OVER 200 of the world’s best pipe bands descended on Glasgow Green this weekend for the annual World Pipe Band Championships, with a band from Inverary unexpectedly taking the top award.
Celebrating 70 years of competition, the event hosted pipers from across the globe for the two-day musical showcase. In an area of Glasgow usually populated by gig-goers and football fans, kilted musicians from the USA, Canada and Argentina lined the streets of the Gallowgate.
Fifteen nations competed for the major trophy but Field Marshall Montgomery Pipe Band from Northern Ireland were the talking point for many. Having won the competition five out the last six years, piping fans were eager to see if the favourited could scoop another title.
However, Inverary and District band lived out their own pipe dream when they took first place and were named the world champions – ending the winning reign of their predecessors.
Tens of thousands of people attended the popular event – armed with picnic rugs and camping chairs they made the most of the dry weather and fare that was on offer. The food court on the Green catered for the international palette with options ranging from Mexican burritos and stone-fired pizzas, to gourmet venison stovies with beetroot.
The competing bands are separated into six grade categories, from Grade 1, the highest standard of players, to the under-18 novice bands. A large arena had been constructed on the Green, where all Grade 1 bands competed. Marching in to the field in sync they formed a circle in the centre and exhibited a skilful display of musicianship, drummers twirling their sticks during the rest beats and pipers' fingers moving faster than we can compute.
For the many who were unlucky finding a seat to view the main attraction, a large screen featured above the field and projected the image of the tartan-clad competitors to those who had gathered close by, making sure no-one missed out. Smaller performance arenas were situated around the green and pipers used every spare bit of land to gather and practice for their shot – meaning spectators were never far away from a show.
The family affair ensured that everyone's needs were met, with a beer garden, kids' zone and dog bowls for the furry clientele. Highland dancing and Highland games were also on offer for the more curious attendees looking for some variety.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here