Inveraray visitors’ delight at Mid Argyll band practice session
‘How lovely to have the pipes here in Inveraray for everyone to enjoy.’
The Mid Argyll Pipe Band heralded the beginning of a new season of competitions with an outdoor practice session on Sunday May 1.
After an absence of two years due to the pandemic, piping competitions are returning with the first Highland Games of the season at Gourock on Sunday May 8, prompting the band to grab the chance of some extra practice. Mid Argyll Pipe Band will take 15 pipers and six drummers to compete at Gourock Highland Games in Battery Park.
The grade 3B band will play at the Gourock games for the first time in many years as it has concentrated its efforts on the major competitions.
Spokesperson for the band Marina McCuaig said: ‘The band will be competing in grade 3 in Arena One at 2.09pm on Sunday.
‘Grade 3 is a mix of grade 3A and 3B, so we will be competing against higher grade bands than ourselves, unlike at major competitions. They will also play up and compete in grade 2 in Arena Two at 3.51pm.
They’re just looking forward to getting out there and playing and competing again. They have been practising hard so here’s hoping it pays off.’
Among the crowd gathered to watch the practice session at the shore was a Lochgilphead family who had arrived by boat.
Six-year-old twins Jock and Seamus, seven-year-old Orla and two-year-old Molly
Mochrie were still wearing their lifejackets when they heard the strains of the pipes.
Accompanied by their grandmother Margaret Elder they settled down on a bench to listen to the practice session.
Margaret said: ‘We have come here on our wee day-boat as part of my birthday celebrations - and how lovely to have the pipes here in Inveraray for everyone to enjoy.’