History of bagpipe in Scotland

The Scottish identity is incomplete without the mention of the great Highland bagpipe as tartan and Robert Burns. If we take a round of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile we will hear that familiar wail and the pipers gather each year from local shows to the famous Edinburgh Tattoo to showcase their skills. Though the pipes are not the invention of Scottish but English were blowing the pipes hundreds of years before the Scots started to play them.

The first indisputable presence of the bagpipe in Scotland is not found until the 15th century when an angel-piper and a pig-piper were found in carvings in Rosslyn Chapel and Melrose Abbey. It is reasonable to consider that the ritual came into Scotland from the South before it developed its own traits. It was military and public events instrument of Scotland by the 16 th century.   

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Edinburgh Tattoo gives cherished sword gift to Wellington

A ceremonial broadsword has been presented to the Wellington City in the wake of the record-breaking performances by the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Mayor Celia Wade-Brown presented a ceremonial Scottish Officer broadsword bearing the Royal cipher at the full meeting of the Wellington City Council last night.

 

The Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Rt Hon Donald Wilson gave this sword to Wellington City on the eve of Sunday’s final Royal Edinburgh Tattoo performance at Westpac Stadium. The Mayor said the broadsword is an unending memento of the 2016 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in the Capital. The 2016 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo created history to be remembered as the biggest crowd puller than any show held in the Capital.

Edinburgh Tattoo Chief Executive and producer Brigadier David Allfrey said people of Wellington supported Tattoo warmly. A Scottish Officer’s Broadsword is given to the contingent each year at the Tattoo in Edinburgh who has the most contributions to the Tattoo. The sword is highly demanded and the winner is announced before the March Off in front of Edinburgh Castle at the close of the last performance of the summer.

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Edinburgh Tattoo set to boost Wellington economy with $16m

Edinburgh Military Tattoo is expected to inject $16 million as economic benefits into the Wellington region. Great influx of visitors have been attracted by the event to the capital,with accommodation already booked out that has forced people to stay as far away as Levin and Martinborough. Chief executive of Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency, Chris Whelan said the whole region would derive economic benefits adding the four days alone are going to be worth an estimated $16m to the Wellington economy this summer.

He said more than 80,000 spectators have purchased coupons for four performances and accommodation demand has risen across the region. Masterton Copthorne Hotel & Resort manager Michelle Kirkpatrick said the Tattoo has also created great opportunity for the Wairarapa region.Whelan said this is a very successful event for the property and extra six touring groups have chosen to stay at the hotel over the four days and Tattoo weekend was an amazing event where Wellington offered further property investment because there is work already in progress to house the ever growing demand with a Sofitel under development, proposed Rydges Hotel at Wellington Airport and a four star plus Sebel property due to come on board in Lower Hutt in early 2017.

The New Zealand Festival is presenting the Tattoo and Wellington City Council is funding it. This is the second time the Tattoo is staged at Westpac Stadium following a profitable event in 2000 and just the fourth time it is being held overseas in its 65-year history. Tattoo chief executive and producer, Brigadier David Allfrey said it is our belief New Zealand economy would derive $4m from each performance.

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Westpac Stadium stages replica Edinburgh Castle for tattoo

It is looking Edinburgh Castle is right at home in Wellington's Westpac Stadium despite a long way from windy hills of Scotland. The Royal Military Edinburgh Tattoo comes to the town next week but a scale replica facade of the medieval castle needs to be built inside the stadium before 1200 performers join next Tuesday to rehearse for four nights of performance. A number of 60 people were working from 7am to 10pm each day to construct the castle which must be completed by lunch time on Sunday. Technical director Nick Kyle said 1200 sheets of plywood were used to make the castle.

 

A father-and-son team of scenic artists Kelvin and Louis Guy, who were brought over from the Scottish Opera hand-painted 90% of the panels. They got walls of the castle just right by working six days a week for two months. Kyle described it was a really nice challenge to set up a castle on a sports ground. He said it was a good experience to unite a bunch of really different people together like scaffolders because they do not do this kind of job, as they do buildings. He agreed building a castle on a sports pitch offered a few challenges.

He said we have to take care of the turf because we have to lay down 40 millimeters of ply any time we move anything like to drive a forklift anywhere. Kyle said they wrapped everything in plastic at the end of each night to protect it from the sprinklers needed to keep the turf fresh. Kyle seemed relaxed about the job ahead despite the intensity of the task facing him and his team where they are coordinating 1200 people with working out lights,sounds and fireworks.

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Gisborne and Sunbury duos will perform in Edinburgh Tattoo

The traditional and spectacular Edinburgh Military Tattoo will be in Melbourne this week for the first time in its 65-year-history and residents of and Sunbury and Gisborne will be performing there. Chris and Janet Bouwmeester of Gisborne and Sunbury’s Ian Thorn and Don MacLean are all members of the City of Melbourne Highland Pipe Band which is among a diverse group of 1200 performers at the show. Mr Bouwmeester who is with the band for more than 30 years including a decade as president, he was excited to be performing in the five-show season of three-days at Etihad Stadium.

He said it is really going to be bigger and more spectacular than in Edinburgh because of the size of the venue but it has so much tradition as an event that it is really a once in a lifetime type achievement. The dance and performance has made tattoo more modren additional to the military marches the tattoo is famous for. Similarly Mr Bouwmeester said the band was feeling Melbourne a more modern. 

 

He added while piping and drumming is still the nature of the group but you do not need to be an old Scottish soldier to become a member because we have people of Chinese, European and Vietnamese descents these days. Mr Bouwmeester is now a snare drummer and his wife is a tenor drummer while Mr MacLean and Mr Thorn are both pipers. The Edinburgh Military Tattoo is at 7pm on Friday and at 1pm and 7pm on Saturday-Sunday.

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