Live Blogging the Worlds 2011

For the second year in succession, I intend to try to Blog live from Glasgow Green this day week during the World Pipe Band Championships. As regular readers will know, the results of last year's efforts were a little patchy - but only due to the appalling cellphone reception at the Green. Whether O2 will have done anything about that remains to be seen, but I will be persevering anyway. I think that I managed to get the full Grade 1 results onto the web before practically anyone else and I'll try to do the same thing this year.

One addition this time round is the addition of autoposting to the Aiblins Facebook Page. I know that a lot of bandsmen are Facebook addicts, so it may be that this would be as good a way as any to keep up with what is going on. Each post should autopost immediately from the Blog and it will also be sent to the MrUlsterscot Twitter feed.

I will be roaming the Green, armed with video cameras as well - but the YouTube Channel won't be updated until I return to Ulster.

So - in summary - there is no excuse at all for anyone not to know exactly what is going on minute by minute at the Worlds this year. Between Live Blogging on here and the Grade One live streaming by the BBC, you are spoilt for choice!

Socially Speaking

I'm hoping to do a bit of Live Blogging from band contests during the year again and particularly from the World Championships in August.

I know that a lot of people are obsessive about checking Facebook and it seems to me that it may be easier to keep you up to date on who played what and who had a bad stop or early E by connecting up Aiblins using a Facebook Page - the content from here will autopost and sync there directly, so you won't miss a moment. If you want to Like the page, head here.

The Facebook posts should also link through via autoposting to the link sharing Twitter Account I have here.

To the Victor the Spoils...

A giant Terry Tully loomed over the throng and suffered the indignity of the compulsory winner's interview.

As stated elsewhere, I didn't really get to hear SLOT or FM, so I'm declaring a moral victory. If it turns out that Auckland were last, I'm going to buy a lottery ticket.

Apologies for the weird posting order but it was due to crummy cell reception which meant I couldn't reliably post. Next year I'm bringing my own cell tower.

Food is the next order of the day. I'll try to post a few post Worlds thoughts later but I have to admit that I am totally wrecked after today. The BPPV hasn't totally departed and I have been increasingly wobbly as the day has worn on. Ah well. Sure I haven't the wit to lie down....


Blogging Live!

A brief respite

Boghall let the drums hit the deck but it won't be long now until they are on for their Medley.


I have got over an hour and a half of video from the tuning park, so that will start to hit my YouTube Channel mid week.


From what I have heard SFU would still be my favourites but I didn't get close to either FM or SLOT, so I could be completely wrong.
I was so close to SFU I could have played with them. If I had the talent....

Blogging Live!

All over bar the Shouting

The final band has played, Jim Kilpatrick has performed his traditional salute at the Pearl Tent (a change in allegiance over the year) and the crowd is milling about awaiting the results.
I now have so much video that the camera is full!

I'm off to look round the stalls. The purchase of yet another pair of sticks is guaranteed to infuriate the Missus!!

Blogging Live!

The Waiting Game

The bands are forming up for the Results. Clever spectators commandeer the abandoned grandstands from earlier grades awaiting the formal proceedings and the all important results.


In truth, this is the rubbish bit. No matter how enthusiastic Mervyn Herron tries to sound, it's basically a lot of bands moseying in to the accompaniment of 6/8s.

 

Blogging Live!

Results

You'll forgive me for skipping the Drum Majors, save to say that Northern Ireland was again fairly dominant. One has to wonder if the rest of the world is really trying....

Adult Drum Major bucked the trend and went to the SFU Drum Major (J Paquio). Was that an omen? I'm typing this as we go, so who knows?

Paula Braiden came a creditable second, keeping the Ulster end up. And now, as they say, the Bands...

Novice Juvenile

Drums - George Watson
Overall - Oban High School

Grade 4B

Drums - Upper Crossgare
Overall - Upper Crossgare

Grade 4A

Drums - Gransha
Overall - Gransha

Juvenile

Drums - Boghall & Bathgate
Overall - Dollar Academy

Grade 3B

Drums - Badenoch and Strathspey
Overall - Geoghegan Memorial

Grade 3A

Drums - St Finbarr's
Overall - St Finbarr's

Grade 2

Drums - Bagad Brieg
Overall - Ravara

Grade 1

Drums - SLOT
Overall - (in order)
SLOT
FMMPB
Boghall & Bathgate*
SFU*
Shotts
Scottish Power

Piping
MSR - SLOT
Medley - SLOT

[* - Edit - This was the order called on the day and thus is the order I'm leaving in this post, as a document of record. In fact, the results were later amended to have SFU in third, ahead of Boghall on Ensemble preference. The link to the offical RSPBA results page is here.]


Blogging Live!