Enjoy Your Piping! With Gary West – Details, episodes & analysis

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Join Gary as he brings you both cheery and melancholy tunes and songs from Scotland and well beyond.

Playlist

Cantrip with the Duncan Johnstone Set from Undark

Jack Lee with 93rd at Modder River, Susan MacLeod and the Little Cascade from The Piping Centre 1996 Recital Series Vol 1

Simon Fraser University Pipe Band with Tir Nan Og from Affirmation

Archie Fisher with The Lassie o the Mornin from Off the Map

The People’s Ford Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band with the Drum Fanfare from EYP Recording Band Practice.

Simon Chadwick with An Tarbh Breac Dearg (the Red Speckled Bull) from Tarbh.

Hevia with Busindre Reel from Tierra de Nadie / No Man’s Land

Skerryvore with the Rut and the Drambulance from Chasing the Sun

 Cantrip Tour Dates

6   Nov   Buckman Performing Arts Centre, Memphis, TN
 7   Nov   Club Possum, Mountain View, AR,
 8   Nov   Café Paradiso, Fairfield, IA
 9   Nov   Muso, Madison, WI
 10 Nov   Mt. Horeb Public Library, Mount Horeb, WI
 11 Nov   Leak Lake House, Milwaukee, WI
 12 Nov   Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, IL
 14 Nov   Maud’s Closet Concerts, Ashfield, MA
 15 Nov   Old Songs, Voorheesville, NY
 17 Nov   Club Passím, Cambridge, MA
 
 

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Gary takes you on another musical journey in the company of all things bagpipes.

Playlist

Eabhal with This is How the Ladies Dance, Stoddies Reel, Break in Borve and St Valery Pipes from This is How the Ladies Dance 

Stuart Liddell with The Highland Wedding and The Cameronian Rant from The P/M Alasdair Gillies Memorial Challenge 2021.

Julian Goodacre with The Saunt from Some of Me Pipes

Donald Black with Spogan from From My Heart

Donald Black with The Melness Reel, Raven’s Rock and Traditional Reel from From My Heart

Polkemmet Grorud Pipe Band with The Hen’s March, The Flame in the Fiddle and Castles in the Fire from From Celtic Roots

Beinn Lee with Davy Webster’s 40th, Clueless, Andy Renwick’s Ferret and The Ferry Road Shenanigans from Osgarra

Gary West with The Stirlingshire Militia, Brig. Gen. Ronald Cheape of Tiroran and Drum Major Alister Walker, Atholl Highlanders from the MacKenzie Caledonian Pipe Band Recital Evening October 2025

Gary West and Chris Wright with The Last Trip Home the MacKenzie Caledonian Pipe Band Recital Evening October 2025

Arise and Go with Major George Morrison DSO, The Acadian Reel, Le Voyage and Jack Daniels’ from Meeting Place

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Gary invites you to this year's Piping Live Festival in Glasgow to eavesdrop on his 78th Fraser Highlanders Live in Ireland 'listening party'. 

Playlist to follow

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Gary brings you tunes from Angus MacColl, Ann Gray,  Shotts and Dykehead, Hecla, Hamish Moore, the Vale of Atholl and a folk classic from Dick Gaughan. And there are musical visits to the Cobblestone Bar in Dublin and the Railway Tavern, Perth.

Tracks
Hecla with Angus Waltz Intro, Angus John MacNeil of Barra and Angus Sutherland from Hecla: Smallpipes, Fiddle and Gaelic Song

Angus MacColl with The Highland Wedding and the Abercairney Highlanders from A Tradition of Excellence

Dick Gaughan and Johnny Cunningham with Freedom Come A Ye from The Harvard Tapes

Hamish Moore with Molly Rankine’s, Brenda Stubbert’s Reel and Jack Daniel’s from Stepping on the Bridge

 Ann Gray with Strathspeys and Reels from A Twist in the Tale

Vale of Atholl Pipe Band with The Galician Jigs from No Reservations

Kevin Rowsome, Lorraine Hickey and Peter Mohan with The Game of Love, Outdoor Relief and the Reel of Bogie from The Cobblestone Sessions

Shotts and Dkyehead Pipe Band with Diaspora (Mark Saul), The Bob of Fettercairn and The Brown Haired Maid from Rise

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More great tunes and tales of all things bagpipes, including the story behind the house for sale in Dunkeld, Perthshire, which was built in the 18th century for the piper to the Duke of Atholl. He led quite an interesting life!  There's sets too from Llan de Cubel, John Patrick, Stuart Liddell, and Clan Alba, a song from Silly Wizard, pipe tunes on the moothie from Donald Black, and extracts from the marvellously powerful music suite, The Bruce 700, commissioned in 2014 by Stirling Council to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn.

Tracks

Llan de Cubel with El Molin del Puirtu from Un Tiempu Mayor

John Patrick with Wiseman’s Exercise, Stumpie, Reel of Bogie, Munlochy Bridge, Roderick MacDonald, Johnnie MacDonald’s Reel and Donald MacLean from the Piping Centre Recital Series 1997.

Allan McDonald , Neil Johnstone and Full Cast of The Bruce 700 – Bruce’s March, Battle of Bannockburn, Caoineadh, Lament, the Road to Loch Nam Bairneas from The Bruce 700

Silly Wizard with The Parish of Dunkeld / The Curlew  from Live Again

Stuart Liddell with A Mhoire Mhin-Gheal, Fagail Bharaidh, Tom an Earraich, Break yer Bass Drone, Harris Dance, McFadden’s Reel, Alistair Fraser’s Welcome to Cape Breton, The Sheepwife from Inveroran

Donald Black with Paddy’s Leather Breeches, Kenny Gillies of Portnalong, Wee Todd from Westwinds. 

Clan Alba with the Clan Alba March, Lexy MacAskill, Latha Siubhal Beinne Dhomh, The Hawk from Clan Alba

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Gary introduces more top drawer music of the bagpipe variety, with sets from Seanaidh MacIntyre and Ewen Henderson, Cantrip, Alasdair Gillies, Megan Henderson - and himself! And listen out for a new initiative - our first 'Listener's Slot' - a lovely smallpipes suite which comes from Rob Menzies of British Columbia.

Tracks
Cantrip with the Eavil Dr Gray, Mrs Dundas of Arnistoun, Marion’s Reel and MacDonald’s Reel from Boneshaker

P/M Alasdair Gillies with Mrs John MacColl, Tulloch Castle and Dr MacPhail’s Reel from 25 Years of the Glenfiddich Piping Championship

Gary West with Lady Dorothea Stewart Murray's Wedding March and Gordon Cottage (bothy recording)

Seanaidh MacIntyre and Ewen Henderson with the Homegrown Reels - Finn's Tune , Bagh Dubh gu Buala Dubh and Allan J Nairn of Ceann Tragha (all composed, Seonaidh MacIntyre)  from The Piper and the Maker 2 – Celebrating C

Rob Menzies with the Gateshead Hotel Suite (private recording)

Megan Henderson with Pilgrim Souls from Pilgrim Souls

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It's piobaireachd all the way this week as Gary introduces music he recorded at the  Captain John A MacLellan MBE Piobaireachd Recital and Dinner held recently in Edinburgh. This annual event celebrates the piobaireachd compositions of the late Captain John, one of the few prolific composers of this music from the 20th century. With tunes from Iain Speirs, Finlay Johnstone, Nick Hudson and Willie McCallum. it's a bumper episode - enjoy!

Tracks
Iain Speirs with the Edinburgh Piobaireachd by Captain John MacLellan

Finlay Johnstone with Salute to the Succession by Captain John Maclellan

Nick Hudson with Farewell to the Queen’s Ferry by Captain John MacLellan

Willie McCallum with The Phantom Piper of Corrieyairack by Captain John MacLellan

Links
The Eagle Pipers Society

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Gary welcomes the brand new bellows-pipe quartet, inB, to perform the very first Bothy Session from the shores of the Firth of Forth.  Top uillean pipers Louise Mulcahy and Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn team up with Brighde Chaimbeul and Fin Moore on Scottish smallpipes to create a stunning blend of music from both sides of the Irish Sea. This is their very first recording project - a major scoop for EYP! And there's news and roundups from this year's Piping Live festival and the World Pipe Band Championships.

Tracks
inB with  Dornoch Links / Joe Bane's (John MacDonald) and  Taladh Bhride 

The Boghall and Bathgate Pipe with The Abercairny Highlanders (Angus MacKay), Susan Macleod (Donald Macleod) and John Morrison of Assynt House (Peter R Macleod) from Forte - Live at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

inB with The Kitchen Maid, P Joe’s and Fog in the Bog

inB with Bochd Liath nan Godhar (or The Maids of Kintail)  and The Rock / O’Sullivan’s

inB with Maol Donaidh, Farewell to Decorum (Hamish Moore) and Rakish Paddy

Andy M Stewart with The Errant Apprentice (AM Stewart) from The Man in the Moon

https://andymstewart.org/

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Gary presents the podcast in front of a live audience in the Street Cafe at the National Piping Centre in Glasgow as part of the Piping Live Festival. With sets from Finlay MacDonald, John Mulhearn, Andy May, Estonians Catlin and Marko Magi, and the wonderful uillean pipes and Scottish smallpipes quartet, InB.

Tracks
Simon Fraser University Pipe Band with The Haunting, Drops of Brandy, Snug in a Blanket, Untimely Journey, Rocking the Baby from Live in America

Live Sets on Stage
John Mulhearn with the Apologist (J Mulhearn)

Finlay MacDonald with Pipe Major Angus MacDonald (Allan MacDonald), Eliot Fin MacDonald (F MacDonald) and Abdul's (F MacDonald)

Andy May with Spence's Tent (James Hill) and Back to the Forge (Andy May) / Go to Berwick Johnny

Catlin and Marko Magi with traditional Estonian songs and tunes

InB (Fin Moore, Brighde Chaimbeul, Louise Malcahy and Tiarnan O Duinnchean) with The Kitchen Maid, P Joe's and Fog in the Bog 

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Gary looks ahead to a range of live events across the central belt of Scotland as we reach the sharp end of the piping season with Piping Live in Glasgow and the Fringe in Edinburgh. There's  new music from Mark Saul, and timeless tunes from Angus MacColl, Gordon Duncan, Gordon Mooney, and Polkemmet Grorud Pipe Band. And Westie's Wildcard returns with an imaginary trip to the Yukon in the company of the Lochee Bard himself, the late Michael Marra.

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Tracks
Mark Saul with A' Dol Suas from Threnody

The Polkemmet Grorud Pipe Band with Irish Air and Reels Set from From Celtic Roots

Angus MacColl with The Highland Wedding and the Abercairney Highlanders from A Tradition of Excellence

Gordon Duncan with Wing Commander Donald MacKenzie, Ash City, The Inverness Incident and the High Drive from Just for Gordon

Michael Marra with The Lonesome Death of Francis Clarke from High Sobriety (Live at the Bonar Hall)

Mark Saul  with Gordon's Reel from Threnody

Gordon Mooney with Terribus Ye Terioden from O'er the Border

Links
Piping Live! 

Lowland and Border Pipers' Society (LBPS)

Thunderstruck (the play) 

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