Next up: The Argyllshire Gathering will determine history-making winners

Now that the dust has settled from the World Pipe Band Championships, about 70 of the world’s top competitive solo pipers will converge once again on Oban, Scotland, for the two-day Argyllshire Gathering on Wednesday, August 24th and Thursday, August 25th.

One of the most important solo piping contests there is, “Oban” features one of the two Highland Society of London Gold Medals for piobaireachd, the Former Winners March, Strathspey & Reel, and the Senior Piobaireachd for those who have at least one of those Gold Medals.

The Argyllshire Gathering was first held in 1871 and is the sister-contest to the Northern Meeting at Inverness, Scotland, also a two-day event this year scheduled for September 2-3.

The Argyllshire Gathering managed to hold a few special indoor events and a full slate of light music in 2021, and in 2020 held a few online contests. The Northern Meeting, on the other hand, elected to take a two-year hiatus.

While the Northern Meeting has been all-indoor for almost 75 years, the Argyllshire Gathering still holds most of its prestigious light music events outdoors on the Thursday, in a traditional Highland games setting at Mossfield Park. The world’s best pipers are at the mercy of the conditions on Thursday, sometimes faced with appalling weather conditions and always with various athletic races whizzing around them, starter pistols going off, and diesel generators supplying power to vendors and a bouncy castle.

The day kicks off with pipers voluntarily leading the kilted Argyllshire gentry in a parade through the town with the new Gold Medallist and Silver Medallist in the pipe-major and pipe-sergeant spots, respectively. The “band” traditionally plays John MacColl’s 2/4 march “The Argyllshire Gathering” when they enter the park.

Apart from those in the events for winners of qualifying contests, pipers have to apply in hope that their entry will be accepted. The results of the applications can be a great relief or grave disappointment, especially for those entering the Gold Medal and the Silver Medal.

Stay tuned to pipes|drums for results from the Argyllshire Gathering as they become available.

Here are the schedules and orders-of-play:

Wednesday, August 24th (indoor venues)

Highland Society of London Gold Medal (9 am, held in Corran Halls’ Studio Theatre)

• Connor Sinclair, Crieff, Scotland
• Steven Leask, Irvine, Scotland
• William Geddes, Glasgow
• Sarah Muir, Irvine, Scotland
• Derek Midgley, Tinton Falls, New Jersey
• Cameron MacDougall, Nigg, Scotland
• Alex Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
• Sandy Cameron, Roy Bridge, Scotland
• Ben McClamrock, Washington, DC
• Ben Duncan, Edinburgh
• Angus J. MacColl, Benderloch, Scotland
• James Duncan Mackenzie, Back, Isle of Lewis, Scotland
• Darach Urquhart, Bishopbriggs, Scotland
• Innes Smith, Bridge of Allan, Scotland
• Alastair Lee, Coquitlam, British Columbia
• Cameron Drummond, Edinburgh
• Nick Hudson, Houston
• Gordon McCready, Paisley, Scotland
• Gordon Bruce, Kilwinning, Scotland
• Jamie Forrester, Haddington, Scotland
• Andrew Carlisle, Pittsburgh
• John Mulhearn, Glasgow
• Peter McCalister, Dunblane, Scotland
• Sean McKeown, Bowmanville, Ontario
• Glenn Brown, Glasgow
• Alasdair Henderson, Edinburgh
• James MacHattie, Summerside, Prince Edward Island

Judges: Alan Forbes, Murray Henderson, Bob Worrall

Senior Piobaireachd (for winners of at least one of the Highland Society of London Gold Medals, 9 am, Corran Halls Main Hall)

• Peter McCalister
• Roddy MacLeod, Moodiesburn, Scotland
• Willie McCallum, Bearsden, Scotland
• Alan Bevan, Abbotsford, British Columbia
• Angus D. MacColl, Benderloch, Scotland
• Finlay Johnston, Glasgow
• Connor Sinclair
• Jack Lee, Surrey, British Columbia
• Bruce Gandy, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
• Glenn Brown
• Alasdair Henderson
• Stuart Liddell, Inveraray, Scotland
• Fred Morrison, Bishopton, Scotland
• Iain Speirs, Edinburgh
• Stuart Easton, Palmerston North, New Zealand
• Callum Beaumont, Dollar, Scotland
• Andrew Hayes, Nepean, Ontario
• Ian K. MacDonald, Whitby, Ontario
• Greg Wilson, Christchurch, New Zealand

Judges: Dr. Angus MacDonald, Colin MacLellan, Iain MacFadyen

Silver Medal (9 am, Rockfield Centre)

• Jamie Elder, Auchtermuchty, Scotland
• Jonathon Simpson, Bo’ness, Scotland
• Kris Coyle, Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland
• Edward Gaul, Dundee, Scotland
• Andrew Ferguson, Dollar, Scotland
• Calum Watson, Bathgate, Scotland
• Alastair Murray, Moon Township, Pennsylvania
• Ruairidh Brown, Dunblane, Scotland
• Matt Pantaleoni, St. Louis
• Ross Miller, Glasgow
• Brodie Watson-Massey, Edinburgh
• Liam Kernaghan, Dunedin, New Zealand
• Scott Armstrong, Auckland, New Zealand
• Greig Canning, Kirkcaldy, Scotland
• Jacob Dicker, Hammond, Ontario
• John McDonald, Aberdeen
• Finlay Cameron, Roy Bridge, Scotland
• Ursa Beckford, Washington, DC
• Willie Rowe, Manawatu, New Zealand
• Ashley McMichael, Antrim, Northern Ireland
• Calum Brown, Peterculter, Scotland
• Xavier Boderiou, Landrevarzec, Brittany
• John Dew, Glasgow
• Zephan Knichel, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
• Michael Fitzhenry, Paisley, Scotland
• Anna Kummerlow, Kladrum, Germany

Judges: Robert Barnes, Ian Duncan, Robert Wallace

Former Winners March, Strathspey & Reel (4 pm, for winners of at least one of either the A-Grade March or Strathspey & Reel, Argyllshire Gathering Hall)

• Angus D. MacColl
• Alasdair Henderson
• Jack Lee
• Sarah Muir
• Roddy MacLeod
• Fred Morrison
• Ben Duncan
• Finlay Johnston
• Stuart Liddell
• Chris Armstrong, Glasgow
• Bruce Gandy
• Glenn Brown
• Connor Sinclair
• Alex Gandy
• Alastair Lee
• Cameron Drummond
• Allan Russell, Kelty, Scotland
• Willie McCallum
• Gordon McCready
• Andrew Carlisle
• Ian K. MacDonald
• Iain Speirs

Judges: Jimmy Banks, Richard Parkes, John Wilson

Thursday, August 25th (all events at Mossfield Park rain or shine)

A-Grade March and Strathspey & Reel (both events unless noted)

• Gordon Bruce
• Matt Wilson, Dollar, Scotland
• James MacHattie
• Darach Urquhart
• Connor Sinclair (S&R only)
• Derek Midgley
• Calum Watson
• Jamie Forrester
• Greig Canning
• Angus J. MacColl
• John Mulhearn
• Stuart Easton
• Fred Morrison (March only)
• Callum Beaumont
• Calum Brown
• Jenny Hazzard, Edinburgh
• Steven Leask
• Liam Kernaghan
• Andrew Hayes
• Andrew Carlisle (March only)
• Ashley McMichael
• Ben Duncan (March only)
• James Beaumont, Salmon Arm, British Columbia
• Steven Gray, Lockerbie, Scotland
• Sarah Muir (S&R only)
• Innes Smith
• Peter Macgregor, Dunfermline, Scotland
• Greg Wilson, Christchurch
• Ben McClamrock
• Sean McKeown
• Michael Fitzhenry
• Cameron MacDougall
• William Geddes
• Alan Bevan
• Gordon Conn, Vancouver
• Willie Rowe, Manawatu, New Zealand
• Ian K. MacDonald (March only)
• James Duncan MacKenzie
• Glenn Brown (S&R only)
• Iain Speirs (S&R only)
• Seumas Coyne, Claremont, California
• Nick Hudson
• Gordon McCready (S&R only)

March judges: Jimmy Banks, Dr. Angus MacDonald, John Wilson
Strathspey & Reel judges: Iain MacFadyen, Richard Parkes, Robert Wallace

B-Grade March and Strathspey & Reel

• Ruairidh Brown
• Jason Craig, Powmill, Scotland
• Angus MacPhee, Inverness
• Scott Armstrong, Auckland
• Brodie Watson-Massey
• Eireann Iannetta-MacKay, Torphins, Scotland
• Andrew Hall, Glasgow
• Matt Pantaleoni
• Andrew Ferguson
• Anna Kummerlow
• Zephan Knichel
• Eddie Gaul, Dundee, Scotland
• Lachie Dick, Edinburgh
• Dan Lyden, Timonium, Maryland
• Jacob Dicker
• Xavier Boderiou
• Jonathon Simpson
• Ursa Beckford
• Sandy Cameron
• Peter McCalister
• Ross Miller, Linlithgow, Scotland
• Finlay Cameron
• Kris Coyle
• Jamie Elder, Auchtermuchty, Scotland
• Alastair Murray
• Callum Moffat, Lockerbie, Scotland
• Fraser Allison, Balfron, Scotland
• John Dew
• Callum Wynd, Dunblane, Scotland
• Dan Nevans, Glasgow
• John McDonald, Aberdeen
• Ed McIlwaine, Vancouver
• Decker Forrest, Skye, Scotland

March judges: Ian Duncan, Alan Forbes, Ronnie McShannon
Strathspey & Reel judges: Archie MacLean, Jack Taylor, Bob Worrall

There’s a Jig contest for A- and B-Grade competitors, light music events for pipers 17 years old and younger, contests for young pipers from the Argyllshire region, and the annual MacGregor Memorial piobaireachd competition for pipers 22 years old and younger.