Bands are best in the world
ARGYLL is top of the world for pipes and drums.
Inveraray and District Pipe Band were named World Champions for 2017, while Oban High School’s B Band were named Champion of Champions, with the school’s A band taking a sparkling second place. Pipe band leaders Angus MacColl and Stuart Liddell were in world class solo piping competitions.
Inveraray fought off extremely stiff competition from 23 grade one pipe bands from seven countries before a crowd of more than 35,000 people at the two- day Glasgow Green event.
At the World Pipe Band Championships, Oban High School’s Juvenile B Band secured the Champion of Champions crown in only its second season of competition, with its A band runners-up.
Len Scoullar, Provost of Argyll and Bute, said: ‘It is so pleasing that we are able to congratulate Inveraray and District Pipe Band on becoming World Champions. It is such a wonderful accolade to be crowned the best pipe band in the world against the toughest of competition.
‘Oban High School also did remarkably well and we’re equally pleased to recognise the efforts of the Juvenile B Band.
‘Our congratulations also go to all the other pipe bands from Argyll and Bute who took part in the prestigious competition across the grades. We’re already looking forward to next year’s championships and hopefully even more success for our bands.’
This year’s championships saw more than 200 pipe bands from 15 countries competing.
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall played host to an exciting night of piping as Ian K MacDonald, Angus MacColl, Finlay Johnston and Stuart Liddell battled it out at the Pipe Major Alasdair Gillies Memorial Recital Challenge. Inveraray’s Stuart Liddell won the competition for the second year in a row. In the renowned masters’ competition, it was Benderloch man Angus MacColl who came out on top. The results were: Piobaireachd: 1. Finlay Johnston 2. Angus MacColl 3. Faye Henderson 4. Callum Beaumont. MSR: 1. Pipe Major Gordon Walker 2. Angus MacColl 3. Alasdair Henderson 4. Craig Sutherland. The overall masters champion is Angus MacColl.