Ian K. MacDonald continues torrid online season with overall win at Aboyne

The Internet – August 7, 2021 – The annual Aboyne Games, normally held in the idyllic Royal Deeside village in the virtual shadow of Balmoral Castle, were held for the first time online, and Ian K. MacDonald of Whitby, Ontario, enjoyed three first prizes in the four Open senior solo piping events to continue his 2021 string of successes.

MacDonald has recently won no fewer than three comparable aggregate solo piping awards in other online competitions. Gordon McCready of Renfrew, Scotland, also had a fine day with three second prizes.

The Aboyne Games broadcast a complete pre-recorded online event throughout the day, including fiddle competitions and Highland dancing and heavy athletics demonstrations.

“I’d a dream that we would just have piping, fiddling, dancing, some athletics and heavy events with a small crowd on Aboyne Green,” said piping organizer and Aboyne resident Jack Taylor. “There would be no fairground, no burger vans, not a generator to be heard, only the sound of the pipes and chatter. Not to be.”

There were 40 contestants in the senior piping, each submitting six piobaireachds, with three ceol mor heats, and two light music heats to determine final rounds. Competitors had to submit pre-recorded videos under a certain timeframe at each stage of the events.

Piobaireachd
1st Ian K. MacDonald, “The Unjust Incarceration”
2nd Gordon McCready, “The Big Spree”
3rd Bruce Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, “Lullaby for Colin Alexander”
4th Bobby Durning, Boston, “Lament for MacSwan of Roaig”
5th Brendan Eade, New Zealand, “Lament for Donald Ban MacCrimmon”
Judges: Jack Lee, Bill Livingstone, Malcolm McRae

March
1st Bruce Gandy
2nd Calum Brown, Aberdeen, Scotland
3rd Ashley McMichael, Northern Ireland
4th John Dew, Perth, Scotland
Judges: Jack Lee, Logan Tannock

Strathspey & Reel
1st Ian K. Macdonald
2nd Gordon McReady
3rd Jamie Forrester, London
Bruce Gandy
Judges: Bill Livingstone, R.S. MacDonald

Hornpipe & Jig
1st Ian K. MacDonald
2nd Gordon McCready
3rd David Wilton, Dundee, Scotland
4th Brendan Eade
Judges: Jack Lee, Bill Livingstone

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