Category Archives: History, Tradition & Heritage

History, traditions and heritage. The bagpipes have all of this in spades.

Lament for the 2020 BC Highland Games

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Mike Chisholm

TweetIt was a dreary day to hold a highland games. I’m kinda glad we didn’t. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, all large gatherings, including the 89th BC Highland Games, have been cancelled for 2020. This decision was made in May … Continue reading →

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Halifax Pipe Major Barb Stewart and her father’s pipes: Heading to Juno

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Mike Chisholm

TweetMy first piping instructor – still going strong, with her father’s pipes. What the story doesn’t say is that when Barb’s father showed up in Scotland during leave, to pick up and pay for his pipes, his regiment had already … Continue reading →

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Bagpiping & golf: the sounds of Scotland in the New World

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Mike Chisholm

TweetOn a windswept piece of landscaped rough, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and its pounding surf, as golfers and guests gather to wrap up their day and reminisce about their drives and putts, they witness a beautiful sight and sound as … Continue reading →

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Seven great 2015 Scottish highland games & festivals near Vancouver

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Mike Chisholm

TweetLooking to satisfy that summer urge for piping, kilts and haggis? British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest is the place to be in 2015. It all starts this weekend with the annual Victoria Highland Games and Celtic Festival which kicks … Continue reading →

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Calling non-competitive pipe bands in the Lower Mainland

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Mike Chisholm

TweetFrom the world’s largest, to North America’s oldest, there are many great Scottish highland games around the world. To name just a few, the largest is the Cowal Highland Gathering in Scotland; in the US, there are the Pleasanton Games in California … Continue reading →

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Remembering the fallen, with bagpipes in Vancouver and beyond

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Mike Chisholm

TweetWhen the bagpiper plays the lament this year at cenotaphs in Vancouver and around the country on November 11, it will a poignant moment for many. As most Canadian are well aware, we lost two soldiers recently on our own shores. … Continue reading →

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Remembering veterans in Vancouver and beyond with bagpipes

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Mike Chisholm

TweetThe weather forecast is ominous. November 11th is usually the last day of the year that most pipers and pipe bands venture into the great outdoors to perform one last time before winter winds sweep down and snow, rain and … Continue reading →

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A loyal, generous and infamous Vancouver pipe major passes into history

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Mike Chisholm

TweetThe story about Ian Millman that sticks with me is the time the mayor of Vancouver announced at a crowded formal dinner that the City had decided to fund the Vancouver Police Pipe Band’s upcoming trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. The … Continue reading →

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