Lomond and Clyde start off the Grade One at the 2018 Scottish Championships

This is Lomond and Clyde pipe band under the leadership of Pipe Major David Wilton and Leading Drummer Allan Craig starting off the afternoon Grade One competition at the RSPBA's Scottish Pipe Band Championships held in Dumbarton on 28 July 2018. This was a March, Strathspey and Reel competition, perhaps a bit more formal than a Medley competition but a stern test of a band's piping, drumming and ensemble achievements. Lomond and Clyde's MSR choice was: March: The Highland Wedding [Donald Cameron (c. 1810 - 1868)] Strathspey: Susan MacLeod [Donald MacLeod (1917–1982)] Reel: Arnish Light [Peter R MacLeod, Jr. (1918 - 1972)] The march and strathspey here are stalwarts of the pipe band world, but the reel, Arnish Light, is an unusual (but valid) choice. A medley favourite with St Laurence O'Toole pipe band this is the first time I've heard it used in a Grade One MSR competition. You would see the Arnish Lighthouse on a headland on the left from the Ullapool - Stornoway ferry just before the boat swings in towards Stornoway. The 'nish' in the name seems to be a Viking word adopted into Gaelic meaning headland. The lighthouse is disused now, after storm damage, but it has an interesting history. In Hindu 'arnish' means 'lord of the sea'. I wonder if Arnish Light would be a good name for a beer. Lomond and Clyde Pipe Band is based in Glasgow and this is the band's first season as a Grade One band.