Argyllshire Gathering to hold ‘Intermediate Championship’

The organizers of the Argyllshire Gathering in Oban, Scotland, plan to hold the “Intermediate Piping Championship” for players age 22 and younger on October 2nd. The event is part of the organization’s 150th anniversary year.

Few details were made available about the event. Eight pipers will be chosen to participate in two events, a Piobaireachd and an MSR, with players having to submit four tunes of their own choice in each music genre. Prizes will be £100 for each first, £75 for second, £50 for third, and £200 for the overall winner.

The player limit is for at least the first year of the event, organizers saying, “with the uncertainty of competitions going ahead it has been decided to have an invitational competition with a maximum of eight competitors.”

At publication time, the organizers had not responded to a request for details on how pipers will qualify for an invitation and whether they need to be of a certain grading or standard to gain entry.

The competition will be held at Lochnell Castle in Benderloch, Scotland, a few miles from the town of Oban, with the Earl of Dundonald providing the venue and his son, Lord Archie Cochrane, acting as host.

The status of the 2021 Argyllshire Gathering proper is still undetermined. Apart from an online version of the MacGregor Memorial piobaireachd competition for young pipers, the 2020 Gathering was cancelled. In addition to a full slate of light music contests, the Argyllshire Gathering features the Highland Society of London’s Gold Medal and the Senior Piobaireachd, both qualifying competitions for the Glenfiddich Solo Piping Championship.

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