Meeting of the Bands
Saturday 7 July, 9pm
No roll call of the great Pipe Bands of all time would miss out St Laurence O’ Toole of Dublin. Founded in 1910, they are frequent winners at all the major competitions such as European, British, Scottish and Cowal Championships and they were crowned World Champions in 2010 in their centenary year.
In a break from their usual competition circuit the Irish superstars came to the Western Isles on a sunny but blustery weekend at the end of March 2012 for 2 days of performances, concluding in a meeting with the local bands at the stunning location of Macleod’s Stone in South Harris.
This historic location, the site of the megalithic standing stone, is high above the white sands of Horgabost beach. It was no mean feat to get over 100 pipers and drummers up to the site along with an appreciative crowd of people from Harris and beyond who also made their way to the top of the hill.
Commenting on their visit, Terry Tully, Pipe Major of the St Laurence O’ Toole band said “This was a very unique experience to be playing bagpipes on top of a mountain with the wind blowing at over a hundred miles an hour. We’ll have some special memories to take home”
The Meeting of the Bands was also a memorable experience for the pipers and drummers of the other bands from the Western Isles and Skye who took part. The events featured the Lewis Pipe Band under the direction of Pipe Major Peter Mackay; Pipe Major Ivan Macdonald with the Uist Pipe band and the Liniclate School Pipe Band from Benbecula with Pipe Major Fiona Maclennan, a 6th year pupil at the school at the helm. The Isle of Skye Pipe Band with Pipe Major Alan Mackenzie also travelled to take part.
For the island bands the performances at Macleod’s Stone and in the Stornoway Sports Centre were the culmination of many weeks of planning and practice, preparing for the opportunity to play with one of the world’s leading bands.
The Meeting of the Bands, which will be shown on Saturday 7 July at 9pm on BBC ALBA, captures the atmosphere, enthusiasm and wonderful music of this two-day event. The Meeting of the Bands was produced by mactv for BBC ALBA.
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Trusadh: Island Pipers
Monday 9 July, 9pm
Lewis, Skye and the Uists - islands steeped in piping tradition from solo piping to the pipe bands that are an important part of each of these island communities.
In Trusadh: Island Pipers, Cailean Maclean travels the length and breadth of the Western Isles and Skye to look at how the islands’ piping heritages have evolved.
In both Skye and Uist the historic dynastic traditions of great piping families played an important early role. From the MacCrimmons and MacArthurs of Skye, to pipers to the Macdonald’s of Clan Ranald and the Macintyres of Uist. In Lewis and the other islands by the start of the 20th century, military service and the emergence of the Piping Society was starting to grow a new body of island pipers.
The programme also investigates the legacy of the great proponents of piping such as John Morrison of Assynt, Donald Macleod and Donald Maclean, all with military backgrounds, and who played a pivotal role in the development of the islands’ piping fraternities.
The Lewis pipe band, based in Stornoway has been at the heart of the community since 1904. Sherriff Colin Scott Mackenzie and John Kennedy both fondly recall their association with the band since they were teenagers in the 1950s.
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