Earliest pibroch competition in North America

[Barry Shears]

Hi Folks,
I was wondering if any one knows of when the earliest pibroch or ceol mor competitions were held in North America. San Francisco had a vibrant piping scene in the 1870s but the competitors seem to be just for light music. Like wise there were competitions in Boston and New York in the late 19thc century but the type of music is not often mentioned, and when it is , it is usually light music as well. Not sure about Ontario , or when pibroch competitions began there. Any help always appreciated,
Thanks in advance
Barry

[el gaitero]

Originally Posted by Barry Shears

Hi Folks,
I was wondering if any one knows of when the earliest pibroch or ceol mor competitions were held in North America. San Francisco had a vibrant piping scene in the 1870s but the competitors seem to be just for light music. Like wise there were competitions in Boston and New York in the late 19thc century but the type of music is not often mentioned, and when it is , it is usually light music as well. Not sure about Ontario , or when pibroch competitions began there. Any help always appreciated,
Thanks in advance
Barry

Including Mexico? Last count there are ~23 countries in N.A. 🥴 were there any pibroch contests?...interesting...e,g. there’s a ghille brogue retailer in CAN advertising the products are made in North America ...thinking meant to imply made in Canada.
Nothing against the maquiladora trade in Mexico....but the items I’ve seen aren’t ‘made in Scotland’ equals in my humble view.

[Paul Ritchie]

p. 314 of the The Highland Pipe and Scottish Society (details below) mentions A.K. Cameron (1882 - 1956) who lived in Montana. Cameron learned pibroch while living in Montana from Thomas MacRae, formerly of Kintail.

That does not answer your question, but it points to a possible time period and location.

Reference: Donaldson, William. The Highland Pipe and Scottish Society 1750-1950. Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, 2000 (reprinted 2013). ISBN 1904607764.

[TwitchyFingers]

The Detroit St Andrews Highland Games has been going on for 171 years, so it's conceivable it might have been there.

[Pip01]

Originally Posted by el gaitero

Including Mexico? Last count there are ~23 countries in N.A. ��

Greetings to All,


Knowing several... yea... on to many... damned fine pipers
in South America... in The Long Ago... I was told of an older
fellow... who only played the piobaireachd... and he had also
learned it... in his Long Ago... from yet another... Older Fellow...
who had also learned it... in his... and way before!!... :)

Putting a very rough Time Line to all of this... I'd say... some
95... to 110-15-20... years... before now...

But... for any... competitions??...
Quien Sabe??
(Siempre... un Misterio!! :)

Regards to All,

Pip01

[John Dally]

D.C. Mather won the piping competition at the first Seattle World's Fair in 1909. I'm not sure if it was a piobaireachd competition.
Mather was in Seattle at the same time as John Ironside, a student of John MacDougall Gillies and founder of the Seattle Pipe Band which was modeled on the HLI, JMG's pipe band in Glasgow.