Glengarry Highland Games at Maxville to celebrate 75 years with pre-pandemic numbers

With some 50 entered across all five grades, the 2024 Glengarry Highland Games are set to reclaim the title of North America’s biggest pipe band competition in what will mark the event’s seventy-fifth anniversary in the tiny farming community of Maxville, Ontario.

The North American Pipe Band Championships will feature the Ontario season’s first and only competitive Grade 1 event, with the 78th Highlanders (Halifax Citadel) from Nova Scotia taking on the 78th Fraser Highlanders from Ontario. Judges and administrators must watch their 78s, as the names of the two bands have been confused on occasion. The competition featured as many as eight Grade 1 bands in the heydays of Ontario piping and drumming.

Grade 2 expands to seven bands, with US-based MacMillan and Ulster Scottish challenging the usual five Ontario groups.

Approximately 200 pipers and drummers have entered to compete in the solo competitions. All amateur events will be on Friday, August 2nd, and the Professional contests will be held on the morning of August 3rd, including 18 piobaireachd performances.

The marquee solo piping competitions are the Piobaireachd Society (Canada) Gold Medal and Bar for winners of the Gold Medal, which was held on Friday, August 2nd, at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. Nearly 30 Professional/Open pipers entered. As with most top-tier solo piping competitions, an association does not sanction the event, which has a total prize pool of nearly $8,000.

Order of play for each event:

Piobaireachd Society (Canada) Gold Medal

1. Joe Biggs, Ontario, “The Blue Ribbon”
2. Andrew Donlon, Washington, DC, “Farewell to the Laird of Islay”
3. Blaise Theriault, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, “The Glen is Mine”
4. Tyler Johnson, Farmington Hills, Michigan, “The MacDougalls’ Gathering”
5. Kevin Dugas, Nova Scotia, “Clanranald’s Salute”
6. Dan Lyden, Timonium, Maryland, “The Battle of Sherriffmuir”
7. Michael MacDonald, Toronto, “The Big Spree”
8. Tyler Bridge, Guelph, Ontario, “Black Donald’s March”
9. Iain MacDonald, Regina, Saskatchewan, “The Glen is Mine”
10. Jonathan Grady, Summerside, Prince Edward Island, “Farewell to the Laird of Islay”
11. Alan Clark, Ottawa, “The Blue Ribbon”
12. Mike Allegretti, Ontario, “The MacDougalls’ Gathering”
13. Ben McClamrock, Washington, DC, “Nameless (Hiharin odin, hiharin dro)”
14. Andrew Carlisle, Pittsburgh, “The Battle of Sherriffmuir”
15. John Bottomley, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, “Gunn’s Salute”

Bar to the Piobaireachd Society (Canada) Gold Medal

1. 2024 Gold Medal winner (TBD)
2. Ian K. MacDonald, Ontario, “Scarce of Fishing”
3. Andrew Hayes, Ottawa, “The Red Speckled Bull”
4. Sean McKeown, Bowmanville, Ontario, “The Laird of Anapool’s Lament”
5. Scott McIntosh, Ottawa, “Mary’s Praise”
6. Daniel Carr, Collingwood, Ontario, “Mrs. MacLeod of Talisker’s Salute”
7. Andy Rogers, Fredericton, New Brunswick, “Lament for the Duke of Hamilton”
8. Jacob Dicker, Ottawa, “The Unjust Incarceration”
9. Bruce Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, “In Praise of Morag”
10. James MacHattie, Summerside, Prince Edward Island, “Colin Roy MacKenzie’s Lament”
11. Alex Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, “Lament for the Earl of Antrim”

Bill Livingstone, Jim McGillivray and Bob Worrall will judge both events.

For several years, the Chicago Highland Games had the largest entry for a North American pipe band competition. The June event attracted 39 bands in 2024.

The weather forecast is for warm and muggy conditions, with thunderstorms possible on Saturday.

Stay tuned to pipes|drums for results from the 75th Glengarry Highland Games as they become available.