Tam's Tall Tales

- Highland Games in Full Swing



150th Anniversary of Ballater Games and Robin Williams Remembered at Lonach Highland Gathering
and Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band win the World Piping Championship - Again

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall helped the Ballater Games celebrate their 150th anniversary. In Scotland, Charles is known not as "Prince of Wales" but as is styled as "His Royal Highness The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay".

Athletes pipers and dancers came from all over the world to compete in the games which are held in August in the Aberdeenshire village on Royal Deeside.

Dancer Abigail Gray, who is 11, presented Camilla with a posy and I hope that is a good memory that stays with her.



Also in Aberdeenshire, Lonach Highland Gathering and Games paid tribute to Robin Williams, the Hollywood star, who twice ran in the four mile race and was a great hit with the locals. Billy Connolly, who had a home nearby, introduced Robin to the games. Graphic of Lonach Gathering is by Anne Burgess via Wikimedia Commons.



And in Glasgow at the World Pipe Band championships Northern Ireland's Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band won the World Piping Championship again - the fourth year in a row and tenth overall World title since 1992. Inveraray and District took the runners-up spot finishing 5 points behind Field Marshal Montgomery but taking victory in the MSR event. St Laurence O'Toole (Eire), Peoples Ford - Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia, Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia and Scottish Power completed the Grade 1 prize list. Leading Drummer Jim Kilpatrick MBE led his Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia corps to their 28th World Drumming title. The BBC Web site has the full results and a lot of video clips from the "Worlds".

Please give me whatever feedback comes to mind via tamfromrampant@gmail.com.

Tam O'Ranter
May 2014

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