We have great pleasure in announcing that we have been able to secure the services of world-renowned piper, Roddy MacLeod MBE as our International Guest Piper for the 118th Maclean Highland Gathering on Easter Weekend Friday and Saturday April 7-8.

Chief Peter Smith of the Lower Clarence Scottish Association said, “We are excited to have a piper of such high standing join us for our event. The Lower Clarence Scottish Association is dedicated to preserving and promoting the Scottish culture. Roddy MacLeod is considered one of the most accomplished pipers of his generation and it’s great that we can give our local community and the wider piping community, the opportunity to hear someone of this calibre play and to also adjudicate at our solo and pipe band competitions”.

Roddy MacLeod MBE, Glasgow, Scotland is a highly regarded teacher, recitalist and adjudicator. Uniquely, he is a Grade 1 Championship winning Pipe Major and a five-time Glenfiddich World Solo Piping Champion and in 2012 he was inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Awards Hall of Fame.

He has won the Glenfiddich Piping Championship five times, winning the MSR three times and the piobaireachd event a record ten times, the Silver Chanter seven times, the Northern Meeting Clasp on two occasions, Bi-centenary medal (1988) and Former Winners MSR, the Senior Piobaireachd at the Argyllshire Gathering twice and the Former Winner MSR twice. At the Scottish Piping Society of London Championship, he has won the Bratach Gorm eight times, the Gillies Cup Open Piobaireachd nine times, the Former Winners London Medallion MSR five times and the Overall Championship eight times. He continues to be a dynamic and exceptionally successful competitor. He is internationally esteemed as a teacher, adjudicator and recitalist and, for more than 20 years, his warm, strong-sounding 100 year-old Lawrie pipes have given immense pleasure to audiences around the world.

In addition to his solo piping, he developed his interest in pipe bands from a young age and played with the Red Hackle and British Caledonian Airways Pipe Bands, the last of which became the Scottish Power Pipe Band. In 1995, Roddy MacLeod became its Pipe Major and, over the next decade, led it to over 45 Grade 1 Championship prizes including the Cowal Championships and All Ireland Championships.

We would like to thank Andrew Roach of Pipe Bands Queensland and the Queensland Highland Pipers Society for all his assistance in organising this opportunity.

Roddy will perform a recital on Saturday April 8 at the Maclean Civic Hall from 8pm. Entry is free.

Alister Smith

Secretary

Lower Clarence Scottish Association