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Perthshire pipers link with Celtic cousins


A group of seven musicians from Pitlochry and Blair Atholl Pipe Band are competing in the Breton Championship in Brest (Brittany) this month.

Bagad Lorient has invited the pipers and drummers to compete with them in the prestigious Grade One contest. This is a continuation of the strong links that exist between the two bands.

The Scottish performers will visit the area twice in a matter of weeks. First they will make the trip for extensive rehearsals and then the group will fly back two weeks later to compete in the championships.

The Pitlochry and Blair Atholl Pipe Majors, Sharon and Christy Kelly, have a long-standing friendship with Lorient leading piper Marc Chastagner.

They played together for several years in the early nineties with world famous Dublin band St. Laurence O’Toole. After three consecutive trips to Festival Interceltique de Lorient the mutual dream of twinning the bands has become a reality.

Sharon Kelly said:

“An initial seven players will go to the championship in Brest with that number expected to rise for the second part of the championship in Lorient in August. The Perthshire band members will wear traditional Breton costume for this event.

“The Internet has played a vital role in our preparations with webcam seminars with the Breton Pipe major and twice weekly recordings of the rehearsals sent by email. Players from Bagad Lorient will also compete with us at various championships in Scotland throughout the summer including the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow.

“In the meantime work continues to build a common repertoire of tunes for the two bands to perform together at the festival in Lorient this August. It’s hoped that a follow up concert will be held in Pitlochry or Blair Atholl at a later date. Our Celtic Cousins are excited at the prospect of spending time in the area and learning our traditions and music.”

A Breton Bagad consists of Highland Bagpipes, Scottish style snare drums, percussion and traditional Breton Bombardes (primitive oboe-like instruments) and traditional Breton pipes called Binious.

For more information visit www.pbapb.com