own Grade One World Champion St. Laurence O'Toole Pipe Band, headlinin' their "Touras Ceoil: Resume!" evenin', marking the group's 100th Birthday with a full 2-hour showcase of all their competitive and performance repertoires!  

195 Pipe Bands from 13 countries were represented during this 73rd Annual Competition, attended by more than 30,000 spectators over the full two days, and continuin' the deal between the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association and Glasgow Life Insurance, whereby BBC 1 Scotland Television continues tae maintain exclusive worldwide broadcast rights to the event. This means that text, interviews, and still imagery will be posted strictly for the duration! Besides Scotland (the home team boastin' 119 Bands), the Pipe Bands joinin' in came from England (the team from across the border, in London town, not to mention the kids of Berkshire's Reading Scots), Ireland (with a modest seven Pipe Bands), Northern Ireland (an incredible 23 Bands), Belgium (the lads from Belgian Blend), Spain (the Cross Borders Pipers), Canada (with only 8 Pipe Bands joinin' in), Australia (who could only send the Pipe Band Club of Sydney and the Hawthorners this year), New Zealand (the Celtic Pipe Band from Nelson), Switzerland (the Swiss Highlanders and the Scotch Watch), Austria's own Vienna Pipers --- and even Malaysia (the Pipers from Sri Dasmesh, returnin' t' Glasgow fer th' first time in 3 years, and now, back home as national heroes after their triumphant victory as Grade 4B World Champions)!

And here were yer 2019 representatives from the U.S.:

There ye ha'e it: wi' 15 representives, this were the U.S.' biggest Pipe Band roster tae date, and thus the third biggest team in this year's competition! See th' final standings now at theworlds.co.uk and http://www.pipesdrums.com

In case ye've nae seen it, yer auld Uncle Fergus invites ye to do so! 'Tis Firefighter Tim Geraghty's feature-length documentary, Through Triumph and Tragedy: 50 Years of the FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, the only filmed record of the origins of this second most legendary amongst America's Emerald Society Bagpipe Bands. Hosted by Jack McGee, the film chronicles the Band's complete backstory, includin' footage from some of the 343 funeral services for each and every one o' that number who perished on that fateful, horrible 9/11. More info and photos at http://www.fdnypipesanddrums.net and at http://www.facebook.com/ThroughTriumphandTragedy.

Speakin' o' auld Liam Flaherty and his lads, they team'd up with Lt. Tony Giorgio and the NYPD Brass Band for the 89th Annual Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade! Normally, 'twas just Lt. Tony, with his trumpets, trombones, tubas and such, but, as part of the FDNY's 150th Anniversary Cellybrations, Macy*s then top gun Terry Lundgren wanted Executive Producer Amy Kule to gi' the NBC viewers a bigger way to show the folks out there that New York ain't affear'd o' nae bad guys; hence, the first-ever presence of the FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums! (Sadly, all ye saw was the two bands before and/or after one of the commercial bumpers on the live show; 'tis all fer the best, say I.)

The 57-year-old FDNY Emeralds suffered probably its most important loss, with the passing of the Band's founder and patriarch, Jimmy Ginty the Elder, on October 15th, just one week after playing with his bandmates old and new, at the 2018 Firefighters Memorial Service at Riverside Drive and West 100th Street in Manhattan. Ginty, of Smithtown, Long Island, was 84, and is survived by his wife of over 50 years, Kathy; their son, Patrick; brothers Jackie and Tommy; an elder sister; five other children, 16 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. 

But, as they say, Life must go on; and so, the FDNY and its Emerald Society Pipes and Drums are on track t' cellybrate their truly happiest day: the 151st Annual New York City Fire Department Medal Day Ceremony, where medals for outstandin' acts o' bravery and valor committed durin' the precedin' 12 months will be bestow'd upon individual NYC Firefighters, Fire Companies and First Responders on th' steps o' City Hall Park, on Wednesday, June 3rd, from 11 a.m. to around 1:30 p.m. (weather permittin'). Mayor Bill de Blasio, Commissioner Danny Nigro, and Chief of Department John Sudnik will make their celebratory remarks; and naturally, Liam Flaherty an' his lads will be on hand t' huff, puff an' honk up a storm, is what they did! If ye couldn't make it oot there, last year's 150th Anniversary event is available here!  

Of course, in the FDNY, joy and tears are usually mingled, which explains the Department's most solemn and sacred occasion: the Department's 113th Annual Firefighters' Memorial Day, held outside the Cathedral Church o' St. John the Divine, on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan's Upper West Side. Joined again by the Mayor, Fire Commissioner and Chief of Department, the FDNY Pipes and Drums will assemble t' honor those New York City Firefighters that the Department lost during the past year. This is also New York's closest contribution to Fallen Firefighters' Weekend, organized and sponsored by the National Fallen Firefighters' Foundation. Nae doobt, lots of Massed Pipes and Drums tae bae had here, especially in terms o' "Amazin' Grace."

And later in June and/or July, at the Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden, it'll be New York City Police Department Graduation Day, as the Mayor, Commissioner Dermot Shea, and Chief of Department Terry Monahan will offer their congratulations to the new honorees, with the NYPD Emerald Society Pipes and Drums makin' the music, and all the rest of it. Tae find oot what else the Bagpipe Brigades o' New York's Finest an' Bravest'll be up to next, hoist yet knickers t' nypdpipesanddrums.com, facebook.com/NYPDEmeraldSociety/fdnypipesanddrums.net and facebook.com/FDNYpipesanddrums/

Tartan Day on Ellis Island also joined Carnegie Hall's Migrations: The Making of America; this year's three-week exhibit was "The Scots of New York," which, as ye might expect, honour'd all every last Scottish-American who's ever played a role in New York City history, from Andrew Carnegie to Captain William Kidd, from Alexander Hamilton to Alan Cumming. Science, business, industry, sports, politics, the performing arts: all were given their due with artefacts, filmed segments, interactive exhibits and more! The exhibit was written by Neil Gunn from th' Scottish Borders; and the chief curator/designer was Melana Currie from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. Making music for the fans: the Rampant Lion Pipe Band from Basking Ridge, NJ; legendary Scottish guitarist Charlie Zahm, who wore authentic 79th Regimental regalia, as he sang his favorite songs; New York's Bagpiper, Jerry Dixon, honkin', huffin' and puffin' on his pipes for the visitors through the day, as they ventured in and out of the Immigration Museum; the Shot of Scotch Dancers; John Grimaldi the Kilted Juggler; and fiddle-and-guitar team Matt (Matthew Christian) an' Matt (Matt Diaz). Tartan Day on Ellis Island is co-sponsored by Clan Currie and the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Museum and Foundation. Learn more at http://twitter.com/ClanMhuirich and www.tartandayonellisisland.com!  

Our friends from http://www.pipefest.com are bound fer another bonnie boogie-doon party in Barbados, May 19th through 24th, 2020, as more'n 350 Pipers and Drummers and other Celtic/Gaelic bands and individual musicians take o'er the island paradise for the Barbados Celtic Festival, where the finest Pipers, Drummers and other musicians from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, Northern Ireland, the U.S., Canada and Switzerland come together for a full week o' Gaelic fun in the sun!

Wanna learn more? Then visit one of these links:


Fiddler Jamie Laval leads a new Scottish Fiddle Workshop and Jam Seisun fer fiddlin' fans of all descriptions on Sunday afternoon, March 29th, from 2 to 4 p.m., at Studios 353, 353 West 48th Street, 2nd Floor, Studio No. 1. Please be advised, these seisiuns are nae classes fer absolute beginners; and, per tradition, all the tunes will be taught strictly withoot sheet music. Tickets are $45; however, you may save a mere five bucks by joinin' the New York Caledonians.  

To inquire about future Fiddle Workshops, e-mail Barbara Rice at Barbara.Rice@nycaledonian.org. 

The New York Caledonian Club and Carnegie Hall cross-promoted music, language, and dance classes, to support Carnegie's festival, Migrations: The Making of America. Explains Caledonian Club Chieftain Sue Ann McDevitt: "We anticipate, owing to the timing of this festival, that our Springtime season will be very busy, and that it will also increase awareness of the Club, our annual Ceilidh, and our Parade."

Fiddle champion Athena Tergis returned tae Ripley-Grier Studios, 520 8th Avenue, 10th Floor, Studio 10-C, between 36th and 37th Streets, for her own class on "The Art of Scottish Fiddling." Follow Athena's story, and see her upcoming schedule at http://www.facebook.com/atergis/.

Ripley-Grier Studios, 520 8th Avenue, again on the 10th floor, also hosted the New York Caledonian Club's Gaelic Language Classes. The two courses were 101 Beginning Scottish Gaelic, includin' Conversation and Grammar; and 103 Reading Gaelic. To enroll for the next Gaelic Language Seisiun, visit http://www.nycaledonian.org

Later, AmScot and the Royal Oak Foundation welcomed Ms. Marty Meirs, author, journalist-historian, and Books & Fine Arts Editor fer Country Life Magazine. Her new book is "Highland Retreats: The Architecture and Interiors of Scotland's Romantic North," and her lecture introduced listeners tae the grand elegant houses and mansions that still dot the Scottish Highland landscape. The reception and book-signing happened at the General Society Library, 20 West 40th Street, and was followed by a reception and book-signin' seisuin at the conclusion of the commentary. 

The Irish Arts Center, 553 West 51st Street, hosted a Celtic Appalachian Cellybration at Symphony Space's Peter Jay Sharpe Theatre, headlined by Mick Moloney, banjo, octave mandolin and lead vocals; Athena Tergis, fiddle and vocals; the Green Fields of America (Billy McComiskey, button accordion; Liz Hanley, fiddle and lead and backing vocals; Brenda Castles, concertina; Niall O'Leary, dancer), and their guests, Danny Paisley and his Southern Grass (Ryan Paisley, backing vocals and mandolin; Mark Delaney, banjo, TJ Lundy, fiddle and backing vocals; Bobby Lunday, upright double bass and backing vocals); along with Stephanie Colman, fiddle; Nora Brown, banjo; and Megan Downes, dancer.  

The Manchester, Vermont and the Mountains Pipe Band cellybrat'd their first St. Andrew's Day with a feast and performance at the Wilburton Inn at Manchester Village, complete with a 4-course traditional Scottish feast, fill'd wi' all the trimmin's! Dan Houghton and his Parcel of Rogues were the hoose band, and 100% of the proceeds benefited all marketing, promotion, instruments, uniforms, etc. for the Manchester and the Mountains Pipe Band. The event was co-sponsored by the Inn and the Rabogian Castle of Scotland. 

The Dunedin, Florida Highland Tide Pipin' Festival and Highland Games returns t' the Highland Park Community Center on Saturday, April 4th, 2020. Workshops, an Amateur Piping Contest, and the evening Ceilidh will be among the big events, as will be the annual Pipe Band Parade, featurin' nine of the region's favorite Pipe Bands: the Atlanta Pipe Band, the City of Jacksonville Pipe Band, the Orange County Sheriff's Office Pipers, the MacMillan Pipe Band, the Dunedin Middle & High School Pipe Bands and the City of Dunedin Pipe Band's Grade 2, Grade 4, and Grade 5 Bands. In addition, some of Scotland's finest musicians will spend a full night rockin' th' hoose, and servin' as Workshop instructors. That'll be follow'd by a full night o' rockin' th' hoose. Agin, ye'll hear pipin' and drummin' from Atlanta, Jacksonville, the Orange County Sheriff's Office Pipers, the MacMillans, the City of Dunedin Middle and High School Pipers, and the City of Dunedin Pipe Band's Grades 2, 4, and 5 Bands.

Also on Saturday, April 4th, 2020, in Minden, Louisiana, the 20th Anniversary Scottish Tartan Festival returns tae Scotland Farms from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with Emerald Accent, the Jackson, Mississippi Irish Dancers, the Port Bellydancin' Project, the Cleghorn Brothers, and Smithfield Fair! There'll also be an Outlander Village, featurin' storytellers Jeff Hurley, Jeff Stewart, linguist David Gressett, and members o' th' Drama Club o' Caddo Magnet High School, recreatin' their favorite Outlander episodes! Plus, dog show competitions, kids' hayrides, Broadsword demos, Clan Tents, a bistro for Scottish Highland beef-burgers, Pastor Jimmy Freeman leadin' the Kirkin' o th' Tartans Service, and tons and tons o' music, most of it featurin' the host Pipe Band, Shreveport's Red River Pipes and Drums! Tickets: $7, adults; $3, children ages 6 to 12; children ages 5 and under, free. The day-long event is produced and sponsored by the Scottish Society of the Louisiana Highlands.  

Norwalk, Connecticut's 96th Annual Round Hill Highland Games at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, set fer Sunday, June 28th, 2020, promises t' bae just as awesome! Photos at http://www.facebook.com/RoundHillHighlandGames/. Look fer a return offer fer ye fans o' King Fergus and especially Merida from Disney-Pixar's BRAVE: kids will again be admitted free fer "wearin' a kilt or carrying a sword, or arrivin' dressed up as Merida from Disney-Pixar's BRAVE!"  

And the King of America's Scottish Games, Linville, North Carolina's Grandfather Mountain, marks its 65th Anniversary, Thursday through Sunday, July 9th through 12th, 2020, with more Clans, Pipe Bands, live music, Heavy Athletics, and just aboot everythin' else that Grandfather Mountain fans expect from America's #1 Scottish Festival! 

It all happened 75 years ago: D-Day, the Sixth of June. And there were many who fought and died honorably in that legendary conflict, made famous by Darryl F. Zanuck's Production The Longest Day. Ironically, the on-screen Piper is nae Bill Millin himself, but rather, the first Piper to Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Pipe Major Leslie de Laspee, Pipe Sergeant of the London Scottish, who served as the Queen Mother's Piper from 1953 until 1975, the Queen Mother takin' the position o' Honorary Colonel, until her passing in 2002. Yer auld Uncle Fergus would like tae thank author Ian Moran for sending us an advance copy of his Bill Millin bio, entitled simply The Lone Piper, for which Moran interviewed various individuals, including Bill and his son John, along with researching thousands of documents connected wi' th' Millin story.  

Throughout 2019, a cluster o' special events honour'd this milestone. We here at the Paradise are especially proud t' honor the legend of Piper Bill Millin, whose Statue was unveiled at Normandy, in an event organized by the D-Day/Piper Bill Millin Association. John Millin picks up the story:

"The day began with a Parade of Massed Bands, of which 21 countries were represented (the latest estimate was more than 800 Pipers and Drummers), and it ended with a dramatic Spitfire flypast. My father was very proud indeed that a statue was being made for him. It is a fitting tribute to a man who, for almost six decades, played the pipes in remembrance for all those who fell on D-Day and in the Normandy Campaign. Our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who helped to make this day possible."

Then John Millin made an extensive voyage, the Millin-Montgomery Remembrance Voyage, where, wi' a big assist from Liverpool Piper Karl Wainwright, John made a thousand-mile trek from Fort William in Scotland to Liverpool, all th' while visiting several of the towns that had played a major role in preparing the general area for the events that led to D-Day. Finally, on the day itself, John presented a replica of his father's pipes to the Mayor of the Village of Coleville-Montgomery. The event was organized by the non-profit charity "D-Day Revisited," in conjunction with the Royal British Legion and RBL Scotland. "Like thousands of others," said John Phipps, Chairman of D-Day Revisited, "Bill was part of something very remarkable, as Britain built its strength for the Invasion of Normandy, and the subsequent liberation of all Europe." 

Photos and videos:
 http://www.normandymemorialtrust.org!

The 60th Anniversary Clan MacDuff Scottish Games returns tae Old Westbury Gardens Saturday, August 22nd from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.! Expect these longtime favorites t' return: host Pipe Band, the Gordons of Locust Valley and Lattingtown; the Amityville American Legion Post 1015 Highlanders; the Inis Fada Pipe BandRobert Mouland; Charlie Zahm; American-Celtic rockers Prydein from Vermont, and Suffolk County's own Bangers & Mash; Commander Bob Small and his 42nd Royal Highland Regiment from Mineola, Long Island; the Cameron Scottish Music Ensemble; Crazy Carter and his Puppets; Ye Pyrate Brotherhood; John Grimaldi the Kilted Juggler .....plus lots more, includin' Heavy Athletics, children's events and races, the Best Antique Auto Contest, and the traditional end-of-day Raffle.  

See their plot synopses here and here.

The Festival's Facebook presence encourages all Clan MacDuff Scottish Games fans to volunteer their time, talents and services tae this year's show. In addition, new members are being sought, specifically, individuals with fund-raising skills, financial skills, organizational skills, graphic arts skills (printed media, etc., including the 60th Anniversary Souvenir Programme), so that the MacDuffs can continue hostin' Old Westbury Gardens' biggest annual event for many more years tae come! For further information on volunteering or sponsorships, or to place an ad in the Programme, please visit http://www.liscots.org; or contact: Peter Burnside, Sr., pburnsidesr@hotmail.com or 1-516/385-4107; Chairperson Andrew MacInnes, at drew3489@aol.com or 1-516/317-0852; or Jimmy Hogg, at hog4242@gmail.com or 1-516/768-7783.  

What if ye could actually meet up wi' Robert the Bruce in person? Nae worries, wee ones, for the New York Renaissance Faire Sterling Forest Tuxedo Park always has yer back, with its Celtic Weekend, fer them what want tartan fun, kids who just wanna go aboot findin' a few Leprechauns --- and, fer all the rest of us, them what just wants t' go aboot honkin' some bagpipe music! There's Highland Games competitions fer the wee bairns, the Best Knees in a Kilt Contest, the Limerick Smackdown at th' Rusty Knife Bar, and lots and lots o' bodhran bangin' in the Big, Bad Bodhran Bang, too! The Shire o' Sterling is located 600 Route 17-A, in Tuxedo Park, New York, some 35 miles from ye Byg Appyl. Learn more at http://www.renfair.com/ny!
 
 
The New York Caledonians and the St. George's Society joined over 350 Scottish/Irish/Celtic/Gaelic professionals taking part in the St. George's Society Big British Bash at the Edison Ballroom, 240 West 47th Street. The event raises funds for the St. George's Society's charitable programmes through a series of silent and live auctions featuring items and experiences from various local and community partners, among them some of Scotland's, and Britain's, finest and most popular brands. There was also live music, dining and dancing, and an end-of-evening charity auction. This year's guest of honor, who also received th' Anglo-American Cultural Award, was rugby superstar Martin Johnson, M.B.E., "one of the greatest rugby players ever to have played the game, having represented and captained Leicester, England and the British Lions in a career spanning an incredible 16 seasons." For further information on the next Big British Bash, e-mail hello@stgeorgessociety.org! 

AmScot, too, like most o' the rest o' the world, paid their own solemn tribute to the horror what was 9/11 by spendin' an hour on the grounds of the Queen Elizabeth II Gardens @ 11 Hanover Square in Midtown Manhattan, where they mourned the loss of all those Scottish-Americans who perished in the tragedy. In addition to a keynote speech by NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, patrons heard comments from members of the British and Commonwealth Consulates, as well as surviving family members of the victims. Members from the Allied Forces Foundation performed some of the music. 

And again, for more information on upcoming American-Scottish Foundation events, buzz 1-212/605-0338, Extension 4, or e-mail americanscottishfoundation@gmail.com!

The Caledonians, Piper Charlie Armstrong from the Gordons of Locust Valley, and Tartan Saturday Afternoon President Kyle Dawson, are again set t' join the usual cast o' Knights and their Ladies Fayre, Kings and Queens, Lords and Ladies, at the 36th Annual Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park, co-sponsored by the Washington Heights/Inwood Development Corporation and NYC Parks, and honored in 2013 as the City's "Best Festival" by the late Village Voice for its Diamond Anniversary "Best of New York City" issue. 

The 41st Annual Scottish Ball, supportin' the New York Caledonian Club, return'd to Abigail Adams Auditorium, 421 East 61st Street. A raffle was held toward the end of the evenin'. Tae learn more aboot the next Scottish Ball, e-mail scottishball@aol.com or call Nan Chisholm at 1-816/333-4331 or Chris Gow at 1-917/412-2666.
  
The Caledonian Club and AmScot celebrated Veteran's Day, Monday, November 11th, one day early, with the 99th Annual Flag Service and Choral Evensong, takin' place at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 1 West 53rd Street at 5th Avenue. The hour-long event, honorin' those who have given their lives and all who proudly continue to serve our country, was led by Reverend Canon Carl Turner, B.A., M.Th., and Father Patrick Cheng, J.D., Ph.D., with evensong sung by the St. Thomas Episcopal Church Choir of Men and Boys, and was sponsored by the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA. Learn more at www.saintthomaschurch.org/event/choral-evensong-5/

Gaelic songs, poetry, jokes and tall tales are again in vogue, on the campus of Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina, as Grandfather Mountain hosts its Gaelic Song & Language Week Festival, or Beinn Sean Aire! Learn more at http://www.acgamerica.org! 

The 2019 St. Andrew's Society of New York State Semi-Annual General Meeting, an event strictly for Members ONLY, return'd to Society Headquarters, 150 East 55th Street, Third Floor. Updates, news, music, holiday cheer and other info were on the agenda; and President Donnie Whamond, Jr. introduced the new Society Members, who then received the Society's Official Rosette. Light hors d'oeuvres were served at the 2-hour gatherin'; presently, we canna further determine the status o' the New York Caledonians' Semi-Annual General Meeting, likewise a strictly Members ONLY gatherin', possibly takin' place at the Sutton Hotel Residents' Lounge, 959 First Avenue, Ground Floor.   

The two last major significant events in the Piping world, the ones reserv'd fer th' Christmas holidays, are the Pipes of Christmas, sponsored by Clan Currie; and, before that, th' Scottish Christmas Walk and Parade in Alexandria, VA, co-sponsored by, and largely benefittin', the Campagna Center, in partnership wi' the Scottish Government, the City of Alexandria, and the St. Andrew's Society of Washington, D.C. 

The Pipes of Christmas had four performances, two in Manhattan, at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, at 912 Madison Avenue at West 73rd Street, New York City; followed by two more performances at the Central Presbyterian Church, 70 Maple Street, Summit, NJ. Centerpiece of the show was two world premiere performances: first, "Mystical Nativity," an original piece inspired by the 16th-Century Renaissance painting by Italian maestro Sandro Botticelli, and played by harpist Rachel Clemente; followed by "Christmas in George Square," for which Glaswegian singer Maddy Kerns made her concert debut. Last year's special guest was Gillebride (Gwyllyn) MacMillan, resident bard on Starz' Emmy-winning
Outlander, who performed selections from his new CD, "Hidden Roots (Freumhan Falaichte)". Reverend Doctor Susan Currie was the Narrator, and a new world premiere tune, Jonah Steed's "Carolina Christmas," rounded oot th' night! Highlights from previous Pipes of Christmas recitals have been edited into an hour-long best-of special, now oot on DVD and Blu-ray Digital. As usual, members o' th' audience were invited to join the Pipes of Christmas Holiday Food Drive by bringing along new and nonperishable food items, which were then donated t' th' Community Food Bank of New Jersey. 

Also in the cast were Pipes of Christmas favorites James Robinson; guitarist Steve Gibb from Inverness; New England Scottish Fiddle Champion Paul Woodiel; local Celtic trio Blue Highland; and the event's resident Pipe Band, the Blandford Pipe Band from Redlands, California. 

The 2019 Pipes of Christmas can also be seen online, through http://www.hometownetv.org/live

As ever, proceeds from the event benefited a wide variety of music-based entities supported by Clan Currie, including the Clan's own musical scholarship programme. Among these were gifts to the Carol Hassaert Memorial Fine Arts Scholarship at Summit, New Jersey High School; the National Piping Centre and Royal Scottish Conservatoire of Glasgow; the Gaelic College of Nova Scotia; Lyon College of Batesville, Arkansas; the Gaelic Literature Competition at the Royal National Mod; and the Society's ongoing efforts on behalf of the Society's annual sponsorship of the U.S. National Scottish Harp Championships; and an annual academic research prize as part of Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Scotland's Gaelic College on the Isle of Skye.  

The show has also been number'd among New York's Top 10 Holiday Events. Learn more, and see videos of past performances, at http://www.pipesofchristmas.com.  

Meanwhile, those members o' Clan Currie based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, presented lessons in the fine art o' speakin' in ancient Gaelic. Tuesdays fer Advanced Beginners was led by Laura Stirling Rockingham; on Wednesdays, Beginners Class followed, with instructor Beth Anne McEachen at Citadel High School in downtown Halifax; followed by Intermediate Class and Standard Advance Lessons. The 8-week workshop also streamed via Skype. More info: hailfaxgaelicsociety@gmail.com, or visit http://www.halifaxgaelic.ca.  
 
Ranked by the Southeast Tourism Society as one of the South's Top 20 Events, the Scottish Christmas Walk, staged at the George Washington Masonic Memorial on Callahan Drive, with the Parade marching along Alexandria's historic Olde Towne, features wine tasting, house tours, open-house events, and indoor happenings for the kids, including a meet-n'-greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus. 

Then, there was the Parade itself, featurin' over 100 Scottish Clans, the Kiltie Band of York; the Washington Scottish Pipes & Drums of the St. Andrew's Society of Washington, D.C.; the Northern Virginia Firemen's Emerald Society Pipes and Drums; the City of Washington Pipe Band; the City of Alexandria Pipes and Drums; the Shamrock & Thistle Pipe Band from Ocean County, NJ; cast members from the Virginia and Pennsylvania Renaissance Faires; various re-enactors, Scottie dog groups and local area dignitaries --- and finally, Santa, in the person o' Fredericksburg, Virginia's own Piper Jack Arthur, playing his own trusty set o' bagpipes, and even joining in the concluding Massed Pipes and Drums performance, featuring "Amazing Grace." 

In other Highland and Bagpipe developments:

Basel Tattoo Produktions GmbH has canceled the Christmas edition of its Military Tattoo, at St. Joseph's Hall in Basel. But at least there were still plenty o' surprises for the listeners: the Army Cadet Forces Pipes and Drums; the Dollar Academy Pipe Band; the Queen Victoria School Pipe Band; and the Massed Bands of Her Majesty's Royal Marines! Fans also enjoyed the Basel Tattoo Choir and Dance Company; the Christoph Walter Orchestra; the mighty Clydesdale steeds of das Feldschlossen Sechsspanner; das Musikverein Bubendorf; the VoiceSteps Youth Choir, and solo vocalists Corinne Gfeller, Willy Martin, and Deirdre Brennan! As for the summertime main event, over 10,000 performers participated. 

Ha'e a peek a' what they brought together for Basel's Massed Pipes and Drums: from New Zealand, the Auckland Police Pipe Band; from Australia, the Australian Federal Police Pipe Band and the Scots College Pipe Band; from South Africa, the Cape Town Highlanders; from Switzerland, the Swiss Highlanders; from Canada, the Paris Port Dover Pipe Band; from Malta, the Wallace Pipes & Drums; and two of Britain's best --- the RAF Pipe Band from Waddington and the Pipes and Drums of the Royal College o' Signals; and those awesome Red Hot Chili Pipers! Ye also saw Greece's band of the Hellenic Royal Navy; Holland's Royal Marechaussee; American singers Johnny Manuel and Deirdre Brennan; Hamburg, Germany's Police Motorcycle Squadron; the Wind Band and Dancers from China's Water Supply and Drainage Company! Rounding out the cast were Captain Phillipp Werlen and the Swiss Army Brass Band, along with the Basel Tattoo Choir and Guardsmen! More about the doin's set fer July 17th through 25th, 2020, at http://www.baseltattoo.ch

After nearly 75 years as the Edmonton Girls' Pipe Band, the iconic Alberta-based ensemble rebranded itself as the Rose & Thistle Pipe Band, tae better reflect the Band's commitment t' diversity. The Band's parent nonprofit continues, however, to be maintain'd as the Edmonton Girls' Pipe Band Association; the re-brandin' became official during the Band's Ceilidh at the Beverly Heights Community League Headquarters. The family-friendly gatherin' also featured a silent auction, cash bar, DJ, snacks and refreshments, late luncheon, door prizes and other giveaways --- and, o' course, Rose & Thistle in performance!  


Finally, we wish tae share this wi' ye: on May 22nd, 2017, we watched in horror as Manchester, England fell victim to a terrorist bombing incident where 23 were killed and some 250 were injured. Among the victims was one Eilidh MacLeod, a young teenage bagpiper from the Isle of Barra, in Scotland's Outer Hebrides. Nae doot this tragedy impacted not just the Bagpipe world in general, but also Eilidh's family and friends. Her father, Roddy, wrote the following:


"Dear Pipers and Drummers:

"We, the family of Eilidh MacLeod, would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kind messages and generosity following the tragic loss of our darling daughter, Eilidh.

"Our hearts are broken, and yet we have taken some comfort that our Eilidh's short life has touched so many people from all walks of life. As we take the time to rebuild our lives, we would like to thank all the many Pipe Bands and individual Pipers and Drummers who offered to support us, particularly Eilidh's friend Laura, Laura's own family, and all those other people either lost and/or injured in the attack at the Manchester Arena.

"On the day we left Manchester to take Eilidh on her final journey home to Barra, we were truly touched that so many Pipers and Drummers came to us from the Northwest of England and beyond, assembled in Manchester to remember the people who were caught up in that horrific event on the 22nd of May. We were honoured that all those banners that were displayed on that day reflected the fact that Eilidh was 'one of their own'. We would particularly like to thank Colin Murphy, Graham Houghton, and all the bands of Manchester for rallying and standing together.

"Eilidh was extremely proud t' be a Piper, and she practiced regularly so that she could become the best Pipe Band member and solo Piper that she could possibly be. She loved all the fun and camaraderie with her bandmates, and the trips that would take her off of Barra to practice, perform, and compete. Eilidh also loved these opportunities to meet and make new friends with other young Pipers, Drummers, Dancers and other friends. We take great comfort in knowing that Eilidh is so fondly remembered by so many young people who sent us cards, and paid her tribute through social media.

"There are just too many Bands, organizations and individuals to name here. We would like to thank you all for your support at this difficult time, but a few we would especially like to thank are:


"From the overwhelming support that we have received, we now have a real understanding of the vast family that is the 'Piping and Drumming World,' and for that, we thank you.

"With love and all the very best of wishes,

"Roddy, Marion, Shona and Laura MacLeod."

Since the MacLeods posted these comments, the Pipes and Drums of Sgoil Lionacleit, whose members range in age from 12 to 17, have raised their £40,000; and, as ye now know, they joined us for Tartan Saturday Afternoon. Says Band Chairman John Daniel Peterranna: "Some [of our players] have never been abroad before. Imagine how excited they'll be, sharing their music and culture on this major international stage." Singer-songwriter Julie Fowlis, who can be heard on the soundtrack from Disney/Pixar's BRAVE, agreed, sayin': "Here's a big chance for all these talented youngsters to display the power of music from the Hebrides."

Congratulations to Sgoil Lionacleit, as their members played in honor of their fallen colleague, Piper Eilidh MacLeod........


Duncan Robb wanted his girl tae bae seein' her favorite rock band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Instead, he discovers tae his utter horror that he's just bought tickets tae see the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, "the most famous Bagpipe Band on the Planet," or so their website would have ye believe. 

The Chesterfield-born Duncan is a frequent visitor to Belfast, so when he spotted what he thought were tickets to see the L.A.-based Chili Peppers in concert in Belfast, he snapp'd 'em up."When I clicked on and got tickets in Row Q and fer 30 each, I was like, 'What a bargain, there must not be any more tickets left,' so I snatched 'em up straight away. Also, the date was February 10th, so I figured: Valentine's Day, right? Kill two birds with one stone and all?"

When Duncan presented those tickets tae his girl on Christmas Day, little did he dream they'd bae seein' the wrong band.

A month later, when they got the actual tickets, "the Wednesday before my girlfriend wanted to know who was supporting them, and she could not find anything about the Red Hot Chili Peppers performing in Belfast!" Duncan recalls. And once they'd flown in to see the bagpipers, all they could do was laugh! Still, they saw the show anyway and said they had a bonnie jolly time!   

Want even MORE bagpipe-related news and info? Check oot me new Uncle Fergus/Up Helly Aa Highlanders' Group on Facebook, or click here!