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Seumas MacNeill was born on the 12th September 1917 in Partick Glasgow. his father James MacNeill came of Gigha stock and his mother Christina Lumsden came from Fife.
Seumas began piping as a boy under the tutelage of his uncle Archie MacNeill, the blind piper, and played in the band of the 139th Glasgow Co., the Boys Brigade, which was tutored by Archie. Although Archie MacNeill was his main teacher he did have some tuition in later years, from Malcolm MacPherson. Seumas attended Hyndland school and went on to graduate from Glasgow University then after a year at Jordanhill College, he treturned to Glasgow University as a lecturer in the Natural Philosophy department, where he remained until his retirement. Seamus was a successful amateur piper, winning several prizes, and after turning professional won the march at Oban in 1948, the march at Inverness in 1950, the strathspey and reel at Inverness in 1953, strathspey and reel at Oban in 1954, the Gold Medal at Oban in 1962 and many other prizes.
In 1944, with Thomas Pearston, he founded the College of Piping which began as a part of the Fianna na h'Alba or The League of Young Scots, whose activities included Scottish dancing, singing, the Gaelic language and various open air pursuits. Throughout his life Seumas's other main interest, part from piping, was hill-walking.
He tutored classes in the College of Piping in Glasgow and Edinburgh on a voluntary, unpaid basis and was the founder of summer schools in many parts of the world.
With Thomas Pearston he was the co-author of the three College of piping tutors, wrote An Acoustic Study of the Highland Bagpipe' with JMA Lenihan, 'Piobaireach and its Interpretation' with Frank Richardson, and was the sole author of 'Piobaireachd, a BBC publication, the Colleg's 'Tutor for Piobaireachd' and two collections of music, including the Seumas MacNeill collection, reprinted regularly since its first appearance in 1960. He made several recordings on LP and cassette. He was editor of the Piping Times from 1948 until 1996 making it the best resource in print for piping information over a span of 50 years. Seumas MacNeill died at his home in Bearsden, Glasgow n the 4th April, 1996.
(Robert Wallace, Principal, The College of Piping)
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