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Bagpipes & Weddings
 
Having a bagpiper to play for you on your wedding day will help to make your special celebration one to remember. Pipers can play at various times throughout the wedding such as:

Pipe the Bride, Groom and guests into the ceremony
Pipe the arrival of the Bride, Groom and/or guests at reception venue
Pipe the arrival of bride and bridal party
Pipe during the signing of the register
Pipe the Bride, Groom and guests out of the ceremony
Pipe during the official photographs
Pipe during pre-wedding breakfast drinks
Exhibitions
Christmas celebrations
Pipe the top table guests into the wedding breakfast
Pipe during the cutting of the cake
Pipe the Bride & Groom to the top table in the wedding breakfast
Pipe before or during the evenings entertainment
Often the Piper toasts the Bride and Groom with a dram of whisky before piping out the room

Each wedding is unique and therefore what and when you would like a Piper to play depends very much on your personal requirements, which can be discussed in detail if required. 

Bagpipes & Celebrations/Events
 
Suggested events that Pipers could be suitable for are:

Hogmanay/New Year
Weddings
Sport events
Dinner nights
Trade shows
Exhibitions
Christmas celebrations
Road shows
Summer Fetes
Birthdays
Corporate events
Anniversaries
Festivals
Military events
Conferences
Ceilis/Ceilidhs
Carnivals

Bagpipes & New Years Eve

A Hogmanay bagpiper is a great way to welcome in the New Year. It is very effective for a piper in uniform to appear at midnight, as the clock chimes 12 and play Auld Lang Syne, which can then be followed by a few upbeat tunes. In addition, you may also want the Piper to pipe earlier in the evening – eg, to pipe guests into dinner.

Note: Most pipers are booked months in advance of New Year’s Eve, and many have annual Hogmanay commitments. Please enquire early to avoid disappointment.

Bagpipes & Burns Supper
Born in Alloway near Ayr, Robert Burns (1759-1796) was a poet and song writer as well as a great collector of tunes and words. Scots and many people all over the world celebrate the birth of Scotland’s most famous bard (poet) on is birthday, 25th January. Some of his most popular songs/melodies include Ae Fond Kiss, A Man’s a Man for a’ That and Auld Lang Syne. Burns Suppers have been part of Scottish culture for about 200 year and the basic format for the evening has remained unchanged since that time, as outlined below:

• Chairperson's opening address: A few welcoming words start the evening and the meal commences with the Selkirk Grace. Guests are asked to stand to receive the haggis. A piper then leads the chef, carrying the haggis to the top table, while the guests accompany them with a slow handclap. The chairman or invited guest then recites Burns' famous poem To A Haggis. When the reach the line 'an cut you up wi' ready slight', he cuts open the haggis with a sharp knife. It is customary for the guests to applaud the speaker, and then stand and toast the haggis with a glass of whisky.
• The Immortal Memory: One of the central features of the evening. An invited guest is asked to give a short speech on Burns. There are many different types of Immortal Memory speeches, from light-hearted to literary, but the aim is the same - to outline the greatness and relevance of the poet today.
• Toast To The Lasses: The main speech is followed by a more light-hearted address to the women in the audience. Originally this was a thank you to the ladies for preparing the food and a time to toast the 'lasses' in Burns' life. The tone should be witty, but never offensive, and should always end on a conciliatory note.
• Response: The turn of the lasses to detail men's foibles. Again, should be humorous but not insulting.
• Poem and Songs: Once the speeches are complete the evening continues with songs and poems. These should be a good variety to fully show the different moods of Burns muse. Favourites for recitations are Tam O' Shanter, Address to the Unco Guid, To A Mouse and Holy Willie's Prayer
• The evening will culminate with the company standing, linking hands and singing Auld Lang Syne to conclude the programme

Bagpipes & St Patricks day
Saint Patrick's Day is an annual celebration of Saint Patrick (circa 385–461 AD), the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on 17 March. Celebrating Irishness and the celebration of Ireland's patron saint just isn't the same without some live Irish entertainment!

Bagpipes & St Andrews Night
St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, who was crucified on an X-shaped cross (or Saltire) which has subsequently become his symbol and the symbol of Scotland. St Andrew's day is celebrated on the 30th November. There are many different options for the format of St Andrew's Night, but they are all a celebration of Scotland and Scottish culture. A Piper is an essential ingredient and may be used at any point during the celebrations.

Ireland’s connection to the Bagpipe and The Irish War Pipe
Most people associate the bagpipe with Scotland, but the bagpipe actually arrived in Scotland from Ireland. The Irish version of the bagpipes – the Irish ‘Piob Mor’ or Irish War Pipe – existed in Ireland from as early the 5th century. However, the instrument's early origin was actually from the Middle East, where they date back to 4000 BC. In fact, owing to the carrying of bagpipes across Europe by the Roman Army, every European country has had its form of the bagpipe at one point or another.
The bagpipe was referred to in the Irish Brehan Laws of the 400s AD, where it is called the cuisle, meaning ‘pulse’, which refers to the blood ‘pulsing’ through the veins – it is also in reference to the hum of the drones. It is this powerful, pulsing sound that enables the bagpipes to create a particularly poignant atmosphere at events such as weddings, events and other types of celebration.
The bagpipe existed in Ireland long before Scotland and is believed to have arrived with the Dalradians who set sail for Scotland across the Irish Sea at around 470 AD. Their voyage was lead by Prince Fergus MacErc who committed his clan to the invasion of the Picts at present day Argyle.
The key difference between the Scottish bagpipe and Irish bagpipe is firstly their name and secondly the number of drones. The Scottish refer to their bagpipe as the ‘Great Highland Bagpipe’, and the Irish to theirs as the ‘Irish War Pipe’. The Great Highland Bagpipe has three drones made up of one bass and two tenors and the Irish War Pipe has two drones comprising one bass and one tenor. The Gaelic name for bagpipe is ‘Piob Mor’. Nowadays, the Irish War Pipe and the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe is fundamentally the same instrument.

Scotland’s connection to the Bagpipe and The Great Highland Bagpipe

The bagpipe is an instantly recognizable symbol of Scotland and the Scottish people. Although the traditional instrument was imported to Scotland, it was in Scottish highlands, that the Great Highland Bagpipe was developed further. Pipers came to be held in higher esteem in Scotland than anywhere else, and by the 1500s almost clan chieftain had their own piper who would remain with the clan. Concerned about the stirring effect of the pipes on the Scots, the bagpipes and the wearing of the kilt were banned by the government and the bagpipes themselves were declared an ‘Instrument of War’.
However, after the battle of Culloden and the subsequent suppression of the highland clans by the British Army, the government actively recruited Scottish regiments and allowed these soldiers to both wear kilts and play the bagpipes. These Scottish Regiments then served the Parliamentary forces and the King against rebel forces in Scotland and became an integral part of the British Army.
The modern Scottish and Irish pipe band is in effect thus a creation of the British army, created to accompany and add martial spirit to the Scottish regiments. Both the kilt and the pipes became synonymous with these tough highland units, and as a result they were nicknamed the ‘Ladies from Hell’, owing to their formidable reputation as one of the most feared units of the British Army.