A MONTH IN THE LIFE OF…

Hogmanay isn’t complete without the haunting sound of bagpipes. Louise Marshall is redefining this traditionally male role, one street party at a time

piper Louise Marshall

I come from a piping family: my great-uncle Jock piped troops

over the trenches during the Second World War. I started playing when I was nine and practised for four hours every night, but I was told I couldn’t play in the local band because I was female. Still, having grown up in Eastriggs, near Gretna Green, I performed for thousands of visitors to the border with my father, William Marshall, and two brothers. Dad died in 1999, but I’ve played his 110-year-old Robertson pipes all over the world, from Shanghai to Miami.

New Year is especially busy. I’ve opened the Hogmanay Street

Party many times. Sometimes I’ve played as a solo piper; at other times part of a 42-piece all-female piping band, which I formed. I love marching to the bells and playing Auld Lang Syne as the fireworks go off. I also play jigs with the ceilidh band, plus modern classics such as 500 Miles by The Proclaimers and Queen’s We Will Rock You.

January is always full-on: Burns Night might come once a year, but, around 25 January, I perform at eight suppers.

Last year I played at Edinburgh University’s supper for the twelfth year running. I pipe in the haggis, and pipe back out again. I know the tunes inside out by now.

I used to work in shipping but, after I had my children, I

returned to my roots to keep the family tradition alive, especially as I had lost my father while expecting my son. I started teaching in schools, although today I mostly perform at events. Iona, 18, plays the piano, while Rory, 20, is a professional drummer. Rory and I recently opened a business awards ceremony together.

I’ve been playing for 41 years and people still seem surprised to see a female piper. In 2018, I led a march of 10,000 women through Edinburgh to celebrate 100 years of suffrage. I wore a kilt in the suffragette colours – green, white and violet. We paraded down the Royal Mile, past the Scottish Parliament and through Holyrood Park. I regularly pipe at weddings, too.

One of my biggest gigs was at the National Television Awards

on Burns Night in 2017 – I piped Graham Norton onto the stage when he won. My flight was delayed, so I didn’t have time to practise. I had to play Islands in the Stream – I’d never played it before – and the event was broadcast to millions of viewers.

I think of myself as an ambassador for Scottish culture. I’ve

been the official piper to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh since 2006, played for the Pope during his 2010 state visit to Edinburgh and for the Queen that same year. I also took part in an open-top bus parade through the city with the GB Olympians during London 2012. I love piping: I never know what’s coming next.

I’ve been piping for 41 years but people still seem surprised to see a female piper