2008: Awaiting information
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2007: Awaiting information
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2006: 23rd - 24th September 2006: The focus of the 2006 festival will be on encouraging youthful participation, and in rememberance of Iain Dall Mackay, the "Blind Piper" of Gairloch. Location is in the main hall, Gairloch Community High School, Gairloch, Wester Ross.
Saturday during the day, there will be a series of competitions for Under 18's in Piobaireachd, Chanter, Marches etc (details on entry form previously emailed)
Top prize is a voucher to the value of £1000, secondary prizes are monetary vouchers, trophies etc
Saturday evening, there will be a ceilidh in the hall with:
Ishbel Macaskill
Duncan MacGillivary & Family
Marie Louise Napier
Angus Grant
The Gairloch Scottish Country Dancers
& with participation from some of the youngsters from the day's competitions.
On Sunday:
There will be a mid-day walk up to the Iain Dall memorial in Flowerdale Forest, followed by:
The Glasgow Phoenix Choir performing in the Hall from 3pm onwards
Tickets are available from: Alastair Pearson, Gairloch Highland Lodge, 01445 712068
CALLING ALL YOUNG PIPERS
This year, at the Gairloch Piping Festival, the prestigious Iain Dall Trophy will be awarded to a Young Piper in a competition offering prizes to a value of £1500.
Chairman and Founder of the Festival, Alastair Pearson said, “After the sad death last year of John Burgess, our splendid judge and great friend of the Festival, we decided that the best way to commemorate him was to dedicate the Festival to the encouragement of up-and-coming pipers. It therefore seemed logical that the Iain Dall Trophy, donated three years ago by the Clan Mackenzie Society of Scotland and The UK, should be awarded for U15 Piobaireachd because the £1000 award (now The John Burgess Scholarship) already goes to the Under 15 entrant with highest aggregate points. If this year’s innovations prove the success we anticipate, then we hope to build the Gairloch Piping Festival into the most attractive occasion for youngsters in their piping calendar. There are already plans to extend the scope of the event in 2007 as part of the Highland Festival year.”
Piping Convenor, Carol-Anne Mackay of Ullapool High School, is promoting nine competitions with prizes totalling £500 in addition to the Scholarship: U18, U15, Novice - those playing less than 1 year. For the first time, there are also two prizes for Practice Chanter: Secondary pupils will compete for The John Burgess Trophy, and there is another for Primary pupils. Mr. Pearson added, “It’s particularly pleasing that Carol-Anne should be involved because, of course, “Iain Dall” was himself a MacKay.”
There will be the usual popular Ceilidh in the evening. Competitors invited to participate will be in distinguished company - amongst those taking part will be the renowned piper Duncan Macgillivray, Ishbel MacAskill (Festival Patron), and the organisers hope to attract some fine fiddle playing to conclude the evening’s activities.
After the customary mid-day visit on Sunday to the Iain Dall Memorial at Flowerdale, the festival will conclude with a visit from the world-famous Glasgow Phoenix Choir for an afternoon concert of selections from programmes presented at Rosslyn Chapel, Oban Cathedral and Iona.
Piping competitions: Gairloch High School Saturday 23rd September. Entry forms etc Tel 07801 063 021 carolannemackay@hotmail.com |
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