PIPER DAN’S AWARD NOD
On wedding gong shortlist
A piper from Strathearn has been shortlisted in the entertainment category at this year’s Scottish Wedding Awards.
Daniel Sweeney, also known as ‘ Piper Dan’, will find out if he will be crowned winner at a glamorous ceremony being held in Glasgow.
The 43- year- old is also in the running to take away the prize for overall winner of the entertainment category should he win the regional title.
Daniel started playing the bagpipes in his home town of Crieff, aged 11.
Initially, he was in the local brass band, along with brothers Brendan, Mark and Tony, and played the cornet.
But when his other brothers Owen and Paul joined the local pipe band as drummers, Daniel took an interest and began going to chanter practice.
He was taught at the Strathearn Pipe Band by Adrian Cramb, now pipe major with Grade 1 Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, and David Dobson, who also played with the Vale of Atholl.
Monday evenings were also spent gaining more tuition from Adrian in his mother and father’s kitchen.
Within a couple of years Daniel was competing in local competitions, picking up a few medals on the way to his first competition win aged 14.
Once he started working, Daniel’s pipes had to take a back seat but he was still much in demand and was soon making time to play at numerous weddings throughout the Crieff area.
He joined the Perth and District Pipe Band, competing in all the major championships, and his piping took him all over the world, including playing at the Battle of the Somme commemorations last year and at the Berlin Tattoo. He decided to leave his job in 2017 to pursue his passion.
Daniel told the Herald: “It is a complete shock to be nominated in this year’s awards as I have only been in business five months.
“I took a sabbatical from the Royal Mail to pursue a career in playing the bagpipes, and I am absolutely thrilled and shocked to be nominated for this, especially in my first year, but it is down to all of my family, friends and previous clients who I have piped for in the past who have voted for me.
“It was always going to be a risk leaving work, but when something like this happens it makes all the hard work worthwhile.”
The awards are voted for by the public. The ceremony takes place on Monday, February 27, the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow.
I am absolutely thrilled and shocked to be nominated