Writ of Mainprize

Jack Layton’s funeral cortege and highlights from the ceremony.

This year we won the Grade 3 at the North American Pipeband Championship at the Glengarry Highland Games (in Maxville). We are the Toronto Police Pipe Band (TPPB) Grade 3 lead by Pipe Major Brian Urkosky. We are seen marching up to the line and then playing our medley: “At Long Last” (march), “Soenaidh’s Tune” (strathspey), “The Grey Bob” (reel), “The Mermaid” (slow air) , “Daniel Michael Coleman’s Father’s Fancy” (jig), “The Rock and the Wee Pickle Tow” (jig), and “Mark Sheridan’s Jig” and “Mark Sheridan” (hornpipe).

The Toronto Police Pipeband, Grade 3 placed first with our medley at the Oshawa International Festival. The festival is not really a highland games — no heavy events or highland dancing. Instead there are a few multicultural events, including Chinese lion dancers, taiko drumming and a Town Cryer competition. The weather was perfect and the pipes were beautifully set. Check out the performance on Youtube.

A beautiful hot day in Kincardine. The pipes held their tone well in the heat and we played well in the circle. We placed third in the March/Strathspey/Reel.

We returned to Alma this year for the annual two-day “Scotland, USA” open invitational highland games. The weather was absolutely beautiful and absolutely sweltering. We played a march/strathspey/reel set on Saturday and our Medley on Sunday. We didn’t win though. Oh well, maybe next time!