I expect there will be a very large crowd at Donald MacPherson’s funeral on Wednesday at Mortonhall Crematorium. Time is 2pm and it is quite easy to get to via the Edinburgh by-pass.
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May PT has been mailed today so UK readers should get it tomorrow or Monday. Will be on iPad any time soon. Look out for interview with Ian McLellan, Donald MacPherson appreciation, the College Lecture, a knock on the head for Hugh Cheape’s book ‘Bagpipes’ and a review of the big north-east concert given by Inveraray and Bucksburn.
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I forgot to mention some of the crack last weekend with Peter Donnan at the Ulster solos. He was telling me he played at the recent funeral of ace Dubliners banjo man Barney McKenna a neighbour and lifelong friend. Barney was a source of great stories concerning the Dubs. Once the band was heading to a gig in a remote part of the south west of Ireland. They got lost and stopped to ask a farmer directions. He saw they were a band of some kind, shouted to his wife to get the shotgun and chased them off with the words, ‘The last time a showband [sic] came here they got a lot of girls in trouble, now get back to where you came from.’

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The Eindhoven students here from the Netherlands last week had a great time and were royally entertained and informed about the piob mhor by Iain Watson.
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The US’s Saffron United P/M Eric Stein has sent this: On November 17^th 2012 the Saffron United Pipe Band will be celebrating its 50^th anniversary at our annual Piper’s Ball. If you cannot attend but would like to take an ad in our fund raising journal just let me know I will send you a copy of the agreement. We are very excited about celebrating this important milestone in the bands’ history an hope you can participate in some way. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to give me a call at 631 241 5757 or email at .
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McCallum Bagpipes now have their main catalogue in the CoP Bookstore app. Any other Highland supplies company wishing to take advantage of this brilliant marketing tool please get in touch with Willie in the CoP Shop.
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I forgot to mention, the PT has news of a new composing competition for a tune to mark the 100^th anniversary of the amalgamation of Govan Police PB and City of Glasgow PB. New 2/4 march called for.
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Not long now till the start of the band season. It seems to come round quicker every year. Someone in Ulster told me they had more pipers practising in Glasgow than over there.