The Piping Encyclopaedia

THE SILVER CHANTER MacCRIMMON MEMORIAL PIOBAIREACHD COMPETITION

The SILVER CHANTER is held annually in August at Dunvegan Castle and it’s aim is to perpetuate the legacy of the famed MacCrimmon pipers of Skye.

Competing pipers, who are invited on the basis of their past competition successes, play from a list of the classical tunes of the pipes (called Piobaireachd or Ceol Mor) which has been set by the organising committee and which are either MacCrimmon compositions or tunes which are normally associated with the MacCrimmons.

The event is held in the Drawing Room at Dunvegan Castle and is considered within the world of piping to be one of the most prestigious events on the Scottish professional calendar. In the past the Silver Chanter has been filmed for television and is regularly recorded for radio broadcast.

Willie McCallum, originally from Campbeltown but now living in Bearsden, was the first piper to record a hat-trick of wins (1994, 1995 and 1996) although that has been since emulated by three other pipers; New Zealander Greg Wilson (2000, 2001 and 2002), Edinburgh’s Iain Speirs (2003, 2004 and 2005) and Roddy MacLeod (2007, 2008 and 2009).

Hugh MacCallum (Dunblane) and Roddy MacLeod (Cumbernauld) share the record for most wins with six apiece.

past winners
1967   Hector MacFadyen (1)
1968   John MacDougall (1)
1969   John MacFadyen (1)
1970   Hugh MacCallum (1)
1971   Hugh MacCallum (2)
1972   Iain MacFadyen (1)
1973   Pipe Major Donald Morrison (1)
1974   Hugh MacCallum (3)
1975   James MacGregor (1)
1976   Hugh MacCallum (4)
1977   Murray Henderson (1)
1978   Iain MacFadyen (2)  
1979   Duncan MacFadyen (1)
1980   John MacDougall (2)
1981   Pipe Major Iain Morrison (1)
1982   Iain MacFadyen (3)
1983   Hugh MacCallum (5)
1984   Jack Taylor (1)
1985   Iain MacFadyen (4)
1986   Hugh MacCallum (6)
1987   Murray Henderson (2)
1988   Murray Henderson (3)
1989   Roderick MacLeod (1)
1990   Colin MacLellan (1)
1991   Colin MacLellan (2)
1992   Murray Henderson (4)
1993   Murray Henderson (5)
1994   William MacCallum (1)
1995   William MacCallum (2)
1996   William MacCallum (3)
1997   Dr Angus MacDonald (1)
1998   Roderick MacLeod (2)
1999   Roderick MacLeod (3)
2000   Greg Wilson (1)
2001   Greg Wilson (2)
2002   Greg Wilson (3)
2003   Iain Speirs (1)
2004   Iain Speirs (2)
2005   Iain Speirs (3)
2006   Euan MacCrimmon (1)
2007   Roderick MacLeod (4)
2008   Roderick MacLeod (5)
2009   Roderick MacLeod (6)
2010   Gordon Walker (1)