East Kilbride Probus Club opened its winter season with a talk on the history of piping.
President Barry Crawford opened the meeting by announcing that Arthur Long, a past president, had decided to resign from the club due to increasing ill health. He wished him well and thanked him for his service to the club.
He also intimated that David McCartney had had a heart attack but was now at home making a good recovery. Sadly the deaths of Wilf Walker and Gillespie Maclellan were announced and members stood for a minute’s silence to mark their passing.
Bobby Keys from the 1st Uddingston Boys Brigade was announced as speaker for the day. Now retired from many years in sales and marketing, Mr Keys explained that he started piping from a very young age. To prove the point he played a medley of Scottish tunes which were very well appreciated.
Slightly out of puff, he started by saying that the great highland bagpipes sounded better outside and of which was once said “loved by a nation and feared by their enemies”.
They are now played all over the world but that brought difficulties to the piper as the they were subject to water conditions, e.g. too wet or too dry. They can be seen and heard in Samaria, India Persia Canada Australia and New Zealand – in fact, wherever the Scots were to be found in the world.
He told the group the Highland pipes were probably inherited from Ireland and the first set only had one drone. In the 1600’s a second drone was added and then in the 1700’s the third drone.
Classic and Pibroch music were handed down over the years, often nurtured by The McCrimonds of Skye who were Clan Pipers to the MacCleods of Skye.
They were used on a variety of social occasions like weddings and christenings and dances, for the Pibroch pipes were in use before the piano was invented.
At one time the English King banned them in 1747, along with the wearing of tartan, but with George III’s visit to Edinburgh, organised by Sir Walter Scott, all was were back in vogue.
When Queen Victoria fell in love with the Highlands of Scotland that included all things Scottish, including having her own personal piper and which still stands today. She also insisted that in marching bands, the pipers should lead and the drums, who used to have that position, were sent to the back.
He now wears the Balmoral tartan, which can only be worn by the Monarch and his/her Piper.
He concluded by saying that today there are piping championships all over and the current World Championships are held in Glasgow.
Jim Ballantyne proposed a vote of thanks saying that the sound of the pipes raises the hairs on the back of his neck and when he hears the playing of the pipes it gets him in the heart.
He thanked Mr Keys for such an interesting talk.
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