Tam's Tall Tales

- 8000 pipers due to hit Glasgow in August


House of Edgar Pipe Band at the World Pipe Band Championships



Bands from across the world will travel to Glasgow in August to compete in the annual world piping championships.

The competition is part of the Piping Live festival which is due to attract 8,000 pipers from 150 countries across Europe, Africa, South and North America will perform during the festival in 200 events and performances.

Ian Embelton, chief executive of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, said that the festival will be "bigger and better than ever" after celebrating its 10th anniversary last year. "Scots are a nomadic race and I think when people emigrated all those years ago pipers and drummers took their instruments with them and set up base in whichever country they ended up in," he said.

"You'll find that the bands coming to the festival, whether they be from North America, Australia or even South America, they all have a Scottish legacy and that lives on."

Drummer Craig Baxter, 15, who plays in the Fife Police Pipe Band (pictured on the right), said: "It's fun competing against and meeting people from the other side of the world who enjoy doing the same thing."

Tam O'Ranter
May 2014

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